Arts at colby

Building a culture of creativity that is innovative, bold, and socially conscious. Colby Arts, where originals take shape.

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Featured Public Events

Join Colby Arts for performances, exhibitions, and gatherings open to all.

All Events

Photo of a blonde woman sitting in a chair with a large French horn

Photo of a man with long brown hair playing the cello with a piano and drum set in the background. There is also a light wash of purple lighting

Photo of three dancers making a frame with their bodies.

October 19 at The Gordon Center

Colby Symphony Orchestra Concert: Brahms and Poulenc

The Colby Symphony Orchestra highlights two canonical composers for the ensemble’s season opener, Brahms and Poulenc. The concert features two contrasting works by Johannes Brahms: his Academic Festival Overture (1880), which quotes multiple student tavern songs, and his melancholy, rich Symphony No. 4 in E Minor (1885). Pianists Steven Pane and Colby Associate Professor of Music, Yuri Funahashi, will join the orchestra for a cheerful, vivacious early work by Francis Poulenc, his Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra (1932).

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November 2 at The Gordon Center

Colby Jazz Band: Vocal Jazz with Big Band

Director, Brendon Wilkins This concert will feature student vocalists performing with the Colby Jazz Ensemble, presenting many classics from the jazz big band repetoire. The program will include “Cry Me a River” (Arthur Hamilton), considered one of the greatest torch songs of all time, and Thad Jones’s “Backbone”, a swinging blues made famous by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in New York City.

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November 9 at the Colby College Museum of Art

Into the Windlyn: Post Pardon: The Opera in the Museum

To develop Post Pardon: The Opera, choreographer Laurel Jenkins has invited Maine-based dancers Katherine Ferrier, Annie Kloppenberg, and Liz Mulkey to create “wind scores” in response to the exhibition Into the Wind: American Weathervanes at the Colby College Museum of Art.

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professor Arisa White leading seminar class for students

Academic Departments

Explore the Departments of Art, of Performance, Theater, and Dance, of Music, and of Cinema Studies, and the Creative Writing Program.

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Spaces and Organizations

Learn about the spaces and organizations supporting innovative art-making, scholarship, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

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Colby Arts News

Read the latest news about the arts at Colby.

student sitting in front of easel painting

people in front of projection exhibition

Attendees gather around the grand staircase to hear remarks before a ribbon cutting to mark the opening of the Paul J. Schupf Arts Center

Academics at Colby Arts

The academic departments central to Colby Arts are based in rigorous exploration, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration

Innovative Exhibitions

The Colby College Museum of Art opens access to art and artists, creating a forum for experimentation, research, dialogue, and joyful connection.

Incubating New Work

Colby Arts supports faculty and guest artists to incubate and present interdisciplinary creative work across state of the art venues and spaces in Waterville.

Vibrant Arts Experiences

New arts venues on Colby’s campus and in downtown Waterville build community with arts experiences for all.

Colby students, faculty, and staff interested in booking space at the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, email [email protected].