Community
Arts
Campus
Discover “Primary Traces,” a exhibit showcasing the sculptural works of Richard H. Alpert. Known for his dynamic abstract forms, vibrant colors, and intricate spatial constructions, his work invites viewers to explore movement, geometry, and depth through bold, carefully balanced compositions.
Alpert’s artistic journey began in New York City and evolved through formative study at the University of Pittsburgh and the San Francisco Art Institute. His career has spanned exhibitions across the United States, Europe, and Japan, and includes a National Endowment Fellowship Grant in Sculpture.
“Primary Traces” offers an intimate look at the evolution of his artistic voice — one shaped not only by exploration and experimentation, but also by resilience. Following the loss of his San Francisco studio in a 1986 explosion and fire, Alpert rebuilt both his practice and creative direction, continuing to push the boundaries of sculptural form.
The exhibit is free and open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Directed by Patrick Howle, the Pitt State Opera Workshop class will perform beloved standards from the Rodgers and Hart songbook — from “My Funny Valentine” to “Johnny One Note” and more! Audiences can expect an evening celebrating the wit, charm, and enduring beauty of one of Broadway’s most iconic musical partnerships. This even is free.
At 5:30 p.m., the Dance Minor will present the 2026 Dance Research Symposium, directed by Professor Elizabeth Smith, in the lobby of the Bicknell Center. It will feature a variety of student displays and interactive booths about dance-related research topics.
At 6:15 p.m., a Community Pre-Show will be held in the performance hall featuring BTC Athletics & Dance, Karen's Dance Studio, Ovation Studios, Pittsburg Ballet, The Alignment Project, and The Dance Pitt.
At 7 p.m., a showcase of dance performances will feature more than 30 original dances by individual students and classes.
The event is free.
This season’s Solo & Chamber Music Series will conclude with Leland Ko, an award-winning cellist who has left audiences in top venues breathless.
He has won first prizes at numerous prestigious cello competitions: 2024-Naumburg International Cello Competition; 2023- Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) Competition, along with the J.S. Bach Special Prize and the Orchestra of the Americas Prize. That year, he was selected to be a Young Artist in Residence for American Public Media’s Performance Today.
A graduate of Princeton and Julliard, he is a laureate of the Bader and Overton Canadian Cello Competition, the Windsor Festival International String Competition, and the Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank auditions, as well as a first prize winner of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic String Competition, National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition, Hong Kong Generation Next Arts International Music Competition, the Concours Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and most recently the Concert Artists Guild Louis and Susan Meisel Competition and the Walter W. Naumburg International Cello Competition.
Advance tickets are available at the ticket office in the Weede Building, 1701 S. Homer, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, or online: $15 general admission and $10 over 65 / under 18. Students are admitted free with a valid ID.
Hosted by the Pitt State Music Department in partnership with the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA), 29 bands and choirs from across Southeast Kansas will perform adjudication and receive critiques and scores from judges. Band performances will take place throughout the day at the Bicknell Center for the Arts, and choir performances will be held throughout the day in the Sharon Kay Dean Recital Hall in McCray Hall.
While open to the public, they are not traditional concerts. Doors will be closed at the beginning of each performance to ensure a distraction-free environment for judging, so viewers should be seated before the performance begins.
The Pitt State Jazz Ensemble will feature a special guest artist, Adam Larson, for the final concert of the spring semester.
Larson is a saxophonist, composer, and author. An endorsed artist for P. Mauriat saxophones and Brand Ambassador for The Boston Sax Shop, he began playing saxophone at age 11.
He has earned numerous awards that distinguish him as one of the most promising artists of his generation, and has released nine albums with his record “With Love, From Chicago,” earning a rare 4.5 star rating from Downbeat Magazine and featured in JazzTimes Magazine, among other national media outlets.
This event is free.
Pitt State Theatre will present "Black Comedy,” a wildly funny farce about a struggling sculptor planning a perfect evening, hoping to impress both his fiancée’s father and a millionaire art collector. Suddenly, a blackout causes everything to go wrong. The evening will be filled with laughter, unexpected guests, attempts to conceal deception, and unknown surprises around every dark corner. Directed by Professor Megan Westhoff.
Tickets are free with valid PSU ID; $18 for the general public; $13 for 17 and under and 65 and older. They are available at the ticket office in the Weede Building, 1701 S. Homer, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, online at pittstate.edu/tickets, or by calling 620-235-4466, or at the door an hour before each show.
Sacred plainchant, ragtime, circus marches, funk...and Batman? This performance, directed by Associate Professor Andrew Chybowski, will take the audience on a journey through a variety of familiar sounds only to realize that the boundaries between these diverse styles are not as clear as it might seem.
Listeners will hear a playlist of great music, as well as Professor Marie Smith on horn, the consortium premiere of “O Memory, Hope, Love” by Andrea Reinkemeyer, and more.
This event is free.
Step into the razzle-dazzle of the 1920s with “Chicago,” the legendary Broadway musical that continues to captivate audiences around the globe. The timeless tale of fame, fortune, and scandal features Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who kills her lover and schemes her way to fame with the help of a slick lawyer, sparking sensational headlines that feel ripped from today’s tabloids.
Winner of multiple Tony, Olivier, and Grammy Awards, “Chicago” remains Broadway’s longest-running American musical — and a must-see theatrical experience.
Few tickets remain. Price varies with seating location, ranging from $64 to $89. Buy them at the Pitt State Ticket Office in the Weede Building, 1701 S. Homer, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, online at pittstate.edu/tickets, or by calling 620-235-4466.
A non-fiction author will present this year’s Victor J. Emmett Memorial Lecture.
George Frazier, an assistant professor of computer information sciences at Washburn University, is also an author who focuses on the natural landscapes of Kansas and the rivers of America's grassland areas.
His books include “The Last Wild Places of Kansas: Journeys into Hidden Landscapes” (2016) and “Riverine Dreams: Away to the Glorious and Forgotten Grassland Rivers of America” (2025). His talk will focus on his exploration of rivers and related ecosystems of the central United States.
The Victor J. Emmett Jr. Memorial Award and Lecture, sponsored by the Emmett family and the English Department, commemorate the late Victor J. Emmett Jr., a professor of English at Pitt State.
This event is free.
