The installation will include a series of architectural models, three animation-projections, and an audio piece by composer Matthew Ryals

Am I Enough of Me: theatrical production and research project at EMPAC Theater

Am I Enough of Me concerns individuality and timing. This theatrical performance tells the story of what can happen when our dreams are put on hold. Three college graduates must choose between their passion projects and a dystopian corporate future. Their choice is explored through multiple mediums including musical theater, augmented reality, AI video, audience interaction, and art song.

This production is also a research project studying how individuals influence one another in performance spaces. Note that the audience seating area will be video recorded. Audience members can opt in to providing written feedback and participating in a talkback session with the writer/director and actors after the show. Primary topics of the research include imagination, embodiment, narrative told through multiple mediums, and performance.

Fiat Lux brings to light the ecological relationships of interbeing that connect human and nonhuman worlds. Here, as expressed in collaborative performance with Alma Peguero, a Dominican artist and spiritual teacher residing in Santo Domingo who uses drawing and performance to study principles of universal order. This event highlights ongoing research and experimentation in light and landscapes engaging plant-human dynamics, conducted outdoors across Upstate NY, and on RPI’s campus at EMPAC and CBIS. This durational, in-progress work is open to the public to view as specially modified for the EMPAC Theater between 12pm and 1pm, Friday May 23rd. 

Lumenfall by Hanae Utamura is a poignant and meditative performance that brings together film, sound, movement, and storytelling. The work explores the deep memory of the Earth and the ocean—from ancient geological time to the lasting impact of nuclear histories in the Pacific. 

Utamura invites us to consider how memory lives not only in people, but in water, land, and the spaces we inhabit. Drawing inspiration from both quantum physics and Onmyōdō—an ancient cosmology that sees the universe as an ever-shifting web of relationships—Lumenfall unfolds as an immersive and poetic experience that asks how history, environment, and human presence remain deeply intertwined across generations.

On Friday, May 09th, 5 Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC) cadets from Detachment 550 will be commissioned into the U.S. Air Force or Space Force in a ceremony at the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC). Detachment 550 serves as a host unit for cadets at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and 22 regional cross-town colleges and universities. 4 out of the 5commissioning cadets are graduating from RPI. 

In AFROTC, cadets learn the foundations of the Air Force, leadership fundamentals, and national security affairs in a classroom setting while developing and practicing their leadership techniques during weekly cadet-run “leadership laboratories.” Participants enter the Air Force or Space Force as officers and leaders, with the responsibility of a leadership position straight out of college.

On Friday, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jake Miller, Army Major Eric Huffman (Ret),Marine Captain Leo Hughes (Ret), Army Captain Steven Nulty (Ret), and Army Colonel Alan Nalbandian (Ret) will act as Commissioning Officers. The Guest Speaker will beBrigadier General Matthew S. Allen. Parents of the commissioning cadets will receive the Air Force Parents’ Pin in recognition of their support for their sons’ and daughters’ service to our country.

“I am incredibly proud of our newly commissioned Second Lieutenants,” said Miller, who is Commander of Detachment 550. “They have worked hard and invested a lot into joining the profession of arms. I’m excited to add them to the ranks of the Air Force and Space Force.”

Ceremony starts at 10AM with reception to follow.

Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D., and his wife, Lyn, invite you to the President’s Commencement Colloquy, a special Fireside Chat featuring Lisa Su, Ph.D., chair and CEO of AMD, TIME’s CEO of the Year, and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in AI.

Get ready to engage in a dynamic conversation exploring the rapidly evolving world of technology. Hear directly from Dr. Su, who led AMD through a remarkable transformation to a global leader in high-performance computing, advanced graphics, and emerging AI technologies.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear firsthand from two visionary leaders about driving technology innovation in industry. This free event is open to the public and will be followed by a reception with refreshments in Evelyn’s Café. We hope to see you there!

Doors open at 3 p.m. Colloquy begins at 3:30 p.m. in the EMPAC Concert Hall followed by a reception at Evelyn’s Café. Free and open to the public. 

The hooding ceremony is a unique recognition of the achievement of each student who has earned a doctorate. Each doctoral candidate is introduced individually during the ceremony. They will have their hood placed on them while standing on the stage in the concert hall. Check-in starts- at 7:45 AM Ceremony- at 8:30 AM Refreshments- after the ceremony concludes.

The fall 2025 PULSE performance is an original DJ set comprised of original compositions and remixes created by Matthew Campbell, Jourdon Willett, Kyle-Lamar Morgan, Nathaniel Viana, Anthony Coston, and Olakiite Fatukasi, members of the PULSE crew. Set within EMPAC’s Studio 1—Goodman, the compositions are themed around synthesizing old and new media across platforms to create a familiar yet fresh sonic experience.

The spring 2025 PULSE performance DJ's were Matthew Campbell, Jourdon Willett, and Olakiite Fatukasi.

The People Using Live Software and Electronics (PULSE) working group and lab is a forum for Rensselaer students interested in producing live audio by experimenting with musical hardware and various digital audio workstations (DAWs). The lab culminates in a performance hosted by EMPAC at the end of each semester.

Facilitated by Jonathan Givan, PULSE meets every Wednesday, 5–7PM when classes are in session, in EMPAC Studio Beta.

To get involved, or for more info, please contact Jonathan Givan.

Celebrate the collaboration between the Rensselaer Orchestra and the Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) as they perform side-by-side April 5 at 2pm in EMPAC Concert Hall.  

This spring program features the breathtaking Elysium by Samy Moussa, the famous Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz, and the evocative Oboe Concerto by Thomas L. Read, featuring 2024 Rensselaer Concerto Competition winner Gianna Scire, Class of 2025, as soloist.

Suzi Analogue, music professor at UNC, prolific producer, songwriter, composer, founder of Never Normal Records, is based in Miami, FL. Her work pioneers the new wave of women producers in electronic music and beyond. Her recent project commissioned by Alfreda Cinema and Brooklyn Academy of Music, BY ANY MEANZ SONICALLY, is a live electronic score set to a visual montage highlighting profound influence of Black women in electronic dance music, tracing their impact from the early roots in jazz and rhythm & blues to the global prominence of dance music today. The rich textures and rhythms created are both an homage to and extension of the legacies of those who paved the way, from the Afro-futurist soundscapes of artists like Sylvia Robinson to the avant-garde and spiritual experimentation of Alice Coltrane. Suzi will present her work as producer, educator, and cultural shape shifter.