Prior Performing Arts Center

Bala Brass Quintet
2025-09-11 19:30 (America/New_York) | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Luth Concert Hall –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Bala Brass Quintet

The award-winning Bala Chamber Brass presents a program from across the Americas, featuring two new works for brass quintet by Holy Cross faculty composers Chris Arrell and Matthew Jaskot.
Other pieces include Canadian composer Morley Calvert’s Suite from the Monteregian Hills, Four Sketches by American composer Anthony Plog, and an arrangement of the Colombian folk dance, Otro Buchipluma.

Details

September 11, 20257:30 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Luth Concert HallPrior Performing Arts Center

Traditional Irish Music Concert
2025-09-15 12:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – The Beehive –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Traditional Irish Music Concert

Diarmuid Ó Meachair, accordion
John Hannigan, accordion
Nathan Gourley, guitar

Pop-up concert of Traditional Irish Music – Experience the lively spirit of Irish music at a traditional Irish music pop-up concert!
Join us for an energetic performance featuring traditional jigs and reels. Whether you’re a fan of Irish culture or just curious, this free event offers a unique opportunity to experience live Irish music—right here on campus.
Don’t miss the chance to tap your feet! All are welcome!

Details

September 15, 202512 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

The BeehivePrior Performing Arts Center

Lunchtime Concert Series: Nate Murray ‘26, piano
2025-09-24 12:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – The Beehive –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Nate Murray ‘26, piano

Lunchtime Concert Series

This program will feature solo piano music by Felix Mendelssohn, Frédéric Chopin, and Alexander Scriabin.
Throughout this program, we will examine the history of each piece, the striking similarities between two etudes written over 60 years apart from each other, and the expansion of the early Romantic period into the late.

Details

September 24, 202512 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

The BeehivePrior Performing Arts Center

Pamela Z: Lecture-Demonstration
2025-09-30 17:30 | DEPARTMENTS OF MUSIC AND COMPUTER SCIENCE – Booth Media Lab –, 1 College St, Worcester, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Pamela Z: Lecture-Demonstration

Pamela Z is a composer/performer and media artist working primarily with voice, live electronics, sampled sound, and video. A pioneer of live looping, her performances combine experimental extended vocal techniques, operatic bel canto, found objects, text, digital processing, and custom-designed wireless instruments that allow her to manipulate sound with physical gestures. In addition to her solo work, she has been commissioned to compose scores for dance, theatre, film, and chamber ensembles including Kronos Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, the Bang on a Can All Stars, Julia Bullock with SF Symphony, and the LA Philharmonic New Music Group. Her interdisciplinary performances have been presented at venues including The Kitchen (NY), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF), REDCAT (LA), and MCA (Chicago), and her installations have been presented at such exhibition spaces as MoMA (NY), the Whitney (NY), SAVVY Contemporary (Berlin), and the Krannert Art Museum (IL). She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Rome Prize, the Berlin Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Doris Duke Artist Impact Award, and the MIT McDermott Award, as well as further distinctions from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, United States Artists, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Pamela Z’s five-day residency as a Distinguished Visiting Practitioner will feature a range of campus engagements, including a lecture-demonstration and a recital, both free and open to the public. The residency is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, with additional support from the Departments of Music, Mathematics and Computer Science, and the Prior Performing Arts Center.

Details

Sep 30, 20255:30 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Booth Media LabThe Prior Performing Arts Center

In addition to this Lecture-Demonstration event, please join us for Z’s public performance at The Prior on October 2:
Pamela Z: RecitalThursday, October 2, 8pmLuth Concert HallPrior Performing Arts CenterFree

“Z’s body of work definitely deserves curatorial attention, but it has already proved that it can evolve, having adapted to changing hardware and software technologies through the years. Have faith that, afforded a modicum of care, it will both endure and continue to amaze.”
Giacomo Fiore
Contributor, San Francisco Classical Voice

Explore More

Pamela Z: Recital
2025-10-02 20:00 | DEPARTMENTS OF MUSIC AND COMPUTER SCIENCE – Luth Concert Hall –, 1 College St, Worcester, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Pamela Z: Recital

Pamela Z is a composer/performer and media artist working primarily with voice, live electronics, sampled sound, and video. A pioneer of live looping, her performances combine experimental extended vocal techniques, operatic bel canto, found objects, text, digital processing, and custom-designed wireless instruments that allow her to manipulate sound with physical gestures. In addition to her solo work, she has been commissioned to compose scores for dance, theatre, film, and chamber ensembles including Kronos Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, the Bang on a Can All Stars, Julia Bullock with SF Symphony, and the LA Philharmonic New Music Group. Her interdisciplinary performances have been presented at venues including The Kitchen (NY), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF), REDCAT (LA), and MCA (Chicago), and her installations have been presented at such exhibition spaces as MoMA (NY), the Whitney (NY), SAVVY Contemporary (Berlin), and the Krannert Art Museum (IL). She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Rome Prize, the Berlin Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Doris Duke Artist Impact Award, and the MIT McDermott Award, as well as further distinctions from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, United States Artists, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Pamela Z’s five-day residency as a Distinguished Visiting Practitioner will feature a range of campus engagements, including a lecture-demonstration and a recital, both free and open to the public. The residency is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, with additional support from the Departments of Music, Mathematics and Computer Science, and the Prior Performing Arts Center.

Details

Oct 2, 20258 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Luth Concert HallThe Prior Performing Arts Center

In addition to this recital, please join us for Z’s Lecture-Demonstration at The Prior:
Pamela Z Lecture-DemonstrationTuesday, September 30 @ 5:30pmBooth Media Lab and BeehivePrior Performing Arts CenterFree entry

“Z’s body of work definitely deserves curatorial attention, but it has already proved that it can evolve, having adapted to changing hardware and software technologies through the years. Have faith that, afforded a modicum of care, it will both endure and continue to amaze.”
Giacomo Fiore
Contributor, San Francisco Classical Voice

Explore More

Irish Music & Song with Liz Knowles*
2025-10-03 19:30 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Irish Music & Song with Liz Knowles

*Funded by The Patrick E. Moriarty, M.D. ’57 Visiting Scholars Program
Join us for this collaboration of music & song with Liz Knowles, fiddle; Diarmuid Ó Meachair, accordion & voice; John Hannagan Brooks Scholar, fiddle and accordion; and Ulysses Loken, piano.

Details

October 3, 20257:30 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series: Ezequiel Menendez
2025-10-07 19:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – St. Joseph Memorial Chapel –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Dr. Ezequiel Menendez

Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series

Dr. Ezequiel Menendez, Artist-in-Residence and Organ Professor at the College of the Holy Cross, will perform a captivating recital titled Passacaglias: Past and Present.
The program will center on the timeless Passacaglia in C minor by J.S. Bach, one of the most celebrated works in the organ repertoire, and will explore the evolution of the form through selections from both historical and contemporary composers.

Details

October 7, 20257 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Mike Monaghan & Friends
2025-10-09 20:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Luth Concert Hall –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Mike Monaghan & Friends

Renowned jazz musician Mike Monaghan and his friends, Ben Cook, Marshall Wood, Marty Richards, John Wilkins will perform an exciting evening of jazz improvisation.

Details

October 9, 20258 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Luth Concert HallPrior Performing Arts Center

Holy Cross Wind Ensemble | Living Landscapes
2025-10-24 19:30 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Luth Concert Hall –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Holy Cross Wind Ensemble

Living Landscapes

Join the Holy Cross Wind Ensemble for an exploration of the relationship between global cultures and their natural environments! This program brings the listener to the radiant landscapes of the Arctic, with its varied indigenous peoples, its midnight suns and ceaseless nights. Then, experience a work inspired by Japanese folklore, blending authentic kitsune folksongs with alto and soprano recorders, unique keyboard-percussion effects, and a thrilling clash of mischievous yako and benevolent zenko spirits.
We invite you for a musical reflection on the interplay between humanity and nature: how exactly does one influence the other?

Details

October 24, 20257:30 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Luth Concert HallPrior Performing Arts Center

A Century of Piano Music: Sofia Gubaidulina Tribute | Liudmila Georgievskaya, piano
2025-10-25 19:30 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Luth Concert Hall –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

A Century of Piano Music: Sofia Gubaidulina Tribute

Liudmila Georgievskaya, piano

This program invites listeners into a rich tapestry of twentieth-century piano music where echoes of the Baroque tradition inspire new, individual voices.
It opens with the shimmering, impressionistic landscapes of Debussy’s Préludes, whose titles are placed at the end of each piece to reflect his unique poetic approach. Bach’s enduring influence is celebrated in Busoni’s immortal piano transcription of the Chaconne from the Second Violin Partita, a work that became an instant staple of the repertoire. Gubaidulina passionately reimagines the continuous variation form in her 1962 Chaconne. Throughout her life, she felt a profound affinity with Bach, especially in their shared fascination with number, numerical symbolism, and his chorales—elements that resonate strikingly and form the very foundation of her own Chaconne. Together, these works chart a lineage of innovation—composers who, like Debussy and Gubaidulina, forged unconventional paths of timbral and structural exploration.
The journey culminates in Ralf Yusuf Gawlick’s Mysterium doloris quintae (Tropen-Kreuz), a meditation on the crucifixion that takes shape as a musical cruciform. Quotations from Bach, Mozart, and children’s songs from around the world intersect within an aural cross that binds Christ’s suffering to the pain of all innocents. Bach’s Mache dich, mein Herze, rein and the Crucifixus stand at its core, while Mozart’s K.414 Andante and Contessa perdono introduce moments of purity, mercy, and forgiveness. Suspended between recitations of the Ave Maria plainchant, the work collapses past and present, revealing Golgotha as an ever-present reality wherever innocence suffers. In this cruciform, suffering is transformed into a space where grace, mercy, and hope break through, embodying Christ’s words: “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them. For such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Details

October 25, 20257:30 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Luth Concert Hall

Rasa String Quartet: Chamber Music Masterclass*
2025-10-28 15:30 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Rasa String Quartet

Chamber Music Masterclass

*Funded by The Patrick E. Moriarty, M.D. ’57 Visiting Scholars Program
Join us for this Chamber Music Masterclass from the Rasa String Quartet during their visiting artist residency with the Holy Cross Department of Music, free and open to the public.
The Rasa String Quartet explores the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another. Formed in 2019, the Boston-based ensemble brings together violinists Emma Powell and Maura Shawn Scanlin, violist Kiyoshi Hayashi, and cellist Mina Kim, who are graduates of the New England Conservatory, the Shepherd School of Music, and Yale University.
The quartet has earned top prizes at competitions including Chamber Music in Yellow Springs, Plowman Chamber Music Competition, MTNA Chamber Music Competition, and the Associazione Europea di Musica e Comunicazione (Italy). They’ve also served as ensemble-in-residence at Phillips Exeter Academy. Rasa has collaborated with renowned folk artists like Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist, Irish fiddler Liz Carroll, and singer-songwriter Judy Collins, and have performed across the U.S. and abroad at events like the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Celebrity Series of Boston, Newport Classical, Rockport Music, Jordan Hall, and the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival.
Their love of teaching has led to educational residencies at Bowdoin College, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, UMass Dartmouth, and Boston Music Project, among others. By exploring the connection between music and storytelling at the heart of folk traditions, Rasa delivers fresh, engaging performances that blend classical elegance with folk charm, celebrate global musical roots, and highlight underrepresented composers. In Sanskrit, the term rasa refers to the indescribable power of art to move, inspire, and connect us—a quality Rasa String Quartet strives to embody in every performance.
Find out more at rasastringquartet.com

Details

October 28, 20253:30 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Rasa String Quartet | Soundtrack to a Nightmare*
2025-10-28 20:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Rasa String Quartet

Soundtrack to a Nightmare

*Funded by The Patrick E. Moriarty, M.D. ’57 Visiting Scholars Program
This Halloween-inspired program follows the arc of a classic horror movie – from eerie atmospheres and unsettling beauty to blood-chilling terror and otherworldly transformation.
Featuring Schubert’s feverish Death and the Maiden, Mozart’s ominous Dissonance Quartet, haunting tracks from Radiohead, and iconic Halloween hits, this spine-tingling journey blends classical drama, cinematic suspense, and supernatural flair!

Details

October 28, 20258 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Family Weekend Concert: Holy Cross College Choir & Chamber Singers
2025-11-01 14:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – St. Joseph Memorial Chapel –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Family Weekend Concert

Holy Cross College Choir & Chamber Singers

All Saints Day, or the Feast of All Saints, is a Christian celebration of all named saints, as well as those departed saints whose names we hold in our hearts. Music traditionally associated with All Hallows’ Day can range in mood from celebratory and triumphant to introspective, mystical, and mournful.
We look forward to welcoming friends and family to a concert of music around the theme of remembrance that will take place on November 1 at 2 p.m. in stunning St. Joseph Chapel. Our selections include beloved liturgical repertoire, as well as some delightful gems: movements from the Durufle Requiem, a deeply moving setting of the text, “And I Saw a New Heaven,” an arrangement of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by Harry T. Burleigh; Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia on the poetry of W.H. Auden which extols the virtues of the patron saint of music and musicians, and joyful bluegrass and folk music featuring local musicians.

Details

November 1, 20252 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Family Weekend: Traditional Irish Music & Flanagan Brothers Presentation
2025-11-01 19:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Family Weekend

Traditional Irish Music & Flanagan Brothers Presentation

Diarmuid Ó Meachair, accordion
John Hannagan ‘28, Brooks Scholar, accordion
Ulysses Loken, piano
Dan Neely, banjo
Mat Mulqueen, piano

Enjoy a foot tapping performance of traditional Irish music by Diarmuid Ó Meachair, accordion, John Hannagan ‘28 Brooks Scholar, accordion and Ulysses Loken, piano.
This performance will be followed by a Flanagan Brothers presentation by Dan Neely, Banjo, Matt Mulqueen, Piano and Diarmuid Ó Meachair, melodeon.

Details

November 1, 20257 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Traditional Irish Music
2025-11-03 12:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Dinand Library –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Traditional Irish Music

Diarmuid Ó Meachair, accordion
John Hannigan, accordion
Nathan Gourley, guitar

Pop-up concert of Traditional Irish Music – Experience the lively spirit of Irish music at a traditional Irish music pop-up concert!
Join us for an energetic performance featuring traditional jigs and reels. Whether you’re a fan of Irish culture or just curious, this free event offers a unique opportunity to experience live Irish music—right here on campus.
Don’t miss the chance to tap your feet! All are welcome!

Details

November 3, 202512 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Dinand Library

Traditional Irish Music
2025-11-03 14:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Dinand Library –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Traditional Irish Music

Diarmuid Ó Meachair, accordion
John Hannigan, accordion
Nathan Gourley, guitar

Pop-up concert of Traditional Irish Music – Experience the lively spirit of Irish music at a traditional Irish music pop-up concert!
Join us for an energetic performance featuring traditional jigs and reels. Whether you’re a fan of Irish culture or just curious, this free event offers a unique opportunity to experience live Irish music—right here on campus.
Don’t miss the chance to tap your feet! All are welcome!

Details

November 3, 20252 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Dinand Library

Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series: Martin Jean, Yale University
2025-11-04 19:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – St. Joseph Memorial Chapel –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Martin Jean, Yale University

Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series

Martin Jean holds a secure place within the highest ranks of the world’s concert organists and is recognized widely as a brilliant, warmly communicative artist whose playing exhibits “visceral intensity, expressive eloquence, and exquisite elegance” (The Kansas City Star).
He is known for his wide reportorial interests, which are fed by the variety of performance instruments at Yale and the numerous European and Asian study tours upon which he embarks with the Yale Organ Department and for his own concertizing.

Details

November 4, 20257 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Lunchtime Concert Series: A Collection of Originals | Haley Labdon ‘28, Singer/Songwriter
2025-11-05 12:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – The Beehive –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

A Collection of Originals

Haley Labdon ‘28, Singer/Songwriter

Lunchtime Concert Series

The program will feature a collection of original compositions featuring voice and acoustic guitar.
Inspired by the passing of time, the natural world, and the human experience, the pieces highlight personal experiences and stories through indie-folk style music.

Details

November 5, 202512 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

The BeehivePrior Performing Arts Center

Charles Weiss Summer Research Recital: Nate Murray ‘26 & Julianna Stratton ‘26
2025-11-08 13:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Charles Weiss Summer Research Recital

Julianna Stratton ‘26
Nate Murray ‘26

This concert will include premiere performances of The Voices We Wear by Julianna Stratton ‘26 and Songs under a Cricket Moon by Nate Murrary ‘26. These song cycles were inspired by reflections on life, love, and longing, and were written as one component of Weiss Summer Research projects.
The Voices We Wear was inspired by the romantic idiom of the character piece and is loosely tied to the chronology of a lifetime, exploring the one-dimensional identifiers we assign to ourselves in seeking universality and connection beyond our own personal experiences. Each movement is centered around a classical or romantic text, and represents a different person we ‘become’ over the course of our life.
Songs under a Cricket Moon emanates from a collection of over 200 poems written by two women during the Heian period in Japan. It explores themes of longing, love, and betrayal, and how these emotions can both coexist and suddenly morph into a different one. This musical journey employs both male and female voices and a diverse instrumental ensemble, serving to challenge traditional expectations about gender and narrative.

Details

November 8, 20251 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Carol Lieberman, Baroque Violin & Mark Kroll, Harpsichord
2025-11-11 16:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Carol Lieberman, Baroque Violin & Mark Kroll, Harpsichord

The program will feature music for Baroque violin and harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, François Couperin, Georg Friedrich Handel and Domenico Scarlatti.

Details

November 11, 20254 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Holy Cross Orchestra with Alice Jones & Alexander Davis*
2025-11-12 19:30 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Luth Concert Hall –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Holy Cross Orchestra

with Alice Jones (flute) & Alexander Davis (bassoon)

*Funded by The Patrick E. Moriarty, M.D. ’57 Visiting Scholars Program
Guest artists Alice Jones (flute) and Alexander Davis (bassoon) join the Holy Cross Orchestra, under the direction of Michael Carney, for the world premiere of Matthew Jaskot’s double concerto, By the Ocean in May.
This piece was inspired by annual family trips to Cape Ann (Gloucester and Rockport, MA) taken to commemorate a moment of personal loss. The central focus of the work is to explore how the healing process evolves as time passes, and that overcoming grief is not a linear experience, but instead circular. The work includes many fascinating sonic representations of rays of light, sunsets, shades of cerulean, and prismatic ribbons which contrast with the boisterous and punchy second movement.

Details

November 12, 20257:30 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Luth Concert HallThe Prior Performing Arts Center

Chamber Music Recital
2025-11-18 19:30 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Chamber Music Recital

Chamber music is played by small ensembles of two or more players such as duos, trios, quartets, etc., where every part is played by a single performer. Its intimate setting creates a process that is democratic, participative, and that across history has been compared to a conversation among friends.
This recital features the students who participate in the Chamber Music course as they perform the works they have studied during the semester.

Details

November 18, 20257:30 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Holy Cross Jazz Ensemble
2025-11-20 20:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Luth Concert Hall –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Holy Cross Jazz Ensemble

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music as the Holy Cross Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos take the stage! Experience the sounds of swing, bebop, funk, and more performed by some of the college’s most talented student musicians.
Whether you’re a jazz aficionado or just looking for a night of great live music, this concert promises high energy, soulful solos, and tight grooves you won’t want to miss.

Details

November 20, 20258 p.m.

Price

Free entry

Venue

Luth Concert HallPrior Performing Arts Center

End of Semester Student Recitals
2025-11-21 16:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

End of Semester Student Recitals

Students who participated in the private lesson program perform the works they have studied during the semester. Please join us in celebrating their work!

Details

November 21, 20254 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Wind Ensemble Pop-Up Concert
2025-11-24 18:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – The Beehive –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Wind Ensemble Pop-Up Concert

Join the Holy Cross Wind Ensemble for a seasonal pop-up concert in the Beehive. Embrace a moment of levity and seasonal beauty before the rush of finals.
For this concert, music selections will be chosen by the performers.

Details

November 24, 20256 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

The BeehivePrior Performing Arts Center

Holy Cross Laptop Ensemble Federation
2025-12-02 20:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – Booth Media Lab –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Holy Cross Laptop Ensemble Federation

Join the Holy Cross Laptop Ensemble Federation (H-CLEF) for a concert of choreographed sound and image showcasing final student projects written for Music 242: Coding Music.

Details

December 2, 20258 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Booth Media LabPrior Performing Arts Center

Forty-Seventh Annual Festival of Lessons & Carols
2025-12-04 20:00 | DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC – St. Joseph Memorial Chapel –, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Forty-Seventh Annual Festival of Lessons & Carols

Please join us for the College’s Annual Festival of Lessons and Carols for Advent.
The service will take place in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel on Thursday, December 4 at 8 p.m.

Details

December 4, 20258 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Gamelan Gita Sari Concert
2025-12-06 19:30 | DEPARTMENTS OF MUSIC AND THEATRE & DANCE – Boroughs Theatre –, 1 College St, Worcester, 01610, United States
Departments of Music and Theatre & Dance

Gamelan Gita Sari Concert

Join us for this end-of-semester performance from the students in I Nyoman Catra’s Balinese dance and gamelan classes, in which they will display what they have learned in a delightful evening showcasing the Balinese performing arts.

Details

December 6, 20257:30 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Boroughs TheatrePrior Performing Arts Center

Traditional Irish Music Hour
2026-01-21 12:00 | Brooks Concert Hall, 1 College St., Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Traditional Irish Music Hour

Join us for a Irish traditional music concert with Diarmuid Ó Meachair (accordion) & Andrew Caden (fiddle).
Diarmuid Ó Meachair is a traditional Irish accordion and melodeon player from Cúil Aodha, Co. Cork, and is also a sean-nós singer. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious TG4 Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana (Young Musician of the Year). Diarmuid currently teaches Irish traditional music at College of the Holy Cross. Diarmuid, who has performed with De Dannan internationally since 2022, has released four solo albums and he has been nominated for three RTÉ Folk Awards: Best Instrumentalist (2023 & 2024) and Best Emerging Artist (2023).
Andrew Caden is a fiddle player originally from Bethesda, MD. Andrew is currently based in Dublin, where he works at the Irish Traditional Music Archive. Andrew is completing an MA programme in Archives & Records Management at the University College of Dublin. Andrew, who was taught primarily by New York fiddle player Brian Conway, counts among his greatest musical influences Michael Coleman, James ‘Lad’ O’Beirne, Seán McGuire, and Frankie Gavin. Andrew has performed and taught at many traditional music festivals throughout Ireland, and he has been recognised by numerous established traditional musicians as one of the most promising young Irish fiddle players of today. In June 2025, Andrew released a duet album “Across the Atlantic” with flute player Conor McDonagh (available on Bandcamp), which has been met with critical acclaim from The Journal of Music and The Irish Echo.

Details

January 21, 202612 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Brooks Concert Hall

Winter Homecoming Concert: Julianna Stratton ’26, cello & Robert Gardner ’26, piano
2026-02-07 12:00 | Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, 1 College St, Worcester, MA, 01610, United States
Department of Music

Winter Homecoming Concert

Julianna Stratton ’26, cello

Robert Gardner ’26, piano

This program explores the complex themes of memory, political resistance, and the formation of identity through place and experience. Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata, a classical example of a composer writing music grappling with the political environment of his time, is paired with a selection from his student, Galina Ustvolskaya’s “Grand Duet,” a work that challenges the normative compositional and musical boundaries of her time.
Together, these works take us on a musical journey of resistance and creativity in the face of oppression, ranging from cosmic, soaring melodies, to angry, hammering, defiance. In the words of Ustvolskaya herself: “The important thing is that the music is genuine and strong.”

Details

February 7, 202612 p.m.

Price

Free Entry

Venue

Cantor Art Gallery3rd Floor, Prior Performing Arts Center
