Arts

Music

Resurrection of the music scene: The summer 2021 roundup

By Jack Clohisy | September 10

After the tumultuous, pandemic-enwrapped cacophony that was 2020, musicians had to navigate the ever-changing music industry during the long months of quarantine. Summer 2020 saw some of the best works imaginable: “Chromatica” (2020) from Lady Gaga, the Album of the Year-winning “Folklore”(2020) by Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers’ sophomore LP “Punisher” (2020), just to name a few. 

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Arts

'The White Lotus' was the best show of the summer

By Emmy Wenstrup | September 10

In mid-July, as the delta variant just began to tighten its grip on American communities, viewers turned their minds to the luxurious Hawaiian fantasy presented in HBO’s “The White Lotus” (2021), which follows a spattering of ridiculously wealthy vacationers and staff at a fictional resort of the same name. Instead of blissful escapism, though, the series offers occasionally sharp social satire mixed in with top-notch character work that proves the show to be much more than a lowly pandemic binge.

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Arts

Kanye tells flawed but epic story of faith and family on 'Donda'

By Tuna Margalit | September 8

After three listening parties spanning a month and a half, a 24-hour livestream in Mercedes Benz-Stadium showing the tantalizing happenings of a small, converted bedroom, unreleased songs being played randomly on the radio and just an overall lack of transparency on when his album would release, Kanye West finally allowed “Donda” (2021) to hit the airwaves two Sundays ago. 

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Arts

Tufts graduate Adam Wilson breaks down novel 'Sensation Machines'

By Sadie Leite | September 8

Novelist Adam Wilson (LA’04) first published his new novel “Sensation Machines” on July 7, 2020. Soho Press released the novel in a paperback edition on Tuesday with an in-person event to follow on Sept. 13.

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Music

Tufts to hear the people sing (and play winds and brass) once more

By Megan Szostak | September 8

For the first time in over a year, all musical ensembles at Tufts University will return to in-person modalities with full participation this semester. Vocalists, winds and brass players, whose participation in ensembles was restricted during the 2020–21 academic year, will be required to wear instrument-specific personal protection equipment; all such PPE will be provided by the Department of Music to any student who wishes to participate in an ensemble or engage in solo practice. 

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Arts

The Prison Book Program extends support through books, community

By Devina Bhalla | May 11

The Prison Book Program has spent almost 50 years with one central mission: providing incarcerated people across the United States with free books from its headquarters in Quincy, Mass.

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Arts

Senior profile: Panella reminisces on a fulfilling 4 years at Tufts

By Tuna Margalit | May 10

Disclaimer: Chris Panella is an arts editor and a columnist at The Tufts Daily. The Daily’s editorial department acknowledges that this article is premised on a conflict of interest. This article is a special feature for Commencement 2021 that does not represent the Daily’s standard journalistic practices. Chris was not involved in the writing or the editing of this article.

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Arts

Senior profile: Eliopoulos reflects on musical journey at Tufts

By Ethan M. Steinberg | May 7

Eliopoulos, a Medford native, joined the Tufts music community in middle school when he participated in the Department of Music's Community Music Program and attended weekly Saturday morning classes in the Granoff Music Center. He continued in high school playing cello with the Tufts Youth Philharmonic, and he even squeezed his way into the back of the undergraduate orchestra for a performance during his senior year. Today, Eliopoulos is the principal cellist of the Tufts Symphony Orchestra and a household name around much of the Granoff Music Center.

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Column

Beyond the Underneath: Starting from an empty dance floor

By Ramona Meng Xi | May 7

A DJ once told me that mixing techno or house during a set is easier than mixing pop or hip-hop songs due to the similarity in beats and repetition, as well as the anti-teleological nature and layering characteristics of house and techno tracks. The difficult part is how to perfectly master the grand rhythm of buildups and drops in order to keep the audience hooked to the evolving repetitions. If the whole night of music is graphed in terms of its excitement, then it should look like a flow of slowly ascending waves.

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Arts

The Brattle Theatre puts on its 8th Grrl Haus program

By Yas Salon | May 6

Despite temporarily closing its physical theater space near Harvard Square due to COVID-19,The Brattle Theatre has been keeping film fans entertained for the past year with virtual screenings of movie premieres and old favorites. Most recently, The Brattle offered viewers "Grrl Haus: Let’s Have a Party!," an eight-day-long program featuring films and videos by female, nonbinary, transgender and genderqueer creators. 

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Arts

Senior profile: Ayyappan dances through her time at Tufts

By Devina Bhalla | May 6

Sowntharya Ayyappanstarted dancing at age six when her parents took her to learn Bharatanatyam, a classical style of Indian dance, from a teacher 30 minutes away from her home.Ayyappan has been dancing since, spending time doing so every weekend throughout high school. So when she got to Tufts, it was only natural that she’d joinTufts Pulse, Tufts’ Indian classical dance team.

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Arts

SMFA looks back on a year of anti-racism activism

By Colette Smith | May 5

“Anti-Racism: A Year of Creative Activism at Tufts” highlighted initiatives that have sprung up across the university over the past year. It was sponsored by the Daynard Microgrant for Collaborations in Racial Justice at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and brought together individuals from all corners of the Tufts community. The event, which took place on April 20 on Zoom, underscored the versatility of the anti-racism initiatives and the power that art has in society to actively fight against racism. 

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Column

Soundtrack to the end of the world: A world post-pandemic, Part 2

By Christopher Panella, Jessica Blough, Stephanie Hoechst and Tuna Margalit | May 5

For this last column, I asked my friends to share a bit of what they’re looking forward to as a post-pandemic world starts to come into focus. They sent me songs of rumination, rest and, most of all, celebration. This is part 2; part 1 is available at tuftsdaily.com.

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Arts

Girl in Red fills the silence with debut 'If I Could Make It Go Quiet'

By Maeve Hagerty | May 4

In her debut album "If I Could Make It Go Quiet," Girl in Red develops her sound and reflects on love and mental illness with an edge and a sense of humor.

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Columns

A Fantastic Voyage: The End

By Drew Weisberg | May 4

I have noticed a common notion that fantasy and science fiction are easy genres to write for, simply because it comes down to making things up as you go. I would argue, though, that it carries the unique challenge of not just rounding out a character, but finding them a place in the strange world you create.

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Arts

Local bookstores celebrate Independent Bookstore Day 

By Devina Bhalla | May 3

Bookstores across Boston celebrated National Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 24. Leading up to the day, bookstores announced their plans on social media, which included author talks, raffles and exclusive sales. Porter Square Books, Harvard Book Store, Brookline Booksmith, Trident Booksellers & Cafe, Papercuts J.P. and All She Wrote Books all participated in the day. 

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Arts

Porter Robinson's 'Nurture' showers the world with hope, musical splendor

By Geoff Tobia Jr. | May 3

Seven years of hard work and navigation through life has led Porter Robinson to create another masterpiece in "Nurture."

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Columns

Soundtrack to the end of the world: A world post-pandemic, part 1

By Jessica Blough, Alex Viveros, Robert Kaplan and Kristina Marchand | May 3

For this last column, I asked my friends to share a bit of what they’re looking forward to as a post-pandemic world starts to come into focus. They sent me songs of rumination and rest and, most of all, celebration.

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Arts

2021 Oscars disappoint in more ways than one

By Catherine Cahn | April 28

Any great film needs a good ending, and this was the 93rd Oscars’ greatest downfall. In a typical year, the ceremony ends with the climactic award for best picture. This year, however, the order was switched, with best picture being presented third to last, followed by best actress and then best actor. The clear suspense that was built up for the best actor category led to much speculation that the night would end in the powerful and emotional announcement that the late Chadwick Boseman had won for his exceptional performance in "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom" (2020). So it was no surprise that the real winner, Anthony Hopkins, was quite a letdown.

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Arts

Inspirational and aspirational fashion at the 2021 Oscars

By Grace Rotermund | April 28

This year, only about 170 people were granted the honor of attending in person, as even the golden lights of Hollywood are not immune to the lurking threat of COVID-19. Thus, the pressure was on for designers and attendees alike to stun, wow and create a memorable Oscars “moment.” This challenge was, of course, met in true Tinseltown fashion. 

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