From the Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Do you remember the summer of 2010 when Elizabeth Alexander interviewed Bill T. Jones at the Festival just a day after his landmark Tony Award for choreography in Fela!? And were you with us in 2011 to catch Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company's stirring reflection on Lincoln in SERENADE - THE PROPOSITION? Or to witness the origins of this important American artist's work in his early career dance BODY AGAINST BODY?

And what excites me about this coming week is that Fela! at the Shubert will feature the same lead actor and many of the same cast members as the Broadway...

“9/11 is a litmus test of our humanity”…
Bill T. Jones, choreographer/director(link to video)

With the precision and directness of a lightening bolt, in words and movement Bill has the amazing ability to wake us up, to get our attention, to make us think. What a monotone place the world would be without him and artists like him.

I just returned from Edinburgh where I was fortunate enough to be an invited delegate of the British Council along with 200 colleagues from around the world to the British Showcase at the famed Edinburgh Fringe.

I have recently been feeling a heightened sense of...

A blog from the road by Festival Executive Director Mary Lou Aleskie.

Sitting in Warsaw's Frederic Chopin Airport waiting for my connection home from Tbilisi, I am trying to sort through the details of the past month's travel and all the opportunities collected.

I find myself feeling anxious to keep the interconnected network of artists, colleagues and politicians I encountered engaged and energized in discussion. Everywhere there seems to be equal parts anxiety and hopefulness about the times we live in and new ways to move into the future. In all my meetings this month, the unique...

"Her strategic thinking, coupled with passion and a willingness to dream was an amazing combination" said Mary Lou Aleskie, Executive Director of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. "She was always involved, committed and full of hope. She was such an inspiring visionary, especially to women in leadership. She was out there well before any of us could even imagine what our opportunities would be. When I think about her and all that she did in her life, she made it all possible".

"Jean contributed her energy and thoughtfulness to all that the Board of the Festival dealt with," said...

June 29, 2009

Thank you all for being with us over the past two weeks and for filling this Festival with tremendous energy and joy. You, our audience and friends, made it a great Festival by being curious, engaged and intrepid.

During what was perceived to be a rainy period in an economic downturn, we had a record number of people visiting this website and attending our free events on the New Haven Green, capacity audiences at Ideas events and tours, and the Festival’s ticketed events exceeded the sales figures from the past two years. We really can't ask for more.

The Festival also received...

By MARY LOU ALESKIE
Executive Director

The tunes were there Little Rootie Tootie, Crepuscule with Nellie,'Round Midnight...the ones we immediately associate with Monk...but the surprise in Jason Moran's tribute IN MY MIND: Monk at Town Hall 1959 was the seamless and compelling story told in the music, recordings and visual images that flowed together to paint a portrait of the man. So beautifully constructed yet so natural in its unfolding, this celebration of a true American hero was made more immediate to us as Jason shared personal connections and inspirations with Monk. The arrangements...

Dear Friends,

Global Interdependence. Think Global, Act Local. Responsibility and Accountability.

Who knew just how present these phrases would be today when we focused on our 2009 Festival theme "Global Identities/Local Heroes" two years ago?

Artists...Creators...Innovators...that's who. And they usually do know before the rest of us mere mortals.

Our Festival themes reveal themselves in the kind of artistic expression we see in creators around the world. When we set about looking for projects for the 2009 Festival, we noticed a common thread in the subjects and styles of work we were seeing and...

Dear All,

Gamelan Galak Tika and Ensemble Robot will perform at Woolsey Hall tonight at 7 pm. Weather and wetness has prevented us from moving forward on the Green. Even if the weather were to clear this evening, the delicacy of the instruments and complexity of their set up and rehearsal process, at this point, makes it impossible for their performance to happen outside today. VIP Green hospitality is cancelled for tonight but visit our development staff at the VIP table in the lobby of Woolsey Hall for reception updates. It will be a terrific concert regardless of its location change...