Tuesday morning
Even though Family Weekend was just this past weekend, in some ways it already feels like it is a lifetime away. For students, there is the crunch of final papers, tests, or projects before the looming Fall Break. (Interesting point about Fall Break – it is really just a three day weekend. Friday the 11th out of class, but back to it on Monday the 14th.) For faculty, I imagine they are trying to get midterms prepped, taken, graded, and recorded on time. And in general, it feels different on campus just because of the weather.
It is cool today. Gloriously cool. 54 when I left my house, going up to maybe high 60s today. It’s the kind of day where students definitely need a jacket or hoodie, or at least long sleeves. You can tell who has not checked the weather before leaving their residence hall or apartment, because they are in short sleeves and look quite chilly. There is a bit of a breeze too, which is helping bring down some of the leaves from the trees.
Fall at Wake Forest feels good. Crisp air. Beautiful leaves – and it remains to be seen whether we’ll be treated to a fully spectacular leaf changing season, or if the strange weather this summer (cooler and rainier than normal) will affect the beauty of the foliage. And, depending on the day, a faint whiff of tobacco as it is cured in the plants nearby. Winston-Salem has a long history of manufacturing, and for many years tobacco was one of the main products. If the humidity is just right, you can smell it in the air – a scent of unwrapped cigarette innards. Distinctly Wake Forest and something alumni carry with them as a scent memory.
In our never-ending quest to urge your students to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible and to push them to experience new things, there is a Secrest Artist Series event tonight (Tuesday, October 8) at 7:30 in Brendle Recital Hall, Scales Fine Arts Center. Details below. How long in their lives will they have the opportunity to hear world-class musicians for free? Absolutely free. And amazing. So please, consider giving them a nudge to attend.
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The Jerusalem Quartet
Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30pm
Scales Fine Arts Center, Brendle Recital Hall 1834 Wake Forest Road Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Secrest Artists Series: The Jerusalem Quartet, hailed by The Strad as “one of the young, yet great quartets of our time,” has garnered international acclaim for its rare combination of passion and precision. The quartet formed while its members were students at the Jerusalem Conservatory of Music and Dance. They quickly found a shared commitment to the music that has not only endured, but has propelled them to the highest level of performance. Their discography on Harmonia Mundi includes quartets by Mozart, Haydn, Shubert, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, and Dvorak. The program will include a new work composed for the quartet by Brian Elias, commissioned in part by the Secrest Artists Series.