The Autorino Center for the Arts at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford has announced the 2018-2019 ‘USJ Got Soul’ program.
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The Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities is serving up “all the feels” during the 2018-19 USJ Got Soul season.
USJ Got Soul connects audiences to authentic voices and rich artistic traditions, engaging them in virtuosic performances, all while illuminating our inner selves. More than 20 unique acts will perform, featuring up-and-coming Connecticut locals and artists who have become well-known, well-respected staples in their genres.
One of the year’s most anticipated musical celebrations, Guitar Under the Stars, returns to West Hartford – and this year there is even more to celebrate! Founder and acclaimed guitarist Daniel Salazar is proud to announce that 2018 will mark the 25th anniversary of what has become an annual end-of-summer tradition for music lovers of all ages. This large-scale outdoor concert, which combines Salazar’s bold and original compositions with his ensemble of international musicians, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., with pre-festival activities beginning at 4 p.m. on the University of Saint Joseph’s beautiful outdoor quad.
Salazar founded Guitar Under the Stars in 1993 with a group of eager young musicians, performing on a portable trailer called the “Showmobile Stage” at the Hartford Riverfront for a small but enthusiastic audience. Salazar’s goal was to share his love for the guitar and the beautiful music it creates. 25 years later, Guitar Under the Stars is an ever-growing outdoor concert that draws audiences of thousands to hear Salazar’s original music and brilliant orchestral arrangements.
This September Salazar will premiere new compositions and perform selections from his popular original repertoire that fuses Spanish guitar with Latin and World rhythms. Guitar Under the Stars will include a remarkable array of artists: the Daniel Salazar Ensemble, Flamenco singer Alfonso Cid from Spain; and top players from Connecticut’s own Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
“Guitar Under the Stars has become a major area tradition, now bringing thousands of music lovers to USJ’s idyllic campus for a magical evening of community, picnics and, of course, the stars,” says Autorino Center director Steven Raider Ginsburg.
Admission is free of charge. Location is on the main Quad, University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, 4-6:30 p.m. Festival Activities, presented by USJ Student Affairs, 7:30 p.m. Performance. Audience is encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.
Questions? Contact the Frances Driscoll Box Office at 860.231.5555 or online at tickets.usj.edu.
The Autorino Center, just recently named Best University Arts Center by the Hartford Readers Poll, unveils a new website (autorino.usj.edu), new subscription packages, and a larger-than-ever performing arts series. Additionally, two unique series will be launched: CT Locals, which presents exceptional performers who work, live, and create right here in Connecticut, and Latinx Performance Series, which gathers artists from around the world who will bring audiences closer to Latinx culture, tradition, and heritage.
Artistic Director Steve Raider Ginsburg says about the season: “Food for the body is not enough; we need food for the Soul. The Autorino Center has something for everyone this year.”
Program Highlights:
- 25th anniversary of Guitar Under the Stars, Sept. 8 – Free Event
- Stars backdrop this outdoor concert featuring sounds of Spanish guitar
- WET: A DACAmented Journey, Oct. 26 and 27
- An autobiographical play about an American in every sense, except on paper
- The Como Mamas, Jan. 29, 2019
- Recently “discovered” praise gospel group from Como, Miss.
- The Mercy Suite, March 29, 2019
- A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and a “global groove” guitarist perform
- Afro-Cuban All Stars, April 17, 2019
- Music of the rich and soulful golden era of pre-revolutionary Cuba
For a full listing and information on all performances, visit autorino.usj.edu.
Autorino Presenting Series – 2018-2019
- Guitar Under the Stars: 25th Anniversary, Sept. 8, 2018
- Brubeck Brothers Quartet, Sept. 15, 2018
- Spanish Language Film Festival: Coco, Sept. 18, 2018
- Spanish Language Film Festival: Like Water for Chocolate, Sept. 25, 2018
- Noontime Classic: Hartt Orchestra, Sept. 27, 2018
- Spanish Language Film Festival: The Book of Life, Oct. 2, 2018
- CT LOCAL: 10th Annual Noche Latina: Mariachi México Antiguo, Oct. 5, 2018
- 4th Annual Chapel Series: The Art of the Duo, Oct. 11, 2018
- Persona Non Grata, Oct. 14, 2018
- WET: A DACAmented Journey, Oct. 26-27, 2018
- Kurbasy, Oct. 28, 2018
- 5X5 Contemporary Dance Festival Workshop A, Nov. 3, 2018
- 5X5 Contemporary Dance Festival Workshop B, Nov. 3, 2018
- CT LOCAL: 16th Annual 5X5 Contemporary Dance Festival, Nov. 3. 2018
- CT LOCAL: Thabisa with Luna & the Lost Souls, Nov. 8, 2018
- CT LOCAL: Noontime Classic: Jonathan Janeway, Nov. 16, 2018
- Polkadots – The Cool Kids Musical, Jan. 26, 2019
- Annual MLK Celebration, Jan. 28, 2019
- The Como Mamas and Special Guests, Jan. 29, 2019
- CT LOCAL: 860 MVMNT: FREQUENCY, Feb. 8-9, 2019
- CT LOCAL: Romance De La Guitarra, Feb. 14, 2019
- Phantom of the Opera with Alloy Orchestra, Feb. 28, 2019
- CT LOCAL: Chad Browne-Springer & Phat A$tronaut with Hartford Hot Several, March 28, 2019
- The Mercy Suite: The Songs of Yusef Komunyakaa & Tomás Doncker, March 29, 2019
- Al Qalb – The Heart by Amirah Sackett, April 12, 2019
- The USJ Dance Ensemble Spring Concert featuring Amirah Sackett, April 13, 2019
- Afro-Cuban All Stars, April 17, 2019
- CT LOCAL: Capital Classics 2019, July 11-28, 2019
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