Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
April 20, 2024

Arts & Entertainment



COURTESY OF EUNICE PARK
Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel presented a spectacular program at Peabody.

Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel offers an intimate night of chamber music

Taking place in the Peabody Institute’s beautiful Griswold Hall, Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel, two artists in residence, performed a reinvigorating and challenging joint chamber program on Saturday evening. Named “Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel,” their powerful collaboration allowed their perfect take on the works of Dubois, Ysaÿe and Franck to touch the hearts of the audience that night. 


New Brooklyn Nine-Nine season starts off strong

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (B99) has returned. For those who don’t know, B99 is arguably one of the funniest shows on television. I would watch it over The Office or anything else, really, and I’ve felt that way since I first sat down to watch the pilot episode at home with my mom way back in 2013. 



Shakira and Jennifer Lopez claimed the spotlight at the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is a prominent feature of American culture. Every year, millions of people tune in to watch the highly-anticipated big game in the company of their friends and family.  This year was no exception: Variety estimated that around 102 million people tuned in to the 2020 Super Bowl. However, what is striking about the Super Bowl as an event is that there are so many other aspects to it besides the actual football game that draw in viewers. One of these is the halftime show. 




HARALD KRICHEL/CC BY-SA 4.0
Dua Lipa released a new single for her album Future Nostalgia this week.

Dua Lipa’s new single and music video fall flat

You’ve probably heard of Dua Lipa, whether you’ve danced to her music or glossed over her name on Spotify’s top pop songs list. An English singer, Lipa has not only become a pop sensation at home but has also broken into American charts in recent years. 


DisneyPlus releases new Pixar animation series

For years, Disney’s animated shorts have always come to the rescue on free nights when I had nothing much to do. Unfortunately there are only so many times that I can rewatch Disney’s collection of animated shorts on Netflix and still tear up to The Little Match Girl or have my heart ache during Paperman (although I still do).


COURTESY OF KATY OH 
Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, performed at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall downtown.

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason performs with the BSO

After Spotify’s end-of-the-year wrap-up informed me that I had the tendency of listening to the same songs on repeat, I decided what my grand — for an introvert, at least — 2020 New Year’s resolution would be: to listen to a greater variety of music in settings where I could not be simply wired to a device. 


Courtesy of Kanak Gupta
The first performance followed the story of siblings writing a “collab story.”

String Theory Theater tugs at your heartstrings

After having only ever seen puppet shows in movies and on TV all my life, I, at the age of 21, finally saw one in person, and it was an utter joy. The show was put on by Baltimore-based troupe String Theory Theater (STT) and guest puppeteer Schroeder Cherry at The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center on Saturday, Jan. 26.



Martin Kraft / CC BY-SA 3.0
Greta Gerwig directed the seventh film adaptation of the novel Little Women

New adaptation of Little Women has progressive take

Louisa May Alcott’s story, Little Women, whose volumes were published in 1868 and 1869, remains a truly timeless piece, as seen in the recent release of its seventh film adaptation by director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig this past Christmas. Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women brilliantly showcased the story and has received six Oscar nominations including: Best Picture, Best Actress (Saoirse Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Florence Pugh), Best Original Score (Alexander Desplat), Best Adapted Screenplay (Greta Gerwig), and Best Costume Design (Jacqueline Durran).



1917 is a fresh, poignant addition to war cinema

There were a few things about my own personal experience watching 1917 — a movie nominated for 10 Academy Awards this year — that were particularly frustrating. The group of 12-year-old boys in the back of the theater talking and laughing at pretty much full volume throughout the movie was one. The fact that my viewing experience was also interrupted midway by an entirely unnecessary and poorly placed intermission was another.


courtesy of eunice park
Writer and activist Chana Porter reads from the beginning of her new novel.

Activist Chana Porter introduces new novel

Let’s be honest: Writing a novel is an intense and mentally draining process. To write an ironically utopian novel is, in itself, a difficult task, but to also perform a public book reading less than a month after it’s been published is no small feat. However, on Jan. 23, Chana Porter did just this as she seamlessly read through the beginning of her novel, The Seep, and subsequently held a live Q&A session with audience members at Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse. 



Courtesy of Tineer Ahmed
Brockhampton interspersed their energetic set list with mellow songs.

Heaven Belongs to You Tour marks a new era of BROCKHAMPTON

This Thanksgiving break, my stuck-on-campus self and a friend who lives half an hour away hopped on the MARC train at our respective stops to reunite in D.C. for an evening we had planned in August — a concert part of BROCKHAMPTON’s Heaven Belongs to You Tour, which was happening on Monday, Nov. 25. 


COURTESY OF NICK BOSWELL
Dylan Kwang is a junior studying biomedical engineering and visual arts.

Artist Spotlight: Dylan Kwang, an artistic satirist

From a young age, Hopkins junior, Dylan Kwang has immersed himself in the arts. Having taken painting and illustration classes all throughout elementary, middle and high school, art is something that has always been an influence in his life. 


For a history on etching, visit the Met in New York

Over Thanksgiving break, I had the privilege of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Unfortunately, their collection of European painting from the years 1200-1800 are mostly not on display due to ongoing renovations. There was, however, a new and different exhibit I had the opportunity to see, and it was absolutely fascinating. 


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