Music

Past Events

Graphic that reads: Modfest.

Honorary Adene and Richard Wilson Concert

An evening of new compositions featuring boldly expressive works by MODfest cofounder Richard Wilson and premieres by new faculty Alan Hankers and Celeste Oram, highlighting electronic-influenced textures and interdisciplinary explorations of music, language, and cultural history.

MODfest 2026

Poster-style graphic for a project titled “Rescoring Richter,” with the word “RICHTER” running vertically on the left, “RESCORING” across the top, and the phrases “New Sonic Environments” and “For a Master of Avant Garde Film” centered between rows of black-and-white film stills showing abstract shapes, floating hats, a group of men, raised hands, concentric circles, two faces with superimposed circles over their eyes, and a frame reading “Un film de Hans Richter,” all framed by a thin red rectangular borde

Rescoring Richter

Rescoring Richter is a multimedia project pairing contemporary sound artists with Hans Richter’s 1920s avant-garde films to create new scores, documented through short films and live performances that reveal and reanimate his revolutionary cinematic imagery.

MODfest 2026

An image comprised of two photos. The left photo shows Amy Burton, a person with short blond hair and a dark shirt. The right photo shows John Musto, a person with dark hair.

Master Class: Visionary Voices—Burton & Musto

Music department students perform for internationally renowned soprano Amy Burton and composer and pianist John Musto in a master class, featuring Musto’s musical works.

MODfest 2026

A figure gazes upwards against a cosmic background filled with swirling galaxies and stars, creating a sense of vastness. The figure is depicted in monochrome, wearing formal attire that contrasts with the vibrant celestial hues. The facial expression is contemplative, adding depth to the pose. In the lower right corner, the text “MODfest” is displayed in bold, colorful lettering.

Computing Venus

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7:30 p.m. on Friday, and 2:00 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday

Note: The performance on Jan 25 has been canceled due to weather.

This is an in-person event that will also be streamed live.

MODfest 2026

Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas

Vassar students put on a performance of this English Baroque opera for this one-night-only free event. Directed by Anthony Orsi.

Detail of performance focussed on singers with candlight in the background.

A Service of Lessons and Carols

This annual Advent service at the Vassar College Chapel features readings, choral anthems, and congregational carols, culminating in a candle lighting ceremony. Vassar College Choir, Chamber Singers, and Treble Chorus, and Cappella Festiva Chamber Choir will perform.

This event is open to the public.

Vassar College Orchestra

Eduardo Navega, conductor

This event is open to the public.

This is an in-person event that will also be streamed live

Four adults standing outdoors, posing together in front of leafy trees, smiling or looking at the camera each holding their instrument.

Dalí Quartet

The Dalí Quartet is acclaimed for bringing Latin American quartet repertoire to an equal standing alongside the Classical and Romantic canon. Ari Isaacman-Beck, violin, Carlos Rubio, violin, Adriana Linares, viola, Jesús Morales, cello

This event is open to the public.

Detail of performers on a dramatically lit stage, holding candles.

Vassar College Treble Chorus, “Where the Wind Leads”

Tracing a path through the voices of nature, this program reflects on our search for peace, hope, and humanity. Christine Howlett, conductor, Susan Brown, piano, and Elizabeth Handman, viola.

This event is open to the public. 

This is an in-person event that will also be streamed live

Detail of performance focused on a violinist actively playing.

Vassar College Orchestra

Eduardo Navega, conductor

This event is open to the public.

This is an in-person event that will also be streamed live

Portrait of Thomas Sauer in profile.

Day and Night

A recital of works by Mozart, Chopin, Robert Schumann, György Ligeti, Unsuk Chin and Hans Abrahamsen evoking experiences of day and night. Performed by Thomas Sauer, piano, Adjunct Artist in Music.

This event is open to the public.

Four individual portrait-style images of adults arranged in a grid layout with varied expressions and backgrounds.

Songs of David Alpher

A recital of idiosyncratic songs by David Alpher, exploring his settings of uniquely American poetry from the Transcendentalists to the Beat Generation. Courtenay Budd, soprano, Sharon Harms, soprano, Robert Osborne, bass-baritone, and David Alpher, composer/piano.

This event is open to the public.

Group portrait of four people standing side by side on a green lawn, casually dressed, with trees in the background.

Reflections

The Jeff “Siege” Siegel Quartet presents original compositions celebrating 21 years together, highlighted by four European tours, a tour of Africa, and performances throughout the northeastern U.S.

This event is open to the public.

Susan Rotholz

Sound and Structure

With music of Schubert, Marais and Bartok-Arma, this concert celebrates the conjunction of theme and variation in printmaking and music. Susan Rotholz, flute, Anna Polonsky, piano.

This event is open to the public.