What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events — both in-person and virtual — taking place across the University:
Performances
Bach's Lunch — 12:10 p.m., April 4, Eisenhower Chapel, University Park campus. "Bach's Lunch" is a weekly concert series during the school year. Concerts are brief in order to make it possible for the University community to attend during the lunch hour.
An Opera Gala — 7:30 p.m., April 4, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The Penn State Opera Theatre and Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra present a fully staged Opera Gala.
"Urinetown" — Multiple performances through April 5, Mukund S. Kulkarni Theatre, Student Enrichment Center, Penn State Harrisburg. The Penn State Harrisburg School of Humanities presents its spring musical.
Early Music Ensemble — 7:30 p.m., April 8, Recital Hall, University Park campus. A work by 18th-century Italian composer Antonio Sacchini never performed in North America, discovered as part of Distinguished Professor Marica Tacconi’s research on the neglected music of the Ospedaletto of Venice, will be performed by the Penn State School of Music's Early Music Ensemble.
"Absence" — 7:30 p.m., April 10, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Absolute saxophone legend Wayne Shorter made an indelible mark on the jazz scene, including with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis and Weather Report. In tribute to Shorter, acclaimed trumpeter Terence Blanchard composed and recorded a collection of works.
iLuminate: The Most Fun You'll Ever Have in the Dark — 7:30 p.m., April 10, The Pullo Center, York campus. Named “Best New Act in America” by America’s Got Talent, the brilliant cast of the country’s top dancers and choreographers, along with energetic music, creates a mind-blowing, multi-sensory live show experience.
Ivyside Dance Ensemble presents “Skyline” — 7:30 p.m., April 11 and 12, Wolf Kuhn Theatre, Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts, Altoona campus. Pieces by dance faculty KT Huckabee and Jessica Jaye Mackinson will be performed.
"Bernarda Alba" — Multiple performances, April 11-14, Penn State Downtown Theatre, State College. Penn State Centre Stage will produce “Bernarda Alba,” with words and music by Michael John LaChiusa, and directed and choreographed by Christopher Campbell.
Events
Happy Valley Animation Festival — Multiple events through April 5, University Park campus and via livestream. The Happy Valley Animation Festival, an international animation competition that seeks to showcase work by student, early career and practicing professional artists, designers and filmmakers, returns for its fourth year. Free.
Multicultural Children's Festival — 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., April 6, State College Area High School. One of WPSU's largest family events, the festival focuses on sharing the many cultures that are represented by the people who live throughout central Pennsylvania. Interactive activities along with music, food and more will entertain as well as educate. Free admission.
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow Party — Multiple performances, April 6 and 7, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. Fans of all ages will experience the thrill of watching their favorite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks in the dark.
SolarFest eclipse viewing — April 8, Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, University Park campus. The Penn State and local communities are invited to join Eberly College of Science faculty, staff and students for science activities and a public viewing of the solar eclipse. Gates open at noon. The partial eclipse will begin to be seen at 2:04 p.m., reach its maximum eclipse at 3:20 p.m., and end at 4:32 p.m. Free admission.
Solar Eclipse Viewing Party and Planet Walk — 1:30 p.m., April 8, Outside the Slep Student Center, Altoona campus. Eclipse glasses will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There will also be hands-on science activities and a Planet Walk, a scale model of the solar system, to take a stroll through.
Solar Eclipse Viewing Party — 2-5 p.m., April 8, Friedman Observatory, Wilkes-Barre campus. The event, which is open to the public, offers a unique opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts and curious individuals alike to experience the celestial phenomenon. Free solar eclipse glasses, essential for a safe viewing experience, will be provided while supplies last.
Community seed swap and gardening workshop — 5-7 p.m., April 9, 3 Dots Downtown, State College. Stop by, take home seeds and learn key information about starting the growing season at the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm's seed swap.
‘Craft It, Pitch It, Win It’ competition — 6 p.m., April 10, 201 Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Altoona campus. Six finalists will compete for a chance to win up to $10,000 to enhance their marketing efforts.
Café Laura Theme Dinners — Multiple dates and themes, Café Laura, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Café Laura restaurant. Reservations required. (Read more about Café Laura in this "Hidden Gems" article on Penn State News).
Lectures
Antjie Krog lecture — 4 p.m., Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, University Park campus. Antjie Krog, a South African writer, poet and scholar who chronicled the election and the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in her award-winning book "Country of My Skull," will present a lecture as the culmination of a yearlong series on the 30th anniversary of democracy in South Africa. Free.
Nobel laureate Ben Feringa — 3:30 p.m., April 10, 101 Thomas Building, University Park campus. Ben L. Feringa, the Jacobus van 't Hoff Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of Groningen and recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will present the Allcock Alumni Group Lectureship in Polymers and Materials Chemistry. The lecture is titled "The Art of Building Small from Molecular Switches to Motors." Free.
In-person exhibits
"The Other California: land, loss, labor, liberated futures along phantom shores" — Through April 25, Rouse Gallery, Stuckeman Family Building, University Park campus. Alison Hirsch, associate professor at the University of Southern California and landscape theorist, historian and designer, opens the exhibit as part of the Stuckeman School's spring Lecture and Exhibit Series.
"Something About the Sky" — Through April 27, Ronald K. DeLong gallery, Lehigh Valley campus. The exhibit features a new series of cloud drawings and skyscape light paintings featuring movement created through Penn State Laureate Lori Hepner’s performances in the studio using wearable LEDs.
"Under Pressure" — Through August, Woskob Family Gallery, Downtown State College. A participatory experimental art installation featuring the work of Ryan Kough, a neurodivergent artist, experimental letterpress printmaker and design educator who focuses on participatory community-driven social design initiatives.
"'Where Beauty’s At': Expressions of Black Visual Culture" — Through Sept. 9, Special Collections exhibit space, 104 Paterno Library, University Park campus. Brittany Frederick, a postdoctoral scholar with the Africana Research Center, and Adisa Vera Beatty, a Just Transformations Postdoctoral Fellow with the Center for Black Digital Research, have curated an exhibit highlighting the diversity of Black artistic and literary expression in partnership with Penn State University Libraries’ Eberly Family Special Collections Library.
"I Am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II" — Through June 2025, Penn State All-Sports Museum, Beaver Stadium, University Park campus. Timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the conflict, "I Am a Penn Stater" chronicles the contributions of Nittany Lion varsity lettermen and Women’s Recreation Association athletes during the conflict and follows their service from training in the United States, to fighting on battlefields around the globe, to their postwar occupations. Free.
Virtual exhibits
In addition to in-person events, a number of virtual exhibits are available through University departments. The Palmer Museum of Art and University Libraries offer a rotating selection of historical and artistic collections to view online.
Current virtual exhibitions include an exploration of the first 100 years of national disability rights legislation and the movement's impact on the Penn State community; a virtual exhibition of design, craft and makery; and a variety of abstract images that push the boundaries of photography as a medium.