Public Programs
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The New School is a place where education has always been interwoven with public life. Since our founding, our university has served as a meeting place where influential people and ideas intersect, where issues are debated the moment they surface, and where leaders break new ground on a diverse set of topics.
Each year, The New School hosts more than 1,000 public events with some of the most famous and engaged people, organizations, and institutions around the world. These events range from interviews to readings, performances to screenings, connecting what students learn in the classroom with what’s happening in the world.
New School public programs and events, both in person and online, offer viewers a chance to ask questions, discover new ideas, make connections, and find a community of people ready to engage. Unmatched in quality and quantity, public programs are a hallmark of the New School experience.
I saw a public program with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart my freshman year—it was great! I learned that you really have to be thoughtful about what you want to do as an artist."
—Rafah Mahmud, BFA Dramatic Arts, School of Drama
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To learn about upcoming events, visit our Events Calendar or sign up for our monthly newsletters.
View past events on our YouTube channel.
Events

Roger Kellaway, John Goldsby & Terry Clarke Autumn Reunion Concert
Join us for a special evening of jazz as we welcome the esteemed trio of Roger Kellaway, John Goldsby, and Terry Clarke to The New School.The program is dedicated to jazz and will include historical and newer compositions by Roger Kellaway and John Goldsby. Kellaway, Goldsby, and Clarke will also reprise a number of selections from their Live at Tokyo album, recorded 40 years ago.Kicking off the month of October, this special Autumn Reunion brings together three musicians with a shared history and decades of experience. It’s an evening of music and connection you won’t want to miss.The concert is being produced by Samuel Turvey, a founder of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival and its producer from 1993 to 2002. New School faculty member and alto saxophone player David Glasser is serving as the Assistant Producer. Pam Shaw and Victor Talbot are serving as the Creative Producers for this event.About Roger Kellaway: Roger is a Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominated Pianist/Composer and has written in the fields of jazz, classical, and pop, also composing and scoring for films and television. He has worked with everyone from Ellington to Elvis, Joni Mitchell to Barbara Streisand, and Quincy Jones to Yo-Yo Ma. Roger’s commissions range from a ballet for George Ballachine and the New York Ballet to his most prized television credit, “Remembering You,” the closing theme for the groundbreaking “All in the Family” television series. In addition to leading many jazz recordings and accomplishments, he has appeared and recorded with Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Oliver Nelson, Ben Webster, Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer. Roger resides in Los Angeles.About John Goldsby:John is bass player and musician of extraordinary talents including his accomplishments in jazz education. He has led numerous successful recording sessions of his own and has performed with many legends including Scott Hamilton, Jay McShann, Barney Kessel, Michael Brecker, Mel Lewis, and John Lewis. During his 30-year tenure with the Westdeutscher Rundfunk Big Band (WDR Big Band) he performed and recorded with McCoy Tyner, John Scofield, Joshua Redman, Ambrose Akinmusire, Roy Hargrove, Knower, Nduduzo Makhathini, and many others. John’s current album—Big Band Bass—features Bob Mintzer and WDR Big Band. The Jazz Bass Book is Mr. Goldsby’s classic work documenting jazz bass players and their techniques from a historical perspective. John resides in Germany, near Cologne.About Terry Clarke:Terry is a Canadian jazz drummer who worked in the mid 60’s with the legendary saxophonist, John Handy III and is featured on the recording, Live at The Monterey Jazz Festival. Clarke then joined the GRAMMY-winning group, “The Fifth Dimension”, and appears with the group in the OSCAR WINNING Summer of Soul documentary. He later relocated to Toronto and played with luminaries such as Frank Rossolino, Lenny Breau, jazz guitar legend Jim Hall and piano icon Oscar Peterson. During this period Clarke played for 25 years with the GRAMMY and JUNO-winning jazz big-band, “Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass”. Clarke later worked in New York City with The Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, Helen Merrill, Toots Theilmans, Red Mitchell and Roger Kellaway. Clarke is the only living drummer to be a Member of the Order of Canada (Canada’s highest civilian honour). His recording, It’s About Time, was the winner of “The Best Traditional Jazz Recording” at the 2010 JUNO Awards (Canadian GRAMMY).

Mannes Sounds Masterclass: Michal Tal
Dr. Michal Tal is one of Israel’s most distinguished and influential musicians. She is the recipient of the Frank Pelleg Lifetime Achievement Award for sustained artistic contribution at the highest level, presented by the Ministry of Culture (2024)Her multifaceted career spans three continents and includes numerous performances and recordings as both soloist and chamber musician. She is regularly invited to festivals, masterclasses, and teaching residencies, and serves as adjudicator at competitions at leading festivals and conservatories worldwide.Dr. Tal educates the next generation of piano teachers at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music (Tel Aviv University).She initiated and directed the “Young Piano” program at the Jerusalem Music Centre. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of PianoWebFest, the international online piano festival, PianoFest Arad, and the “Tav HaNegev” association.

In the Footsteps of Liszt and Chopin: A Biographer’s Journey
The New York City premiere of It Takes a Life, a documentary film by director Joe Sabia exploring the life and career of Alan Walker. Featuring reflections from Alan Walker on his monumental biography of Franz Liszt, presented on Liszt’s birthday — October 22, 2026.

A Doll's House
The School of Drama invites you to experience A Doll’s House by Amy Herzog, adapted from the play by Henrik Ibsen and directed by guest director Elissa Goetschius, whose professional experience includes Actors Theatre of Charlotte and LAByrinth Theatre Company Intensive Ensemble.Performance DetailsThursday, October 22, 2026, 7:30 PMFriday, October 23, 2026, 7:30 PMSaturday, October 24, 2026, 2:00 PMSaturday, October 24, 2026, 7:30 PMSynopsisIbsen’s celebrated play thrust drama firmly into the modern age when it premiered in 1879. Now, nearly 150 years later, acclaimed playwright Amy Herzog makes freshly relevant a story that shocked audiences and brought forth a new era of theatre. Herzog’s thrilling, compact, and devastatingly contemporary adaptation brings this groundbreaking story into the present.

Good Interventions '26 - Design Exhibition
Good Interventions is an annual exhibition of intangible design projects that address the pressing issues of our time by bringing together the power of design and social sciences. For its fourth edition, fifteen projects have been selected to be exhibited. The program is organized by the School of Design Strategies and will take place in its permanent exhibition as a portal in the Platform of Design Strategies.Designers: Alison Thomson | Andrea Wollensak | Azra Sungu | Bilge Merve Aktas | Cem Caliskan | Chuman Rachel Zhang | Diya Basu-Sen | Deborah Swinglehurst | Ece Günesen | Ethan Hoppin | Irem Tekogul | Ishita Bhardwaj | Katja Novak | Mariam Mamaladze | Mariam Mohammedamin Abdul Malek | Nina Fudge | Oriola Omololu | Parisa Mehta | Rachel Barnard | Scheepers Simon | Shemona Singh | Simone De Vivo | Shuruthi Saravanan | Srividhya S | Susanti Vijaykumar | Timo Vreux-Gerbier | Vaibhav Kapri | Yaman Çiçek | Yoon Jungmin

Good Interventions '26 Exhibition Opening
The School of Design Strategies is pleased to announce the opening of the fourth edition of Good Interventions, an annual exhibition dedicated to intangible design projects that address the pressing challenges of our time.This year’s edition will feature 15 projects, representing the work of over 30 designers whose practices span diverse disciplines and geographies. Together, these projects demonstrate how design—combined with the insights of the social sciences—can uncover alternatives, forge connections, and propose new possibilities for shaping our collective future.From reimagining systems of care to creating platforms for collaboration and dialogue, each project embodies design’s potential as both a critical and imaginative force. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity not only to discover these interventions but also to meet the participating designers in person, exchanging ideas and expanding conversations across communities.Hosted within the permanent exhibition portal at the Platform of Design Strategies, Good Interventions affirms the School’s commitment to supporting bold, socially engaged design that sparks reflection and inspires change. Designers: Alison Thomson | Andrea Wollensak | Azra Sungu | Bilge Merve Aktas | Cem Caliskan | Chuman Rachel Zhang | Deborah Swinglehurst | Ece Günesen | Ethan Hoppin | Irem Tekogul | Ishita Bhardwaj | Katja Novak | Mariam Mamaladze | Mariam Mohammedamin Abdul Malek | Nina Fudge | Oriola Omololu | Parisa Mehta | Rachel Barnard | Scheepers Simon | Shemona Singh | Simone De Vivo | Shuruthi Saravanan | Srividhya S | Susanti Vijaykumar | Timo Vreux-Gerbier | Vaibhav Kapri | Yaman Çiçek | Yoon JungminFriday, October 23rd3:00 pm - 5:00pmWollman Hall B50065 W 11th StOr Zoom

