Prof. Rakowski joins the American Academy of Arts and Letters

“If I knew exactly where creativity came from, I’d bottle it and sell it for lots and lots of money.” Or so David Rakowski (MUS), a Brandeis University professor who was recently elected to join the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters, said in an exclusive interview with The Brandeis Hoot.   The academy, […]

Brandeis archives shows off electronic music collection from 1960s

It is surely an understatement to say that music has changed a lot in the last 50 years, especially since the advent of electronic music in the 1960s, but inevitably the statement still rings true. It is hard to consider just how much the process of making electronic music has changed, and how the process […]

Beyonce’s new song slays in every possible way

Although a month has passed since Beyonce released her latest single, “Formation,” the ripple effect still appears to be at work. Her music video, which is unlisted on Youtube, has garnered over 32 million views, which further solidifies the truth behind the lyric “You know you that bitch when you cause all this conversation.” Beyonce […]

Hoover’s ‘Bottomland’ intrigues with a historical mystery

Movie trailers have been extremely effective in their ability to properly reel the audience in, but could the same concept work for books? Although it remains a newer medium, book trailers are catching on, and on the train for the joy ride is none other than Michelle Hoover, a critically acclaimed writer. Having just released […]

Dufresne recounts the absurdity of art at artist talk

“If you looked at my paintings, you’d think I was the biggest perv on the planet,” Brooklyn-based artist Angela Dufresne exclaimed in the middle of her artist talk on Wednesday, Feb. 24 in Goldman-Schwartz Arts Studios. This comment was made based on her repertoire of work; of the various paintings and videos that she showed […]

Univ. and students must do more to make campus more sustainable

From the first moment I stepped on Brandeis’ campus, I had the feeling that it was the place I wanted to study; the part that sold me the most, however, was the heart shaped pond wedged between the three chapels, each of which will never cast a shadow on the other. Brandeis seemed to be […]

IBS’ Global Gala celebrates the diversity of cultures

The room was outlined in a parade of color, as countless flags, in all of their brazen harmony, clung to the walls. If the flags themselves didn’t introduce enough flair to the third annual Global Gala, which occurred on Jan. 29 in Levin Ballroom, the performers themselves most certainly did. Donned in exquisitely patterned clothing, […]

Castellani’s latest novel looks at the impact of p.o.v. on narrative

Unlike other disciplines, which rely on the understanding of particular concepts and their subsequent application, it has proven much harder to break down writing in the same way. Although professional writing may sound distinctly more eloquent than amateur writing, time and time again, writers have failed to pinpoint exactly what makes for better writing. Furthermore, […]

Upcoming Rose Art Exhibitions praise the diversity of art

With the undeniable blessing of a new year, a new semester and the continuation of the college experience, comes a flourish of new and wonderful art to explore. Starting Feb. 12, the Rose Art Museum will open its glass doors and welcome students with three new exhibits, each of which cover a wide range of […]

‘The Hateful Eight’ a far cry from Tarantino’s other masterpieces

Although it pains me to say it, Tarantino may have lost his movie-making magic—or so it seems based off his latest creation, titled “The Hateful Eight,” which also just happens to be his eighth movie. Filmed in 70mm format, the movie had many interesting elements, but even so, the various parts failed to function together […]

Upcoming Rose Art Exhibitions praise the diversity of art

With the undeniable blessing of a new year, a new semester and the continuation of the college experience, comes a flourish of new and wonderful art to explore. Starting Feb. 12, the Rose Art Museum will open its glass doors and welcome students with three new exhibits, each of which cover a wide range of […]

Tony Arnold first to receive creative arts award in twenty years

With a voice that could make birds swoon and an incredible capacity to bend the unvoiced confines of music by presenting groundbreaking, contemporary work, soprano Tony Arnold is a musician in the truest sense of the word. Arnold is the soprano for the International Contemporary Ensemble, has been a part of numerous projects such as […]

‘Spectre’ is wonderfully shaken, not stirred

Caught up in the fantastical world of wonderfully coiffed suits, black-on-white and white-on-black, mysterious women in silky, floor length gowns and precariously fast sports cars, director Sam Mendes presents a reality audiences have become all too transfixed with. At the center of it all, the iconic image, James Bond, lives on in the fourth installment […]

Nuance of ‘Ruined’ brings life to SCC Theater

Don’t let the sparkly Christmas lights that line the stage fool you. They may brighten up the brothel, seeming to shroud the stage in an ethereal glow, but as anyone who watched the premiere of Brandeis’ Player’s “Ruined” knows, that initial multi-colored lighting is a little deceiving. Not a happy-go-lucky performance, “Ruined” contemplates dark themes—an […]

Nuance of ‘Ruined’ brings life to SCC Theater

Don’t let the sparkly Christmas lights that line the stage fool you. They may brighten up the brothel, seeming to shroud the stage in an ethereal glow, but as anyone who watched the premiere of Brandeis’ Player’s “Ruined” knows, that initial multi-colored lighting is a little deceiving. Not a happy-go-lucky performance, “Ruined” contemplates dark themes—an […]

Distinguished poets reinvigorate interest in language through poetry

Whoever argues that everything worthwhile has already been said and that humans have exhausted language to the point of unoriginality forgot something crucial: poetry. This fact had never been more apparent than at “School of Night Presents: A Reading by Andrea Cohen and Alexandra Teague,” an event sponsored by the Creative Writing Department that occurred […]

Ensemble Showcase fearlessly jumps into the abyss

Over the past few weeks, Brandeis University’s 2015-2016 Concert Series has seen the likes of the Lydian String Quartet, the jazz band New Black Eagles and even the renowned fortepianist Robert Hill, all of whom have received considerable honors and recognition for their musical abilities. Even so, Brandeis’ Ensemble Showcase outshone them all. Most importantly, […]

Lydian String Quartet masterfully pays tribute to Robert Koff

In celebration of Robert Koff, whose contributions to music are far-reaching, the renowned Lydian String Quartet performed as part of Brandeis University’s 2015-2016 concert series. Performed on Saturday, Oct.17 at 8 p.m. in Slosberg Music Center, the concert showcased the wonderful musicality of two violins, a viola and a cello. Koff, who passed away in […]

‘Songs for a New World’ explores the human experience through the ages

Blue mountains gently peaked in the stage’s backdrop, a bunch of see-through liners outlined in a blue pastel that allowed the audience to see a silhouette of the orchestra behind. A sun in a mosaic style was nestled in the sky, periodically carried up and down by a pulley, to mark the passage of time. […]

Selma ‘65 contemplates the darker side of American history

Sometimes the most poignant stories are the real ones, the accounts of events that actually transpired. The most powerful mode of expression is not through the endless search of the imagination for the most outlandish, mind-bending fantasy, but through the retelling of historic figure’s stories—from the infamous to the least well known. The same can […]