This Week in the Arts, November 12-19

November 16, 7 p.m., Nevins Theater, Powell Campus Center. Wednesday Arts Speaker Series presents Matthew Leifheit, Brooklyn, NY-based photographer, magazine editor, publisher, and professor.

Leifheit is editor-in-chief of MATTE Magazine, a platform for new ideas in photography founded by Leifheit in 2010.

The Weekly Wednesday Arts Speaker Series takes place every Wednesday, throughout the fall semester at 7 p.m. in Nevins Theater, Powell Campus Center.

November 17, 5:30 p.m., “Musical Map of China: An Evening of Music Adventure with Producer Yunchuan Ye,” Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall.

Presented by the Confucius Institute at Alfred University, the event features producer/composer/graphic designer Yunchuan Ye—with guest hosts Lisa Lantz, professor of music; Heidi Jensen, visiting assistant professor of music; and Daisy Wu, director of the Confucius Institute at Alfred University—presenting an evening of adventure which leads the audience on an audio-visual excursion through China.  Watch and listen to selected videos from the “China Music Map” and get the opportunity to engage with this notable producer about his project.

Ye, who joined the Alfred University Confucius Institute’s “East Meets West Virtual Concert and Forum” last November, is the founder and owner of one of China's most prestigious audiophiles recording labels, Rhymoi Music. He has won more than 180 awards including the Special Award for Best Musician at the 2009 China Gold Record Awards, the Chinese music industry's top endorsement. “American Independent Music Award", and "Global Music Award", He is also the first full voting member of the Grammy Awards representing the Chinese music industry. Over the past 19 years, Ye has produced over 2,500 pieces of music.

The Musical Map of China, one major branch of Ye's work, records lesser-known, or endangered Chinese traditional music with world-class equipment and technology. So far, Ye and his team have been to half of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across China to record folk music. The project has attracted the participation of approximately 580 people from nearly 40 ethnic groups, including inheritors of national-level intangible cultural heritage. So far, 1,056 pieces of music, played on more than 200 kinds of musical instrument, have been collected by the project.

November 17, 5-8 p.m., Alfred Art Walk

Alfred Art Walk takes place the third Thursday of every month from 5-8 p.m. in Alfred. Following are some of the venues and events for the Nov. 18 Art Walk:

• The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum is hosting the 18^th Perkins Lecture at 4:30pm in Nevins Theater with award-winning arts writer, scholar, and lecturer Ed Lebow ’76
• Holiday sale in the Harder Hall lobby to take place for the duration of the evening
• Cohen Gallery and the Shop at the Cohen: “Idyll Currents: Jonathan Faber ’94 (B.F.A.) Solo exhibition of new paintings and drawings by abstract artist and Alfred University alumnus is on view through December 4.
• Fosdick-Nelson Gallery: “Division of Ceramic Art” exhibition
• Robert C. Turner Gallery: Student Run—Student Envisioned
• The IDEA Lab, located on the second floor of Harder Hall, hosts an artist talk at 6 p.m. The talk, “Disruption, Colorized,” will be given by the artists featured in the exhibition of the same name.

Alfred Art Walk is a collaborative monthly venture created by the galleries in the Village of Alfred and on the campuses of Alfred University and Alfred State College in an effort to foster dialogue within the local arts communities. Artists, community members and venues are welcomed to join! Email, DM via Instagram @alfredartwalk, or fill out a submission form at alfredartwalk.org

November 18, 7:30 p.m., Miller Theater, Alfred University. Violinist and Grammy nominee Curtis Stewart joins the Alfred University Orchestra to perform “Knight Music” a fantastic arrangement of Joseph Bologne's Violin Concerto No. 9 in G major, Op. 8. 

The Orchestra will perform under the direction of Lisa Lantz, professor of music at Alfred University. The concert is free and open to the public.

A two-time Grammy nominated violinist/composer—2021 for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo” and 2020 for “Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance”—Stewart has been presented by Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Carnegie Hall, and the 2022 Grammy Awards, among many others. He graduated magna cum laude from the Eastman School of Music with a BA of Mathematics from the University of Rochester and was awarded Eastman’s “Centennial Award” for commitment to artistry, scholarship, and leadership.

Joseph Bologne, often referred to as the Mozart Noir, was a swashbuckling violinist of Guadeloupe, born to both slave and nobleman, who was known for his masterful swordsmanship, virtuosity, and charm. This concerto indulges in a bit of historic fiction—reimagining what the Chevalier’s music might have been like had he not been sent east to France, but north to America —embracing what would become the African American contribution to musical culture—Blues, Spiritual, and Caribbean music—all framed within the original sparkling Classicism.

In addition to the concerto, the orchestra will perform the Saint Saens Bacchanal and the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21.

November 19, 7:30 p.m., Miller Theatre. Alfred University Concert Band presents its 2022 Fall Concert, featuring the music of composers Girolamo Frescobaldi, J.S. Bach, Francois Gossec, Pierre Leemans, George Gershwin, Manning Sherman.