Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
October 1, 2023

Arts & Entertainment

COURTESY OF HOMEWOOD PHOTOGRAPHY Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Artistic Director of Ensembles Joseph Young conducts the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in a previous performance.

The Peabody Symphony Orchestra September concert: a euphony of highs and lows

By MARIANA FERREIRA | 23 hours ago

On Sept. 23 the Peabody Symphony Orchestra (PSO) held its first concert of the academic year. Though held with free admission at the Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall, I had the pleasure of being able to watch it online through a live broadcast. Included in the program were the following pieces: “Pulse” by Brian Nabors, “Totenfeier” by Gustav Mahler and “Symphony No. 2” by Louise Farrenc. The pieces were all conducted by Joseph Young.

HINNK /  CC BY-SA 3.0 Celine Song's latest film, Past Lives, explores the delicate line between the platonic and the romantic.

Past Lives: A towering love story that sculpts the mundane into the mystical

By SOPHIA LIN | 2 days ago

What makes us fall in love? In Past Lives, the quietly stunning debut from Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song, the response is a deceptive one. There is in-yun, a Korean concept of fate intimating that thousands of years of past life interactions bring two people together. But there are also the childhood memories shared, the books coincidentally read and the glances that linger too long. Are these so different? Or are they precisely the same?

ERIK DROST / CC BY 2.0 In Bottoms, two lesbian high schoolers start a fight club to woo their cheerleader crushes.

Bottoms is a fresh take on coming-of-age queer cinema

By HANNAH PHAN | 4 days ago

Bottoms, directed by Emma Seligman, is the most memorable comedy I’ve seen all year. On top of being genuinely funny, it subverts the usual stereotypes of queer media about teenagers. There’s no coming-out subplot present anywhere, but the film is still full of unapologetically lesbian characters and gay jokes that had the entire theater laughing.

COURTESY OF ANNE FLEMMING You can see Ketzev at showcases and at their end-of-semester performance.

Ketzev is a community-oriented a cappella group rooted in Jewish culture

By HELENA GIFFORD | September 21, 2023

If there’s one thing that Hopkins has no shortage of, it’s fantastic a cappella groups. But with so many groups on campus, it can be difficult to really highlight the unique strengths and interests of each one. This week I was able to sit down with senior Matt Rodgers, the president of Ketzev at JHU, to find out what makes Ketzev and a cappella at Hopkins so special.

COLLIDERVIDEO / CC BY-SA 3.0 Love at First Sight is an easy-to-watch romantic comedy that recently came out on Netflix.

Is Love at First Sight a love at first viewing?

By MARIANA FERREIRA | September 20, 2023

Out of the 38 Netflix Original releases so far this month, nine of which are movies, the new Netflix romantic comedy Love At First Sight sits at the top of the pedestal as No. 1 in the top 10 movies in the U.S. The new addition to Netflix’s repertoire is an adaptation of the novel The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight, written by Jennifer E. Smith. 

ARUSA MALIK AND ARANTZA GARCIA / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITORS   This week’s picks also include Expend4bles, the latest addition to The Expendables film series, Kylie Minogue’s long-awaited return with her new album Tension and the Baltimore-wide arts festival, Artscape.

To watch and watch for: Week of Sept. 17

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | September 17, 2023

This week’s picks also include Expend4bles, the latest addition to The Expendables film series, Kylie Minogue’s long-awaited return with her new album Tension and the Baltimore-wide arts festival Artscape.

 ARUSA MALIK AND ARANTZA GARCIA / DESIGN & LAYOUT EDITORS  This week’s picks include Shane Gillis’ first Netflix special Beautiful Dogs, Olivia Rodrigo’s second studio album GUTS and the fifth annual Billie Holiday Jazz in Lafayette Square Concert. 

To watch and watch for: Week of Sept. 4

By TIMOTHY MCSHEA | September 5, 2023

This week’s picks include Shane Gillis’ first Netflix special Beautiful Dogs, Olivia Rodrigo’s second studio album GUTS and the fifth annual Billie Holiday Jazz in Lafayette Square Concert.

COURTESY OF ABIGAIL TUSCHMAN The lethargic crowd and odd setting of the Kehlani concert made it difficult to enjoy their music.

Thoughts of Kehlani in the Rec Center won’t keep me “up at night”

By ABIGAIL TUSCHMAN | May 5, 2023

This past Saturday, I spent my night in the Ralph S. O'Connor Center for Recreation and Well-Being. Instead of smelling like sweat and disinfectant wipes, the Rec Center was filled with the White-Claw breath of hordes of Hopkins students after a day of dartying. We were all gathered (way too close together) on the basketball court to watch Kehlani, this year’s Spring Fair Concert headliner.

STEVEN SIMPSON / PHOTO EDITOR Blue Jay Bhangra shares Bhangra and Punjabi culture at the annual Culture Show.

Music, dance and heritage on display in 2023 Culture Show

By HELENA GIFFORD | May 4, 2023

The first night of Culture Show has always been one of my favorite days of the semester. For two electric hours, I’m completely absorbed in seeing what all the incredible cultural groups on campus have spent the semester preparing, learning about different styles of music and dance and being humbled by Hopkins students’ commitment to carrying tradition forward into our campus today.

LUIZ BERENGUE / CC BY-SA 2.0 Smith notes how Holiday’s book Stillness is the Key asks readers to redefine productivity.

Ryan Holiday’s Stillness Is the Key defends the importance of taking time for yourself

By ERIC SMITH | April 23, 2023

Most of us can undoubtedly claim to be extremely busy, but would you consider yourself busier than Winston Churchill? From 1898 to 1918, Winston Churchill wrote seven books while holding political office and still managed to have a two-hour nap each day, a habit he even kept when he was prime minister during World War II. Do these naps signify Churchill’s laziness? I would argue they do not; rather, they signify a disciplined schedule that allows time for rest, as Churchill recognized that stillness in his life was a necessity.

COURTESY OF HELENA GIFFORD The Lan Yun Blue Orchids dance using water sleeves in their spring showcase.

The Lan Yun Blue Orchids celebrate Chinese history in the spring showcase

By HELENA GIFFORD | April 19, 2023

The Lan Yun Blue Orchids, a traditional Chinese dance team on campus, performed in their second annual showcase on the evening of April 15. The showcase was titled Dancing Through the Dynasties and told the history of China through dance and musical performance. The program was set up as a timeline, using performances to characterize each dynasty. 

Editor's Picks
Weekly Rundown
Podcast
Multimedia
Game On Blue Jays
Leisure Interactive Food Map
The News-Letter Print Locations
News-Letter Special Editions