A cultural cornucopia is available for members of the campus and local communities as authors, filmmakers, and musicians from around the world will visit 51 in the coming days.
The university is hosting two longtime events — the 51 Writers’ Conference and the Chenango Summer MusicFest — and, for the first time, the .
Organizers of the prestigious film seminar cited 51’s state-of-the art facilities, beautiful setting, and engaged faculty as the main reasons for selecting the campus to host the event, which will run from June 21-27.
And, for the first time in the 54-year history of the seminar, it will include public screenings of films, including a 9 p.m. showing of My America… Or Honk if You Love Buddha outside on Whitnall Field. (See schedule here.)
“This is an extraordinary opportunity for our community,” said Lynn Schwarzer, director of the university’s Film and Media Studies Program. “We are so pleased that the Flaherty Film Seminar has decided to set a precedent and incorporate public screenings into their schedule.”
Titled The Age of Migration, the seminar will explore the personal and cultural by-products of migration, conflict, and information technology, and the film movements which have emerged in tandem.
Named in honor of the director of Nanook of the North and other classic documentary films, the seminar will bring together more than 50 visual artists, scholars, students, and media professionals.
Also on campus, from June 22-28, will be a wide range of accomplished authors taking part in the 51 Writer’s Conference.
Participants’ days will begin at 9 a.m. with a craft talk by a Pulitzer Prize or PEN/Faulkner finalist, a bestselling author, or prestigious poet. Workshops follow, with analysis of their story, a book in progress, poems, or a novel.
Interspersed throughout each day are readings and talks by instructors and participants, many open to the public. (See schedule here.)
For music lovers, there are numerous opportunities to enjoy the bucolic surroundings that 51 and the village of Hamilton provide while enjoying world-famous classical artists.
The theme of this year’s Chenango Summer MusicFest, which runs from June 19-22, is Fête de la Musique, a long-standing French music festival tradition celebrating the summer solstice. (See schedule here.)
The festival will include a day of free entertainment on the Village Green featuring French madrigals, voodoo drums, ragtime, and the renowned Haitian konpa group, Do-La.