Ode to Orderly Joy Performance

Ode to Orderly Joy, a collaboration between Professor of Art Lonnie Graham, the Penn State Concert Choir, and independent artist Wang HuiMeng, uses art and musical performance to address issues such as socioeconomic security, human agency, and threats to democracy. The project takes its title from Movement IV (“Ode to Joy”) from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which has historically served as an anthem for political regimes around the world. In today’s fraught political climate, the project explores how different art forms can be used to communicate both power and resistance. In this new iteration performed by the Penn State Concert Choir, the theatre is activated through both movement and confinement of the performers, commenting on the fraught political climate we’re living in today.

Open to the public from November 21 – December 12, the project includes ongoing rehearsals for a final performance, to take place December 3, at 7:00 PM, in the Downtown Centre Theatre, with a reception to follow. This event is free and open to the public.