Full Slate Of Arts & Cultural Events In March At Fairfield University

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield University has announced a schedule of arts and cultural events planned for March 2026, featuring dance and music performances, guest speakers, art exhibitions, and public programs open to the campus and surrounding community.

Events will be held at multiple venues across the Fairfield University campus and are intended to reflect a range of contemporary artistic practices and global perspectives.

The schedule also includes talks and discussions presented through the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum, with speakers such as Barry Stein, Gina Barreca, and David Brooks.

Several events are connected to America250: The Promise and Paradox, the university’s ongoing initiative examining the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States. According to the university, the programming is designed to encourage discussion and reflection on national history and identity through the arts, with an emphasis on public engagement in Connecticut and beyond.

Below are the month's events:

REGINA A. QUICK CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Manuel Roque
bang bang
Tuesday, March 3 | 8 p.m.
Wien Experimental Theatre, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Recipient of Les Prix de la Danse de Montréal 2017 for performance as a solo with bang bang, Manuel Roque returns to the piece with a new energy, performed as a duet. This is a work that pushes artist and audience to the limit. Involving a repetition of jumps and athletic patterns counted in 11, bang bang demands exceptional concentration and physical commitment from the performers.

Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum | Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and
Health Studies Lecture
Barry Stein, MD, Hartford HealthCare
Wednesday, March 4 | 5 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Barry Stein, MD, a leader in AI innovation in healthcare, together with a multidisciplinary panel, will unpack the ethical, educational, and practical dimensions of AI—and what they mean for the future of the health professions. Dr. Stein serves as the Chief Clinical Innovation Officer and Chief Medical Informatics Officer for Hartford HealthCare.

Pamela Nadell, "Antisemitism, an American Tradition"
Thursday, March 5 | 7:30 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Scholar Pamela S. Nadell will discuss Antisemitism, An American Tradition in conversation with: Patricia Behre, PhD, chair, History Department; and Yaron Ayalon, director of the
Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Chair of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University. Nadell plumbs antisemitism in the U.S., from the mid-seventeenth century, when Jews first arrived in New Amsterdam, to today, amidst increasing anti-Jewish rhetoric and hate crimes. Nadell, who won the National
Jewish Book Awards’ top prize six years ago for America’s Jewish Women, scrupulously investigates in her extraordinary work how the persistence of old ideas about “evil Jews,” alongside new, antisemitic conspiracy theories and lies, have circulated throughout American history. Writing “with command and a detective’s sense for where buried episodes of antisemitism can be found” (Franklin Foer, author of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future), Nadell reveals how hatred against Jews in America has continuously threaded its history, exposing that antisemitism in the U.S. is not an irregularity, but a tradition.

Orchestra Lumos, American Gems
Sunday, March 8 | 3 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Stamford’s Orchestra Lumos, led by music director Michael Stern, makes their debut at the Quick Center with American Gems. As part of their season dedicated to celebrating
America’s 250th birthday, American Gems features the work of original American voices including Aaron Copland, old-world émigré Igor Stravinsky, and Scott Joplin, all composers who were inspired by the genius of J.S. Bach.

Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum
Jim Sciutto, “Reporting Foreign Affairs: How Does It Impact the USA?”
Monday, March 16 | 7:30 p.m.
Dolan School of Business Event Hall
CNN chief national security analyst Jim Sciutto, anchor of The Brief with Jim Sciutto, reports on and analyzes all aspects of U.S. national security, including foreign policy, the military, the intelligence community, and the State Department. In this program, Sciutto will examine how foreign policy, national security, and international affairs shape life in the U.S., offering timely insight into the evolving global order and America’s role within it. (Rescheduled from February)

Jazz at Lincoln Center presents
Great American Crooners
Thursday, March 19 | 8 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Soak in the sounds of the velvety melodies and smoky rhythms of incomparable vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Bobby Darin, when Jazz at Lincoln Center celebrates the golden age of jazz with a program called Great American Crooners. Three remarkable young singers—Benny Benack III (Downbeat Magazine #1 Rising Star), Robbie Lee, and Shenel Johns—perform favorites like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Misty,” “I Only Have Eyes for You,” and “Moon River.” Expect a dazzling concert of swoon-worthy hits and sentimental serenades.

The Met: Live in HD
Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
Saturday, March 21 | Noon (live), 11 a.m. pre-screening talk
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
After thrilling Met audiences in Fidelio, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Die Walküre, soprano Lise Davidsen now conquers one of opera’s most towering roles as the doomed Irish princess
Isolde in Wagner’s searing portrait of passion, betrayal, and transcendence. Visionary director Yuval Sharon—acclaimed for his bold, immersive stagings—makes his Met debut
with a new production that explores the opera’s timeless meditation on love and death through a daringly modern lens.

Orin Grossman
A Celebration of Gershwin
Sunday, March 22 | 3 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
George Gershwin was at home in many different musical worlds, from Broadway and Hollywood musicals to opera and symphonic works. He was also a terrific pianist who amused and amazed his friends at parties with fascinating piano versions of his songs. This concert shines a light on Gershwin’s many achievements, including performances of many of Gershwin's songs in his own arrangements, including highlights from Porgy and Bess in a stunning arrangement by pianist legend, Earl Wild, and, of course, his most famous
composition, Rhapsody in Blue.

Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum: Espresso
Gina Barreca, PhD, "A Seat at the Table: Celebrating the Feast of Italian American Culture"
Tuesday, March 24 | 7:30 p.m.
Dolan School of Business Event Hall, Charles F. Dolan School of Business
Gina Barreca was deemed a “feminist humor maven” by Ms. Magazine with bestselling books including They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted: Women’s Strategic Use of Humor and Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League. This prolific author, editor, and educator joins us for an evening of delightful conversation. Gina’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Independent of London, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Cosmopolitan, and The Harvard Business Review. She’s a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, where she’s also won the institution’s highest award for excellence in teaching.

The School of Education and Human Development Diversity Lecture Series
Temple Grandin, PhD, "The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism"
Wednesday, March 25 | 6 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Dr. Temple Grandin will address issues of autism that parents, teachers, and individuals on the spectrum face every day. Dr. Grandin will offer helpful strategies and tips based on her 'insider' perspective and research. Topics to be covered include: How and Why People with Autism Think Differently; Economical Early Intervention Programs that Work; How Sensory Sensitivities Affect Learning; Behaviors Caused by a Disability vs. Just Bad Behaviors; Teaching People with Autism to Live in an Unpredictable World; Alternative Medicine vs.
Conventional Medicine; and Employment Ideas for Adults with Autism.

Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum | Bennett Center for Judaic Studies Lecture
David Brooks, "How To Know a Person"
Sunday, March 29 | 3 p.m.
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
David Brooks will deliver the 2026 Bennett Center for Judaic Studies Lecture as the closing keynote address of a month-long symposium on Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, written in 1946, after the psychiatrist survived four concentration camps. Frankl saw the quest for life’s meaning as the central motivational force for humankind. New York Times columnist David Brooks will explore empathy, connection, and the importance of understanding others—inspired by his work How to Know a Person.

Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum: Espresso
Stephen Wilkes, "America the Beautiful: Time, Memory, and History"
Tuesday, March 31 | 7:30 p.m.
Dolan School of Business Event Hall, Charles F. Dolan School of Business
Stephen Wilkes is a photographer and National Geographic Explorer known for his innovative fine art, editorial, and commercial work. Since opening his New York studio in 1983, he has become one of America’s most iconic photographers. Wilkes’ most defining work, Day to Night, began in 2009, capturing cityscapes and landscapes from a fixed vantage point over 30 hours, blending thousands of images into a single frame. The series, featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in major media, expanded with National Geographic Society grants, documenting U.S. National Parks, global bird migration (Year of the Bird, 2018), and endangered species. It has been exhibited at the National Geographic Museum (2018), National Museum of Wildlife Art (2019), and Palazzo Blu, Pisa (2023). The TASCHEN monograph was published in 2019 and reprinted in 2023.

Meet the Author: Deborah Levison Debuts Her New Novel at Fairfield University Store
Tuesday, March 31 | 7 – 8 p.m.
Downtown Bookstore, 1499 Post Rd., Fairfield
Award-winning writer Deborah Levison is launching her latest book, A Novel Crime— a crime caper about a romance writer desperate for a bestseller. Levison’s first book, The Crate, is a nonfiction, true crime about a murder that involved her family, won seven literary awards. Her first novel, A Nest of Snakes, won a Connecticut Press Club award for fiction.

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM

Gallery Talk: Sara Rahbar and Maria de Los Angeles
Thursday, March 5 | 5:30 p.m.
Walsh Gallery, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Join us for a special gallery talk featuring artists whose work is on view in the exhibition For Which It Stands...!

Virtual Meditation and Mindfulness
Monday, March 9 | 5 p.m.
Virtual
Join Jackie DeLise, master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and stress management expert, for a virtual guided meditation class. DeLise will share ancient wisdom for our modern lifestyle and will guide you in becoming your true self. No prior experience necessary. Learn how to cultivate inner calm, clarity, peace, and harmony in your life. All are welcome!

Meditation and Mindfulness in the Museum
Tuesday, March 10 | 5 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join us in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries for restorative sessions led by teacher Jackie DeLise. DeLise is a master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and stress management
expert.

Art in Focus: Jane Hammond, Untitled (28,157, 272, 179, 64, 95, 45, 244, 247, 109, 146, 185, 9, 234, 207), 1993, oil on canvas with metal leaf. Collection of the Orlando Museum of Art. Purchased with funds provided by the Acquisition Trust © Jane Hammond.
Thursday, March 12 | 12 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join us as we discuss some of the works on view in For Which It Stands... in an informal setting, led by Curator of Education and Academic Engagement Michelle DiMarzo.

Art in Focus: Jane Hammond, Untitled (28,157, 272, 179, 64, 95, 45, 244, 247, 109, 146, 185, 9, 234, 207), 1993, oil on canvas with metal leaf. Collection of the OrlandoMuseum of Art. Purchased with funds provided by the Acquisition Trust © Jane Hammond.
Thursday, March 12 | 1 p.m.
Virtual
Join us as we discuss some of the works on view in For Which It Stands... in an informal virtual setting, led by Curator of Education and Academic Engagement Michelle DiMarzo.

Lecture: "The Soiling of Old Glory: The Story of the Photograph That Shocked America"
Thursday, March 19 | 5:30 p.m.
Dolan School of Business Event Hall, Charles F. Dolan School of Business and streaming
Louis P. Masur, Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History, Rutgers University, delivers a talk on Stanley Forman's iconic 1976 photograph depicting a Black civil rights activist in Boston being assaulted by a white man with a flagpole with the U.S. flag. The photograph was the subject of Dr. Masur's 2008 book of the same title. His talk is presented in conjunction with the exhibition For Which It Stands... which includes a print of Forman's photograph from the Fairfield University Art Museum's permanent collection.

Workshop
The Flags That Make Us/The Flags We Make
Thursday, March 26 | 4 p.m.
Lobby, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Let's dive into a colorful exploration of identity and culture through flags at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts! Artist Maria de Los Angeles’ textile work Freedom is Not Free? forms part of our 2026 exhibition For Which It Stands… The sculpture, commissioned by the Fairfield University Art Museum for the exhibition, incorporates small textile pieces
made by participants in a fall 2025 campus workshop. Participants in this workshop will also have the opportunity to create a miniature flag representing their own heritage, some
of which Maria may incorporate into the sculpture so that it “grows” over the length of the exhibition. Supplies will be provided, but the artist encourages participants to bring along
materials they might like to upcycle (like old denim, bandanas, etc.).

Curator’s Tour with Carey Mack Weber
For Which It Stands..., Bellarmine Hall Galleries
Thursday, March 26 | 5:30 p.m.
Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Bellarmine Hall
Join Carey Weber, curator of For Which It Stands... and Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum, for an exhibition tour! Please note: although the exhibition encompasses both the Museum's Bellarmine Hall Galleries and the Walsh Gallery, each tour will focus exclusively on one location.

Family Day
Stitching Stories: Design Your Family Flag
Saturday, March 28 | 12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
Museum Classroom, Bellarmine Hall
Arts and crafts for ages 4-10, designed and led by Museum Educator Elizabeth Vienneau. Participants and family members will be invited to celebrate the flags of their family
background by designing and creating a new flag that expresses their unique identity and heritage!

LECTURES & EVENTS

Viktor Frankl Symposium
"Why Frankl Matters Today: Rediscovering Meaning in an Age of Disorientation" with Alexander Batthyány, PhD
Monday, March 2 | 6 p.m.
Dolan School of Business Event Hall, Charles F. Dolan School of Business
Many of today’s students and young professionals find themselves asking not only how to feel good, but how to be good for something—how to lead a life that is both inwardly whole and outwardly meaningful. Viktor Frankl’s work speaks directly to this search. It offers an empirically grounded and existentially rigorous framework for understanding and cultivating meaning in human life, while also addressing some psychological and existential paradoxes of our time: such as that we are impoverished not only by what we fail to receive, but also by what we withhold from giving. This lecture explores Frankl’s Logotherapy as both theory and practice—a psychological toolbox to engaging our emotions, confronting
inner and outer obstacles, and rediscovering purpose and direction in a fragmented age. Prof. Alexander Batthyány, PhD, holds the Chair of the Research Institute for Theoretical Psychology and Personalist Studies at Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest, Hungary.

Viktor Frankl Symposium
“Man’s Search for Meaning,” an immersive theatrical experience featuring the writer and actor Christopher Domig
Monday, March 2 | 7:30 p.m.
Media Center Studio A, Dolan Hall
Blending Frankl's harrowing journey through Nazi concentration camps with Domig’s own reflections and interactive moments with the audience, the play becomes a powerful exploration of resilience, love, and the search for meaning in the face of suffering. Through raw storytelling and audience engagement, Man's Search for Meaning challenges us to reflect on our own lives and choices, offering a profound reminder of the human spirit's capacity to endure and find purpose, even in the darkest times. CHRISTOPHER J.
DOMIG (Performer, Co-Writer and Co-Creator) is an actor, writer, collaborator, and the Artistic Director of NYC’s award-winning Sea Dog Theater.

America Media Lecture
Kim Daniels, JD, “Questions We Cannot ‘Safely Disregard’: Poverty, Human Dignity, and Artificial Intelligence”
Tuesday, March 3 | 7 p.m.
Dolan School of Business Event Hall, Charles F. Dolan School of Business
In partnership with the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, the Annual America Media Lecture features Kim Daniels, JD, director of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. In her lecture, “Questions We Cannot ‘Safely Disregard’: Poverty, Human Dignity, and Artificial Intelligence,” Dr. Daniels will discuss concerns for the poor and renewed urgencies in a world increasingly shaped by automation and AI. Drawing on her knowledge of Catholic social thought and Pope Leo XIV's moral rule, that society cannot “safely disregard the poor,” Dr. Daniels will explore ethical responsibilities to those most affected by today’s rapidly changing social and economic realities.

Waide Center for Applied Ethics Seminar Series
Alex John London, "Moral Loopholes, Senior Executives, and Ethical AI"
Wednesday, March 4 | 4 p.m.
Virtual
Alex John London is the K&L Gates Professor of Ethics and Computational Technologies and co-lead of the K&L Gates Initiative in Ethics and Computational Technologies at Carnegie Mellon University. An elected Fellow of the Hastings Center, Professor London’s work focuses on ethical and policy issues surrounding the development and deployment of novel technologies in medicine, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence.

Viktor Frankl Symposium
“The Many Legacies of Viktor Frankl,” a Roundtable Discussion
Thursday, March 19 | 5 p.m.
Kanarek Center, Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies
A roundtable discussion featuring Dr. William Breitbart, Rabbi Darren Levine (Tamid Synagogue), Christopher Domig (Sea Dog Theater/The Viktor Frankl Project), and Eileen O’Shea, DNP, APRN-BC, CHPPN. Please join us for a conversation about the many legacies of Viktor Frankl. Dr. William Breitbart (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) is a widely recognized and extensively published leader in the field of psycho-oncology and a pioneer of Meaning-Center Psychotherapy for cancer patients. Rabbi Darren Levine is the founding rabbi of Tamid synagogue (NYC) and the founder of Positive Judaism: A New Vision for Jewish Life in the 21st Century. Christopher Domig is an actor and writer who serves as the Artistic Director of NYC’s award-winning Sea Dog Theater and host of the Viktor Frankl Project podcast.

20th Annual Lecture in Jewish/Christian Engagement
Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich, “Sixty Years After Nostra Aetate: Catholic-Jewish Relations Then and Now”
Tuesday, March 24 | 7:30 p.m.
Kelley Center Presentation Room, Aloysius P. Kelley Center
In 1965, the Catholic Church embarked on one of the most remarkable religious transformations in human history when its Second Vatican Council retracted the accusation of deicide, God-murder, against the Jewish people. How did this transformation come about, and what were its lasting effects? This lecture will explore the modern history of Catholic-Jewish relations, and consider the future of Christian-Jewish relations in a post October 7th world. Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Publication Society and Visiting Professor at Yeshiva University’s Revel Graduate School for Jewish Studies, and served as the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and Director of Catholic-Jewish Studies at Catholic Theological Union from 2014–2024.

Waide Center for Applied Ethics Seminar Series
Rachele Hendricks Sturrup, "Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications Surrounding Individuals' Willingness to Share Real-World Data with Researchers"
Wednesday, March 25 | 4 p.m.
Virtual
Dr. Rachele Hendricks-Sturrup is the Research Director of Real-World Evidence (RWE) at the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy in Washington, D.C. As a nationally and internationally recognized engagement expert, biomedical researcher, bioethicist, and policy practitioner, her work explores and directly addresses key regulatory and implementation science issues and ethical, legal, and social implications at the intersection of health policy and innovation.

Opening Lecture and Panel
Icons on Ammo Boxes: Christian Art of Hope and Sorrow from the War in Ukraine
Tuesday, March 31 | 5 p.m.
Stage One, Fairfield Theatre Company & Fairfield University Downtown, 1720 Post Road
Artists Sonia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko transform fragments of ammunition boxes from the front lines of the war in Ukraine into sacred icons—works of witness, prayer, and hope for a just peace. Hosted by Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact and Center for Arts & Minds, this exhibition features 27 works, including selections from the Mariupol Deisis (2022), a new Marian series (2025) dedicated to Ukrainian children held in captivity, and a newly created icon of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Join us for the public opening at 5 p.m. at Fairfield Theatre Company (Stage One), followed by a reception in the gallery at 1720 Post Road.