Grove City College’s Family Weekend provides a showcase for the arts on campus, with a series of concerts, Orchesis dance show, Spring One-Acts, and more from May 4 to 7. All the events are free and open to the public.
The performances begin at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 4, as the Orchesis Dance Company takes the stage in the Arena of the Physical Learning Center for its spring show “Dance Like Nobody's Watching.” The show features 17 dancers and more than 80 students. Encore performances are set for 8 p.m. on Friday, May 5, and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 6. The final performance will be livestreamed at gcc.edu/livestream.
Dance has long been part of the College’s annual celebration of student achievement and familial support, from reels around the maypole in the 19th century to elaborate, choreographed Spring Queen coronations in the 20th. Music and theater also remain key elements of the Family Weekend tradition. Concerts during the weekend include:
- The Grove City College Singers presenting “Songs of Faith, Hope and Love,” a concert featuring selections including John Leavitt’s “Festival Sanctus,” Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs,” and Z. Randall Stroope’s “Inscription of Hope,” at 6 p.m. Friday, May 5, in Arnold Recital Hall of the Pew Fine Arts Center. The women’s ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Stacy Paparone ’93 with student director and accompanist Katherine Hatfield ’24.
- The Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble performing “A Senior Celebration” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, in Ketler Auditorium of the Pew Fine Arts Center. Senior members of both groups will be honored, and the Arnold Family Scholarship Award will be presented. The band will play selections from Balmages, Sousa, and Puccini and feature vocal soloist Dr. Charles Dugan. The wind ensemble will present three selections, including “American Visions,” composed by alumnus Dr. Travis Weller ’95. The musicians are under the direction of Dr. Andrew Erb.
- The Jazz Ensemble and Stage Band will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, in Crawford Hall Auditorium. The concert features instrumental and vocal jazz numbers plus a new jazz composition by student Charlie Hubell ’24. The 6-piece Stage Band kicks off the concert and is followed by the 15-piece Jazz Ensemble, which features vocalists Hubbell and Genevieve Harvey ’23. The bands are directed by Dr. Joseph Hasper, assisted by student director Austin Steffey ’24.
All three concerts will be livestreamed at gcc.edu/livestream.
Spring One-Acts are another Family weekend tradition. Presented by the theater honorary society Alpha Psi Omega, the series of one-acts debuts at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, in the Little Theatre in Pew Fine Arts Center, with another show at 8:30 p.m. that night and two more at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6. Doors open half an hour before showtime.
All College Sing, a rollicking songfest featuring costumed and choreographed student groups, begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6, in the Arena of the Physical Learning Center.
The Student Art Exhibit, open from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 5, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6, in the Gallery of the Pew Fine Arts Center, rounds out the weekend showcase for the College community’s talented musicians, singers, actors, dancers, and artists.
For more about Family Weekend, visit gcc.edu/familyweekend.