There is so much to celebrate in February – Grammy winners, Black History Month, Lunar New Year, football, Mardi Gras, Martha Graham, love. And what better way to celebrate all the things than with the arts?
On February 1, Purchase alum Samara Joy won her 6th GRAMMY, this one for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Portrait.
Back in October, the AP interviewed Samara Joy about Portrait, a compilation of jazz standards and new takes on the Great American Songbook. The 25-year-old five-time Grammy winner sat down with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz to talk about life after all those awards, how diving into “Portrait” has helped her continue to grow as an artist, and what it means to make her mark in the jazz world
Listen to the AP interview with Samara Joy on her Grammy wins and crafting Portrait
Listen to Samara Joy – You Stepped Out Of A Dream (Studio Version)
Listen to Samara Joy – Now And Then (In Remembrance Of…) (Studio Version)
Hear Samara Joy’s 2026 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech
A screening of Rather Be Ashes Than Dust
Wednesday, February 18, 2026, 6pm
Purchase College Humanities Building, Room 1032
Multiple award nominee Rather Be Ashes Than Dust profiles the pro-democracy protests that took place in Hong Kong during 2019 and their violent suppression. Part documentary, part memoir, the film captures the director’s ethical dilemma as he contemplates whether his primary duty is to be observer or participant when witnessing oppression and injustice. Combining searing footage of confrontations on the street with reflections on the protests’ legacies, Rather Be Ashes Than Dust is a vital account of a pivotal moment in the recent history of Hong Kong. A Q&A with Producer Nancy Tong will follow the screening. This event is free, but an RSVP is required.
Register for the screening
Watch the Rather Be Ashes Than Dust trailer
CMS: Violin Celebration – Bach to Beethoven
Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 5pm
The Purchase PAC
Invented in the mid-16th century, the violin emerged as the stringed instrument of choice during the Baroque era, culminating with the concertos, chamber music, and solo works of J. S. Bach. Virtuosi such as Tartini added flair; Mozart, a proficient violinist himself, contributed sonatas on a sublime new level; and Beethoven, master of drama and musical prophet, paved the way to the future with new heights of expression for the instrument.
Learn more and get tickets on The Purchase PAC website
Self-Portrait: Ani Kavafian, violin
Longtime CMS artist violinist Ani Kavafian, who is on the roster for the Violin Celebration concert, talks about her Armenian heritage, working with some of the greatest chamber musicians, and the joy she finds in teaching.
Watch and listen to Self Portrait: Ani Kavafian on YouTube
Ephrat Asherie Dance + Arturo O’Farrill: Shadow Cities
Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 7:30pm
The Purchase PAC
Ephrat Asherie Dance (EAD) is bringing its newest creation, Shadow Cities, to The Purchase PAC this month. Shadow Cities is a collaboration between choreographer and dancer Ephrat Asherie and Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Arturo O’Farril. With a cast of seven dancers and four musicians, the performers explore the myriad ways they feel split between cities, memories, and generations, encountering their most enlivened selves in unexpected moments. EAD’s style is rooted in a multitude of Afro-diasporic vernacular dances, exploring the expansive narrative qualities of breaking, hip hop, house, and waacking to tell stories and find new modes of expression.
Learn more about Ephrat Asherie Dance and Shadow Cities on the Ephrat Asherie Dance website
Listen to A Pillow Story: Ephrat Asherie, in which the choreographer talks about her experience developing work at Jacob’s Pillow
Get tickets to see Ephrat Asherie Dance at The Purchase PAC
GRAHAM100
The Martha Graham Dance Company Centennial Celebration at Purchase College continues with two events this month. These events are included in the purchase price of the Graham Centennial Season Pass.
Join the celebration by purchasing your GRAHAM100 Season Pass today!
Planting Seeds: Dark Meadow in rehearsal
Thursday, February 12, 6pm
Introducing Purchase Dance Company’s cast of Martha Graham’s 1946 masterwork Dark Meadow. The evening will include a discussion with Graham Centennial Curator and Martha Graham regisseur, Martin Lofsnes, and members of his Dark Meadow reconstruction team.
Location: Dance Building (Lower Level) – Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theater Lab/KAZ
Sculpting Dance: Martha Graham and Isamu Noguchi
Thursday, February 26, 6pm
Isamu Noguchi and Martha Graham bonded over a shared interest in the personal and worldly mythologies of life and the mind. Their collaboration for Graham’s ballet Dark Meadow (1946) is one of over 20 collaborative efforts by the two artists. The set design Noguchi created for Dark Meadow includes multi-colored, fetish-like objects that offered continuity and scale to the geography of Graham’s dance, effectively serving as a primordial mindscape for Graham’s narrative. Experience Noguchi’s sculpture Bow and the original set pieces created by Noguchi for Graham’s seminal work Dark Meadow in conversation with Art Historian Natalie Ginsberg.
Location: Neuberger Museum of Art
See the Noguchi set for Dark Meadow arrive at the Purchase College Conservatory of Dance
See pictures of the set on the Noguchi Museum Facebook page
Martha Matinees: Circe
From 2023, a full-length rehearsal of the 1963 piece, performed for the first time in 15 years against the avant-garde set design of Isamu Noguchi. Featuring a live chat hosted by Martha Graham Archive Director, Joyce Herring, and Classics professor, Dr. Nina Papathanasopoulou, this Martha Matinee will be full of fascinating insight at the mythical piece.
Watch Martha Matinees on YouTube
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Culture Picks celebrates the performing arts. In each post, PAC staff member Coni Guhl shines the spotlight on work by artists that you know and love from their appearances at The Purchase PAC, and offers recommendations about other performing arts events that you really should not miss. Experience them all!
All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.
Pictured: Arturo O’Farrill. Photo (c) David Garten.
