The U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants including SUNY Fredonia alumni Michael Aiello and Hillary Grobe.
The 2025-26 performing arts season at Fredonia is taking on an eclectic shape.
A visit by a premiere military ensemble featuring Fredonia alumni, the stage version of work from the Percy Jackson series and a holiday concert in the doo wop style are among the highlights of the coming season.
Rockefeller Arts Center opens the season with a Pops Series concert with The 5 Browns on Sat., Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Harry A. King Concert Hall. The 5 Browns all attended The Juilliard School in New York. The quintet enjoyed its first wave of critical attention in February 2002, when People magazine dubbed them the “Fab Five” and they were featured on “Oprah” and “60 Minutes.”
The Pops Series also includes a return visit by The Doo Wop Project for “A Doo Wop Christmas” on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in King Concert Hall and a Commencement eve concert with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra and student vocalists on May 15 at 7:30 p.m. in King. The title of that show is to be determined.
The Doo Wop Project appeared in concert at Fredonia in September 2024, putting its doo wop stylings on pop favorites from Adele, Frankie Valli, Garth Brooks and more.
Rockefeller will also continue its tradition of presenting free concerts with the nation’s best military ensembles. The Singing Sergeants from the United States Air Force Band will perform on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The group includes SUNY Fredonia School of Music alumni Michael Aiello (bass) and Hillary Grobe (alto). The Singing Sergeants, stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., use music to bridge language and cultural differences and to help advance positive diplomatic relations through song. The chorus is regularly featured at national music education conferences, including the American Choral Directors Association, the Music Educators National Conference, and Chorus America.
For 2025-26, the Department of Theatre and Dance has announced five events in its Walter Gloor Mainstage Series, starting with “The Lightning Thief – The Percy Jackson Musical” with six performances from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2 in Robert W. Marvel Theatre. It will be directed by Dr. Jessica Hillman-McCord.
The Mainstage Series continues “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield with four performances from Dec. 4 to 7 in Alice E. Bartlett Theatre. The director will be SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Paul W. Mockovak.
In the spring semester, the series offers “Ruthless! The Musical,” an all-female musical by Joel Paley that premiered off-Broadway in 1992 and spoofs Broadway shows like “Gypsy” and “Mame.” It will be directed at Fredonia by Assistant Professor Daniel Lendzian and run from Feb. 27 to March 8 in Bartlett Theatre. The Fredonia Dance Ensemble 2026, under the direction of Professor Sam Kenney, will perform from March 26 to 28 in Marvel Theatre.
The Mainstage Series concludes with Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” from April 24 to May 3 in Marvel Theatre. Professor Mockovak will again direct.
Tickets for events in the 2025-26 season will go on sale Aug. 25 through the Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center.
In addition, the 2025 Hillman Opera will be Gian Carlo Menotti's "The Consul." It will be a fully staged production, directed by Assistant Professor Dan Lendzian and conducted by Dr. Emily Schaad, with a double cast. There will be four performances of the opera on Nov. 13, 14, 15 and 16.
