After two and a half years of construction, the $123.8-million expansion and redesign of the Hopkins Center for the Arts will make its debut with a star-studded, festival-like celebration Thursday to Sunday, October 16-19. In addition to live music and dance performances, the arts weekend will include master classes, art exhibitions, workshops, and a free gathering on the Green with music and lunch Saturday.

A River Runs Through It

Plans for the Dartmouth Arts Weekend Celebration include a riverside sunrise performance on the “Kwenitekw” (the Connecticut River) Saturday morning. A highlight that evening will be a commissioned world premiere of We Are Water: A Northeast Celebration, featuring Yo-Yo Ma.

Dramatic New Spaces

The weekend includes the inauguration of the Daryl and Steven Roth [’62] Wing—15,000 square feet of architecturally inspiring venues for creation and performance, including the soaring recital hall overlooking the Green; the Mindy Kaling [’01] Theater Lab; a black box theater; and the Hop’s first dedicated dance studio. Weekend events include actress Renee Elise Goldsberry on Spaulding Auditorium’s new David A. Graves [’70] Stage for a concert Friday evening. Shonda Rhimes ’91 and Kaling will give a public talk together Saturday afternoon in the Moore Theater. The pioneering Pilobolus dance company, founded by three Dartmouth dance students in 1971, will present an original work at a free performance Sunday afternoon.