Sound sculpture

A group exhibition at various locations on campus, “Rethinking the Sound Sculpture,” opens with a reception May 5, 5-7 p.m. in Milstein Hall dome.

The exhibition features work from a graduate-level seminar taught by assistant professor of music, composer and sound artist Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri. The artists are Kaleb Hunkele, M.F.A. ’18; Vladislav Markov, M.F.A. ’19; Bradley Nathanson, B. Arch. ’18; Gabriel Ramos, M.F.A. ’18; Sophia Starling, M.F.A. ’19; and doctoral students in the field of music Sergio Cote, Piyawat Louilarpprasert, Daniel Sabzghabaei and Barry Sharp.

Spring Writes

The ninth annual Spring Writes Literary Festival, with 47 events May 3-6 in downtown Ithaca, showcases Finger Lakes region writers, panels and workshops geared to emerging and established writers, poetry and prose open mics, readings and performances. Sponsored by the Community Arts Partnership, most festival events are free.

Aaron Sachs, professor of history, joins a writers’ panel and Q&A, “‘Telling Stories of...’: The Narrative Impulse in Nonfiction,” Saturday, May 5, 1:15-2:30 p.m. at Tompkins County Public Library, with authors Amy Reading and Rachel Dickinson and moderator Robert Danberg.

Also May 5 at the library, Cynthia Robinson reads from her new novel, “Birds of Wonder,” as part of a group reading, 3-4 p.m., by contributors to Stone Canoe, a journal for upstate New York artists and writers published by the YMCA Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse. Robinson is the Mary Donlon Alger Professor of Medieval and Islamic Art in the Department of the History of Art.

“Poetry in a Time of Crisis,” a reading and discussion Sunday, May 6, 3:30-5 p.m. at Buffalo Street Books, features “Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology” editor Melissa Tuckey and contributor Mukoma Wa Ngugi, assistant professor of English.

Other events: A panel, “Who Cares About the Past? Transforming Personal Experience into Art,” May 5, 3:30-5 p.m. at Buffalo Street Books, includes fiction writer Leo Ríos, M.F.A. ’17, a 2018 Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts Fellow. And in “Literary Jeopardy,” May 5, 7-9 p.m. at Lot 10 Lounge, a team from Cornell University Press takes on local booksellers and Ithaca College professors.

Holi festival

The Cornell Hindu Student Council hosts Holi 2018, the Hindu festival to celebrate the arrival of spring, May 5, 1:30-4:30 p.m. on the Arts Quad.

The outdoor party on campus features “rang” (colored powder), music, dancing, henna and samosas. Attendees should “dress for mess” – the rang is nontoxic and washes out of clothes; wearing white to the event will show off the vibrant colors.

Tickets are $5 each, available online to members of the Cornell community and guests. The first 250 ticket buyers can sign up for a free Cornell Holi 2018 T-shirt.

Bach’s “Passion”

J.S. Bach’s monumental “St. Matthew Passion” will be performed in Bailey Hall for the first time in more than 60 years, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for the general public and $7 for Cornell students, available at baileytickets.com.

The concert combines the talents of the Cornell University Glee Club and Chorus, orchestral musicians from NYS Baroque on period instruments, and six renowned vocal soloists including tenor Rufus Müller, regarded as one of the world’s finest interpreters of the interpreters of the Evangelist role.

Choral director Robert Isaacs conducts the work after singing it more than 15 times with various choirs. “I wanted our students to experience what I have: that this pinnacle of music challenges and inspires its singers more than any other piece I have ever performed,” Isaacs said. “And the timing is right. Bach’s own choir, the St. Thomas Choir from Leipzig, performed on campus in November.” Under the composer’s direction, the St. Thomas ensemble premiered the “St. Matthew Passion” in 1727.

Renaissance Faire, dance party

Risley Residential College students host their annual Renaissance Faire Sunday, May 6, noon-4 p.m. with art and activities on the Risley front lawn.

Costumes and participation are encouraged. The event is free and open to all ages; the public is invited. Student shop managers from the Risley Shops will provide tutorials on different art practices, and student artwork will be on display.

Also, the CU Klezmer Ensemble and the Klezmer Kings will play a Spring Dance Party, May 5, 8-11 p.m. in the Great Hall (Risley Dining).

TEDx talks

TEDxCornell returns for 2018 with notable academics, professionals and artists from Ithaca and the region, May 6, 1-5:30 p.m. in Statler Auditorium. Information and tickets are available online.

Among the presentations: “Matter in Motion” with Itai Cohen, professor of physics; “Campus Climate: The Cornell Spectrum and Beyond” with Associate Dean of Students Renee Alexander ’74; “The Politics of Disgust” with David Pizzaro, associate professor of psychology and philosophy; “The Brain’s Virtual Reality Engine and a Case for Humanist Ethics” with professor of psychology Shimon Edelman; and “What You Can Do to Reduce Gender Bias, and Why You Should” with Susan Fleming, M.S. ’08, Ph.D. ’09, senior lecturer in the School of Hotel Administration.

Chimes play Dead

The Cornell Chimesmasters have added a few new arrangements to their Grateful Dead repertoire for the second annual tribute to the band, Tuesday, May 8, at 6 p.m.

McGraw Tower will be closed to visitors during the Chimes concert. The public and Cornell community are invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair and listen from the Arts Quad or the base of the tower.

The date is the 41st anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s legendary May 8, 1977, concert in Barton Hall. Alumni provided arrangements of seven Dead songs for the Chimes to play at last year’s 40th anniversary concert, part of a communitywide celebration with an event at the State Theatre and a Cornell University Press book launch.

Notorious RBG

Cornell Cinema hosts the Ithaca premiere of “RBG,” an inspiring portrait of Supreme Court Justice and Cornellian Ruth Bader Ginsberg ’54, Tuesday, May 8 at 7:15 p.m. in Willard Straight Theatre.

Directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Advance tickets for the one-time screening are available at cornellcinematickets.com.

Also showing: Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” May 9, 12 and 13.

Slope Day

Slope Day, Thursday, May 10, includes a concert on Libe Slope and Slope Fest, a free event on Ho Plaza with games, food and activities. Gates to Libe Slope and food concessions open at 11 a.m. with music starting at noon, featuring Young Bombs, Dreezy and Galantis.

Tickets are available online (ages 18 and up only) for guests of Cornell undergraduate students; alumni and guests ($30 until May 7 at 9 a.m., $40 after); and for graduate/professional students ($20 advance, $30 week of event). Online sales end May 10 at 4 p.m. Current students may also purchase beer bracelets and food tickets in advance. Full-time undergraduates, including December 2017 graduates, and faculty and staff are admitted to Slope Day free with a valid Cornell ID and wristband.

Wristband distribution sites open May 10 at 10 a.m. at Noyes Recreation Center basketball court, Baker Tower, Anabel Taylor Hall and Morrill Hall. Faculty and staff volunteers are needed; sign up online.