Flitting program pages accompanied quiet murmuring as the lights dimmed throughout Galvin Recital Hall on October 14. Then, Voice and Opera Professor W. Stephen Smith came onto the lit stage and promised that we would “all be educated and entertained” by the professional opera singer Christine Goerke. Words like ‘opera singer’ and Bienen School of…

As fall descends upon cozy Evanston, Northwestern students got riled up for one of the last collective celebrations of fall quarter: A&O Productions’ annual Fall Blowout concert, held last Friday. With previous headliners like Childish Gambino (2013), Aminé (2022) and most recently Dayglow and Justine Skye (2023), Fall Blowout sets the precedent for events like…

The Dharma Initiative. The Smoke Monster. The Others. These mysteries are inseparable from Lost. The TV show ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2010 on ABC, a time when most of us were probably watching cartoons instead of serious dramas. It’s widely regarded as one of the best television shows of all time by critics and…

Rising Weinberg second-year Anirudh Rao took his limited-edition Blonde record off the shelf and slid it out of its sleeve. “This was my first one,” he said, sunlight shining through the bright-green disc. The shelves neighboring Frank Ocean display albums by Kanye West, Amy Winehouse and Phoebe Bridgers. “They’re my pride and joy.” College students are told…

Despite being overpriced, overcrowded and overshadowed by influencers, Coachella remains one of the most important musical landmarks of the year. In fact, the two-weekend festival in California’s Coachella Valley has developed a reputation as the trend-setter of music festivals. Coachella highlights some of the year’s biggest names and is historically one of the most profitable…

The most exciting thing about the recent explosion of stand-up comedy into the mainstream has been the shift away from the conventional hour of arbitrarily strung together bits and towards long-form narratives where each joke contributes to setting up a climactic punchline. With his 2023 special The Old Man and the Pool, Mike Birbiglia added his…

Pop superstar Ariana Grande kicked off her year with a quintessentially springtime album Eternal Sunshine. The singer’s latest project is a departure from her past work and a poignant way to round out her 20s. Grande’s seventh studio album, replete with smooth vocals, synths and crisp songwriting, deserves all of the critical acclaim it’s garnered in…

Glitz. Red lipstick. A white Mustang. These are a few of the images I associate with the music of acclaimed singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. But lately it seems like Del Rey is shedding the smooth vocals for a folk-country twang. Everyone’s favorite Hollywood coquette is kicking off 2024 with a different kind of…

“I got mixed up.” This unassuming statement, spoken by the 11-year-old Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) in director Justine Triet’s courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall,” perfectly captures the film’s thesis: the truth about relationships is murky and elusive, and it can’t really be understood by those who aren’t a part of it. “Anatomy of a Fall”…

CW: This article briefly discusses sexual assault and self-harm. The story also contains spoilers for the films Promising Young Woman and Saltburn. It’s murder on the dancefloor! The line from Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit song has been stuck in my head for months now, and I can’t help but notice how aptly it describes both of director Emerald Fennell’s…