December Newsletter

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. It’s always nice to have a chance to be with family and friends, and to have a few extra days off. Oberlin has already had its first snow (although it had nearly disappeared by noon), and Santa was greeted by a large crowd on Friday as he rode into town on the fire engine. I guess the holidays are truly upon us – no escaping it now!

Speaking of the holidays, please join the Oberlin Club of Cleveland on Friday, December 18 at 8pm as we celebrate with the sounds of the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus in the festive splendor of Severance Hall. The Cleveland Orchestra is located at 11001 Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, OH 44106.


Tickets for the Main Floor Orchestra level are $48. As tickets are limited, please register for this event by calling the alumni office at (440) 775-8692 or by registering online here.

Prior to the performance, we are encouraging alumni to gather near the bar in Smith Lobby at 7:15.

The entrance to the Case Western Reserve University Campus Center Garage is located on the east side of East Blvd. Between Bellflower Road and Euclid Avenue. Severance Hall can be accessed through the parking garage.


Save-The-Date: Stay tuned for more details regarding an event in January at Black River Cafe with Cleveland area Obies and Joe Waltzer '98, owner of Black River Cafe. There will be a prix-fixe menu with cash bar.


As usual, much is happening on campus, especially as the semester winds down. The events board in the Conservatory is covered with upcoming concert programs! Check out the Events Calendar at http://new.oberlin.edu/calendar for more information.

A few selected on-campus events are listed here:

On Thursday, December 3 at 5pm, Erik Inglis, Professor of Art, will present a lecture entitled “The Stars above Paris: Monuments to François Arago, the greatest astronomer in 19th-century France.” In conjunction with the “Starry Dome” exhibition, Professor Inglis will lecture on monuments to Francois Arago, a renowned astronomer in France in the 19th century and the subject of a major 1994 Parisian monument by the Dutch conceptual artist Jan Dibbets.

This lecture will take place in Classroom 1 of the Allen Memorial Art Building, which is located at 87 North Main Street, Oberlin, OH.


On December 4th (8pm), 5th (2pm) and 6th (2pm), Oberlin Musical Theater Association presents THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, a one-act musical comedy. Six young people in the throes of puberty, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser.

Tickets may be purchased at Wilder Desk ($3) or at the door ($4). Performances will be held in Wilder Main in Wilder Hall (Student Union), located at 135 West Lorain St., Oberlin, OH 44074-1097.


Under the direction of Steven Plank, Collegium Musicum will present its fall concert on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5. Both performances are at 8pm, in Fairchild Chapel, located at 50 West Lorain Street in Oberlin, OH. The performances are free.


The Oberlin Orchestra returns to the Finney Chapel stage on Sunday, December 6 at 8pm to present Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 2 ("Resurrection") in partnership with the Musical Union Chorus, directed by Associate Professor of Choral Conducting Hugh Floyd. The 80- to 90-minute work, with its inspiring choral finale, is the only piece on the program.


The fall orchestra season concludes with a concert on Tuesday, December 8 at 8pm, in Finney Chapel, by the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra. The program includes a performance by concerto competition winner and Oberlin violinist Chingis Khannanov. Khannanov, an artist diploma student, will perform Paganini's virtuosic Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6. The concert also features Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Schumann's Symphony No. 2.