ETSU hosting variety of events for the community in April
Published 9:28 am Monday, March 31, 2025
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The month of April brings the new life of spring, and the East Tennessee State University campus is abuzz with activity, with fun and educational events for the campus and community going on all the time.
Concerts by award-winning professional musicians and student performers, two touring Broadway musicals, a unique student production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” spring football, intriguing talks, an opportunity to see the wide variety of ETSU student research and much more are just a few of the “can’t miss” events coming up this month!
The following listing includes events that are open to the public and are free unless otherwise noted:
Music
April 1, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The iconic jazz supergroup Spyro Gyra will perform as part of the Johnson City Jazz Festival, which is part of a major fundraising effort for regional jazz musicians impacted by Hurricane Helene. Tickets range from $42.34-$60.63 including ticket fees.
Guest Artist Recital: Jessica Butler
April 1, 7:30 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
Dr. Jessica Butler, trombone, presents a Guest Artist Recital for the ETSU Department of Music. She is an assistant professor of low brass and music history at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
April 2, 7:30 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
This recital features flute students from the studio of Dr. Roya Farzaneh.
Guest Artist Recital: Dmitry Rachmanov
April 3, 7:30 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
Pianist Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov will perform in a Guest Artist Recital. Rachmanov is chair of keyboard studies at California State University, Northridge.
April 3, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
Duo Jack O’Neill and Cary Pierce are celebrating 30 years of their album, “Bringing on the Weather,” on their current concert tour. Known for their signature blend of harmonies and heartfelt songwriting, Jackopierce will treat the audience to a night of nostalgia, music and storytelling. Tickets range from $36.86 to $67.33 with fees.
April 4, 7:30 p.m. – Martin Center for the Arts
Jazz saxophonist, composer, educator and author Adam Larson will be joined by bassist Clark Sommers and drummer John Kizilarmut in this concert, which is part of the inaugural ETSU Jazz Festival sponsored by the Department of Music. Tickets are $15.
April 5, 6 p.m. – Martha Street Culp Auditorium, D.P. Culp Student Center
The ETSU Gospel Choir will host its spring concert, which will feature worship, a guest artist, special performances and more.
April 5, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
ETSU’s a cappella ensembles, including Ascension, Greyscale and others, will take the stage to perform songs in a wide range of styles. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $6 for students.
April 6, 5:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Percussion Ensemble will perform in concert, featuring students from the studios of Drs. Christian Swafford and Logan Ball.
‘You Are Not Alone’ Concert Featuring Scythian
April 7, 7 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The Frontier Health Foundation presents this uplifting concert featuring the band Scythian, which plays roots music from Celtic, Eastern European and Appalachian traditions, giving crowds a “barn-dance, rock concert” experience. Tickets are $15.88 for general admission and $9.58 for students with fees.
April 10, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
Asleep at the Wheel has been around for over 50 years, with more than 100 musicians joining frontman Ray Benson throughout that time as the band has racked up more than 30 albums and 10 Grammy Awards. Tickets are $42.95 with fees.
Ben Folds: Paper Airplane Request Tour
April 11, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
Ben Folds, an Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter, has created a body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five and multiple solo and collaborative albums. Tickets range from $56.24-$122.67 with fees.
April 12, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – University School front lawn
This annual fundraiser for JAM of Upper East Tennessee features bands from ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies, Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) and University School students. Suggested admission is $3; food and arts and crafts will be available for purchase.
April 13, 2 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Trumpet Studio presents its studio recital, featuring students of Dr. Brett Long and Sarah Fellenbaum.
April 13, 5 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Tuba/Euphonium Studio presents its studio recital, featuring students of Dr. Steph Frye-Clark.
Trombone and Horn Studio Recital
April 13, 7:30 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Trombone and Horn Studio presents its studio recital, featuring students of Drs. Justin Waller and Elliott Stanger.
Combined Brass Ensembles Concert
April 14, 7:30 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The Combined Brass Ensembles will present a recital, featuring students from the studios of Sarah Fellenbaum, Cody Chessor, and Drs. Brett Long, Steph Frye-Clark, Justin Waller, Elliott Stanger and Hunter Mullins.
ETSU BLUE Singer-Songwriter Showcase
April 22, 7 p.m. – Powell Recital Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
This concert features original music by students studying songwriting this semester in ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies program. For those unable to attend in person, the performance will be livestreamed on Facebook, @etsubluegrass.
April 22, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Wind Ensemble and Concert Band will present their final concert of the spring semester.
SGA Spring Concert Featuring NLE Choppa
April 24, 7 p.m. – Freedom Hall Civic Center
NLE Choppa headlines this spring’s SGA Concert, with special guests Kaliii and Josh Levi. Student tickets (one free with ID and up to two guest tickets at discounted price of $10 each) are available now in the Carrier Center in the D.P. Culp Student Center. Faculty/staff tickets will be available starting April 1. The public may purchase tickets online only if available starting April 15 for $35 plus tax. Visit the SGA Major Events web page for complete ticket information.
‘And There Was Music’: ETSU Choirs
April 25, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Choirs – the ETSU Chorale, BucsWorth and East Tennessee Belles – will perform their spring concert, featuring a wide variety of music centered on the theme that music is a part of our entire lives and everything we do. The combined choirs will also perform several pieces to fill the hall with music. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $6 for students.
April 27, 3 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Departments of Theatre and Dance and Music present “The Music of Stephen Sondheim,” featuring some of the composer’s most beloved music that includes pieces from “Company,” “Into the Woods,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Sunday in the Park with George” and more. The full ETSU Orchestra will accompany students studying musical theater for this afternoon of music. Tickets are $12-$20.
Michael W. Smith ‘Beyond the Far Horizon’ Tour
April 30, 7:30 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith brings a whole new dimension to this tour with a reimagined live show, featuring music that ventures into new creative ground while still resonating with longtime fans through beloved hits and uplifting worship moments. Tickets are $54.53-$97.20 with fees.
Theater/Cinema
April 10-12, 7:30 p.m., and April 13, 2 p.m. – Bert C. Bach Theatre, Martin Center for the Arts
The ETSU Department of Theatre and Dance presents an adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic “The Tempest” with a Celtic twist in a unique collaboration with ETSU’s Appalachian, Scottish and Irish Studies Program. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $15 for students.
Bud Frank Cinema Friday Film: ‘Universal Language’
April 11, 7 p.m. – Bud Frank Theatre
Join the Bud Frank Cinema for its Friday Film screening of “Universal Language.” In a surreal interzone somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, the lives of multiple characters interweave in surprising and mysterious ways.
Broadway at the Martin: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’
April 15-17, 7 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
This Tony Award-winning Best Musical is the first musical to take a groundbreaking look – from the point of view of both parents and youth – at our complex, interconnected and social media-filled lives. This production is recommended for ages 12 and up and contains adult themes, including discussions of suicide. Tickets are $88.66-$113.04 with fees.
Broadway at the Martin: ‘Come From Away’
April 28-29, 7 p.m. – ETSU Foundation Grand Hall, Martin Center for the Arts
This Best Musical winner and New York Times Critics’ Pick takes the audience into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 passengers who were stranded and the small town of Gander, Newfoundland, that welcomed them after the September 11 attacks grounded flights into the U.S. Tickets are $88.66-$113.04 with fees.
Fine Arts
Through April 4, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays – Reece Museum
This exhibit features works by Patricia Mink, an award-winning fiber artist and professor emerita of the ETSU Department of Art and Design. Mink’s current work explores traditional layered quilt forms, employing new digital techniques for weaving and printing fabric.
Through April 4, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays – Reece Museum
Select works of 14 former students of Patricia Mink, professor emerita, ETSU Department of Art and Design, are featured in this exhibit showcasing exploratory approaches to fibers and ideas of fiber.
Visit the Reece Museum website for more information on current and upcoming exhibitions. Other exhibits currently on display include “Tennessee Holocaust Commission: Selections from Three Traveling Exhibitions” (through April 11) and “From Africa to Appalachia: The Tie that Binds” (through July 4).
Visit the ETSU Art Galleries website for more information on all of the art exhibits in April and May at Slocumb and Tipton galleries, which include works by graduating ETSU Department of Art and Design, a juried student art exhibit, and more.
Public Talks and More
‘Voices Unveiled: Iranian Women in Classical Music’
April 2, 11 a.m. – East Tennessee Room, D.P. Culp Student Center
In this talk, Dr. Roya Farzaneh of the ETSU Department of Music will examine the historical impact of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and contemporary societal constraints, as well as highlight the resilience of Iranian women pursuing musical careers.
April 3, 6 p.m. – Room 311, Sherrod Library
This event features the announcement of the 2025 Sherrod Galleries Poetry Contest winner and readings from the finalists. Refreshments will be served.
April 4, 2 p.m. – East Tennessee Room, D.P. Culp Student Center
This lecture series celebrating and showcasing the work of faculty recently promoted to full professor at ETSU will feature talks by Dr. Kelly N. Foster, Reneé Critcher Lyons and Dr. Phyllis Thompson.
April 5, 8 p.m. – Harry D. Powell Observatory
In this last Observatory Open House of the 2024-25 academic year, participants will hear a brief talk by an ETSU astronomer/physicist and have the opportunity to view celestial objects through the observatory’s telescopes. The event will be canceled if the sky is cloudy.
Global Year: Scotland Lecture by Dr. Jason Davis
April 9, 4:30 p.m. – Forum, D.P. Culp Student Center
Dr. Jason Davis will present his research comparing recreational land management and usage in Scotland versus the United States, with particular focus on national parks and their economic benefits.
‘Helping Hurting Communities: Religion and Humanitarian Responses in Times of Disaster’
April 9, 7 p.m. – Via Zoom
This annual Religion and Civility Lecture features a talk by Najeeba Syeed, theologian, lawyer, professor and interfaith leader at Augsburg University. In this talk, Syeed will explore how faith communities navigate crises, forging new relationships and partnerships as they play critical roles in disaster response efforts. Register to receive the Zoom link.
Ballad Health Blue and Gold Spring Football Game
April 11, 7:30 p.m. – William B. Greene Jr. Stadium
Buc football fans are invited to enjoy the Blue and Gold Spring Game, with music, door prizes, concessions, game-worn gear giveaways and more.
Dr. Jay W. Boland Research Day
April 16, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. – D.P. Culp Student Center
The community is invited to see and learn about the wide variety of research conducted by students at ETSU. Dedicated in memory of the late faculty member Dr. Jay Boland, this event combines what were once separate events – the Boland Undergraduate Research Symposium, Appalachian Student Research Forum and Community-Engaged Learning Showcase – under one umbrella. It includes poster and oral presentations, creative displays and a community-engaged learning showcase.
Pattie Lathan Browder Lectureship
April 16, 9 a.m. – Martha Street Culp Auditorium, D.P. Culp Student Center
“A Call for Compassionate Care in Nursing: My Story” will be presented by Dr. Susan B. Hassmiller, founder and principal, Sulu Coaching and Consulting, in this annual lecture.
April 22, all day – Online
This annual, 24-hour online fundraising event for ETSU gives alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, friends and partners of the university the opportunity to help students pursue knowledge and improve the quality of life of people in the region. Watch for more details.
Basler Chair Lecture Series: ‘Do Celebrities Matter in American Politics?’
April 22, 4 p.m. – Ball Hall auditorium
“Do Celebrities Matter in American Politics? The Impact of Celebrity Endorsements in Elections” is the topic Dr. Anthony Nownes will address in his final public lecture this semester as chairholder of ETSU’s Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric and Science.
April 25, 7 p.m. – Amphitheatre
Delight ETSU is hosting a Night of Worship for the campus and community. The BOB (Band of Believers) will perform praise music.
Global Year: Scotland Lecture by Dr. Scott Jenkinson
April 28, 4:30 p.m. – Forum, D.P. Culp Student Center
Dr. Scott Jenkinson will discuss the group autoethnography project he coordinated for the Global Year: Scotland faculty seminar participants and leadership team.
_______________
To learn more about these and other events at ETSU, visit the university’s online calendar at etsu.edu/calendar/default.php. For disability accommodations, contact Disability Services at (423) 439-8346.
