Skip to main content

Kean University

Apply
Visit

Language selection

Exclamation_Point_2_x2C__Caution_2_x2C__Warning_2 Created with Sketch.

Impending Winter Storm

Due to the impending storm, all classes and activities at Kean’s main campus in Union, Kean Ocean and Kean Skylands will operate remotely on Sunday, January 25, and Monday, January 26. 

The University will observe a Winter Wellness Day on Tuesday, January 27, following the storm. Classes and activities will not run, and employees are not expected to work. 

Due to ongoing power problems at the Kean Ocean Gateway Building, all classes and activities at Kean Ocean will also be conducted remotely on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24. This only applies to Kean Ocean. 

Only essential personnel should report to work as scheduled during the remote period or on Tuesday. Employees with questions about their status should consult their supervisor. 

Keanu’s Kitchen will remain open for residential students on the Union campus from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday. 

All vehicles parked on the Union campus must be relocated to the Vaughn-Eames overnight parking lot by 6 p.m. on Saturday to allow for storm cleanup. Vehicles parked elsewhere on campus are subject to relocation. 

Ars Vitalis at Kean University Presents the Music of Trent Johnson

Oct 23, 2023
Music composer Trent Johnson, a headshot

The critically acclaimed Ars Vitalis: The New Jersey New Music Forum at Kean University will present a concert of chamber music arrangements of scenes from the opera Kenyatta by composer Trent Johnson, including a panel discussion with the composer and librettist Richard Wesley. 

The concert takes place on Thursday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. at Kean University’s Enlow Recital Hall. Admission is free.

Ars Vitalis, an arts initiative at Kean University, showcases the works of prominent living composers. Concerts feature pre- and post-concert events with the invited composers offering the audience an opportunity to meet the people behind the music. Since its inception in 1999, Ars Vitalis has hosted over 30 renowned composers including Pulitzer Prize, Academy Award, and Grammy winners.

Johnson, a composer, organist, pianist and conductor, is the assistant director of music of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City, assistant artistic director of Musica Viva NY, and the music director and conductor of the Oratorio Singers of Westfield.

Kenyatta premiered on November 19, 2017, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Commissioned by Trilogy: an Opera Company, the opera takes the audience on a captivating journey through the life of Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, and the gripping political conflict with Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. 

“Kenyatta is a dazzling synthesis of European and African musical elements masterfully brought together to illuminate a pivotal time in Kenya’s history,” said Matthew Halper, DMA, artistic director and professor of music composition at Kean.

Performing artists in the concert include Patrick Blackwell, bass-baritone, as Kenyatta; Sam McKelton, tenor, as Odinga; George Johnson III, tenor, as the Kenyan man; Trent Johnson, piano; James Musto, djembe; Manuel Carro, djembe; Stephen Myers, timpani; and the Kean University Chorale, Rachel Carlson, director.

The Eugene and Shelley Enlow Recital Hall is located on Kean University’s East Campus, 215 North Avenue in Hillside, New Jersey.

For more information, visit the Kean Stage website or call (908) 737-SHOW (7469).

Tagged