University of Rochester Institute for the Performing Arts

09/03/2026

We can't wait to be the first stop of Versa-Style's FALL TOUR! 🎉✨ Catch "Los Angeles' Best Dance Troupe for Hip-Hop Empowerment" (LA Weekly), and their dynamic show ROOTED RHYTHMS at the Sloan Performing Arts Center, Sept 19-20.🔥

Versa-Style Street Dance Company was created to promote, empower and celebrate the artistry of Hip Hop and Street Dance culture. Help us welcome Versa-Style to Rochester for an unforgettable evening of dance—💫 Bring your energy!

🗓️Sept 19-20 @ 7:30pm
📍Smith Theater, S**C, URochester River Campus
🎟️Tickets on sale now: tinyurl.com/versa-style

08/26/2026

FRINGE FEATURE: I DON’T GET IT…

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/dont-get-it

🗓️ Sat Sept 19 @ 2pm & Sun Sept 20 @ 12:45pm
📍Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester: Bausch & Lomb Parlor
🎟️ $20

Chloe Corcoran is a 2004 graduate of the University of Rochester where she played 4 years of varsity football and then served as an assistant coach. Chloe earned her Master’s degree at Northeastern University and is currently studying part-time toward a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, where her work focuses on equity and inclusion. Chloe was the first out transgender woman to be named a “40 Under 40” award winner in her hometown of Rochester, NY.

✨ Everyone in her life is surprised when Chloe comes out as trans, especially her former teammates. Her identity as a football playing bouncer puts many of her friendships in a precarious position as she navigates an ocean of her own emotions and the reactions of others. This performance will bring you inside the gayest environment Chloe has ever experienced, her men’s college locker room, and follows her evolving vision of herself through the lens of her friendship with a former teammate/roommate.

University of Rochester Alumni
ESL Rochester Fringe Festival

08/25/2026

FRINGE FEATURE: COBBS HILL CONSORT

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/cobbs-hill-consort

🗓️ Sat Sept 19 & Sun Sept 20 @ 11am
📍Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester: Bausch & Lomb Parlor
🎟️ $10

Jefferson Svengsouk, MD is an Emergency Medicine and Palliative Medicine physician at University of Rochester Medicine, Strong Memorial Hospital, where he also founded the Emergency Ultrasound Program, teaches residents Quality Improvement science, and founded the brand new Embedded Palliative Care Consultant in the Emergency Department service. His bandmate Sandy Gianniny (harp) is also University of Rochester Medicine Palliative Care — their Fringe show, Cobbs Hill Consort, draws on this same connection between the arts and healing.

✨The Cobbs Hill Consort is a unique Rochester acoustic ensemble featuring Native American flute and world flutes, supported by living sounds of guitar, harp, drums and percussion. Soothing, emotive, and transporting music engages you in a journey of the heart. With over a dozen Fringe performances, Jefferson Svengsouk (Native American flute) and Sandy Gianniny (harp) return to share the gift of their healing energies and creative collaboration.

The program opens with a Visual Thinking Strategies discussion of a work from MAG’s permanent collection, followed by three movements of live improvised music inspired by paired projected images from the collection.

University of Rochester
University of Rochester Alumni
ESL Rochester Fringe Festival

08/24/2026

FRINGE FEATURE: CHRIS PALACE BRAZILIAN JAZZ QUARTET

🔗 https://rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/brazilian-jazz-quartet

🗓️ Fri Sept 18 & Sat Sept 19 @ 7pm
📍St. Paul's Episcopal Church: Front of Sanctuary
🎟️ $15

Chris Palace graduated from the University of Rochester’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in 2018 with a degree in Audio Music Engineering. Chris and fellow musician Thomas Mariano co-lead Dream Float, an instrumental piano/drum duo. Their music is cinematic and adventurous. Both musicians play with a strong sense of intent and fearless creativity. Their compositions are focused yet genre bending, drawing upon modern hip hop, pop, classical and jazz influences.

✨An exciting blend of modern jazz and Brazilian rhythms, Dream Float presents: Chris Palace Brazilian Jazz Quartet. Performing Brazilian styles including Samba, Baião, Forró, Afoxé, Maracatu, and Bossa Nova. The band features Chris Palace on drums, Thomas Mariano on keys, Eric Heveron-Smith on bass/trombone, and Ava Sauer on vocals performing Brazilian standards infused with adventurous improvisation and spontaneous interaction.

University of Rochester
University of Rochester Alumni
ESL Rochester Fringe Festival

08/24/2026

LOOKING for a GREAT FALL CLASS? Try a THEATRE CLASS! - https://mailchi.mp/notices/registerforclasses-18112428

08/20/2026

📢 SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN! 🎨✨ Submit your proposal for the 2027 ARTs + Change Virtual Conference now through October 1. Artists, educators, community members, and organizations: we want to hear your ideas exploring performance, pedagogy, activist, art, community engagement, conflict resolution, and peace building.

🔗Apply: https://tinyurl.com/artschange-call

| University of Rochester | University of Rochester Alumni | ESL Rochester Fringe Festival | UR Program of Dance and Movement | University of Rochester International Theatre Program | Create A Space NOW | ROC Arts United

08/19/2026

FRINGE FEATURE: LA DIVA DE L’EMPIRE

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/ladiva-fringe

🗓️ Sat Sept 19 @ 7:30pm
📍Downtown United Presbyterian Church: Hallock Lounge
🎟️ $15

Michael Galvin graduated from the Eastman School of Music in 2019 with an MM in Voice Performance and Literature. Michael continually seeks to champion the work of Q***r creators in Classical Music. Through his drag persona Donatella Fermata, Michael programs operatic cabaret performances and does community engagement to amplify the voices of Q***r artists in his field.

✨Forget the concert hall: Donatella Fermata shows you that classical music is better with a stiff drink in hand. A classically trained opera singer and drag performer, Donatella seeks to push the boundaries of classical music. Join her for an evening of French and German cabaret selections, contemporary songs by Q***r composers, and musical theatre chestnuts in her recital “La Diva de L’Empire.”

Join us for this dazzling operatic drag cabaret!

University of Rochester
University of Rochester Alumni
ESL Rochester Fringe Festival

08/18/2026

FRINGE FEATURE: PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/lamar-the-therapist

🗓️ Thu Sept 17 @ 7pm & Sat Sept 19 @ 6pm
📍MuCCC
🎟️ $15

Lamar the Therapist graduated from the University of Rochester in 2014 with a BA in Psychology, a BS in Brain and Cognitive Science, and a minor in Spanish. While at URochester, Lamar was the VP of the Black Student’s Union, a member of the Indulgence Dance Team, a Kearns Scholar, a McNair Scholar, and a Writing Fellow. Lamar is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, owner of a private practice, and a professor at Monroe Community College (MCC).

✨A riveting one-man show that follows a Black scholar amid major political shifts. Through music, monologue, lecture, and spoken word, Lamar the Therapist examines the intersections of systemic racism, mental health, criminal “justice” and social reform. Under Reuben J. Tapp’s visionary direction, he transforms personal narrative into collective reckoning, showing that art is both social movement and public service.

University of Rochester Alumni
ESL Rochester Fringe Festival

08/17/2026

It's getting CLOSER!!! We're beyond thrilled to host Versa-Style Street Dance Company for their Rochester debut! Named “Los Angeles’ Best Dance Troupe for Hip-Hop Empowerment!” (LA Weekly), Versa-Style will bring their dynamic show, “Rooted Rhythms” to the University of Rochester, September 19-20, in the Sloan Performing Arts Center, as part of the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival! Join us for an unforgettable evening✨

🔗 tinyurl.com/versa-style

It's getting CLOSER!!! We're beyond thrilled to host Versa-Style Street Dance Company for their Rochester debut! Named “Los Angeles’ Best Dance Troupe for Hip-Hop Empowerment!” (LA Weekly), Versa-Style will bring their dynamic show, “Rooted Rhythms” to the University of Rochester, September 19-20, in the Sloan Performing Arts Center, as part of the ESL Rochester Fringe Festival! Join us for an unforgettable evening✨

https://rochesterfringe.com/tickets-and-shows/versa-style-street-dance-company

| Dance WNY | Explore Rochester | 585 magazine | Visit Rochester | University of Rochester Institute for the Performing Arts | Pentacle | Versa-Style Street Dance: Rooted Rhythms

08/17/2026

FRINGE FEATURE: THE DANCING VIOLA

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/dancing-viola

🗓️ Sat Sept 17 @ 7:30pm
📍St. Paul's Episcopal Church: Front of Sanctuary
🎟️ $15

Joyce Tseng is an alumna of the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where she earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in 2026.

Ryan Chan is only a recital away from his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Organ Performance. He performs on piano and organ.

✨From folk dances and enchanted elves to galloping horses, cinematic waltzes, and passionate tangos.

Join Joyce Tseng (viola, DMA 26’) and Ryan Chan (piano & organ, DMA 26’), for a colorful program featuring music by Brahms, Bartók, Florence Price, Vaughan Williams, Huang Haihuai, Satie, Hisaishi, Guy Bovet, Zimbalist, and Piazzolla.

PROGRAM:
Brahms — Hungarian Dance
Bartók — Romanian Folk Dances
Price — Retrospection (organ only)
Price — Elfentanz
Vaughan Williams — Galop
Huang Haihuai — Horse Racing
Satie — Je te veux
Hisaishi — Merry-Go-Round of Life
Bovet — Salamanca (organ)
Zimbalist — Tango
Piazzolla — Le Grand Tango

University of Rochester Alumni
ESL Rochester Fringe Festival