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The grand opening of the reimagined next month puts free student programs center stage, with workshops by actors Mindy Kaling ’01, Connie Britton ’89, and other leading alumni artists, a performance by alt-pop artist hemlocke springs, Guarini ’23, and a community picnic featuring Vermont singer‑songwriter Hans Williams. The lively lineup reflects the place of students—as makers, collaborators, and audiences—at the heart of the Hop’s renewed mission.

“The new Hop centers students whether they are making art, finding friends, or simply gathering in welcoming spaces full of opportunity. We can’t wait to see the imaginations that will bring the building to life,” says , the Howard Gilman ’44 Executive Director of the Hop.

The festivities, from Oct. 16 to 19, will spotlight the versatility of the new building and the legacy of the arts at ���㽶��Ƶ, as renowned alumni creators return to celebrate the reopening. The lineup features an array of open houses, art exhibits, and programs, such as a community-wide celebration and picnic with live music by student bands—including Day Drooler—and Williams from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 on the Green.

, managing director and executive producer, says that since its opening in 1962, the Hop has been unlike other campus arts centers.

“The Hop has always been a crossroads for students—a place for both veteran performers and students who are new to the arts,” Kol says. “Reopening weekend embodies that spirit of community, with programming that we believe will appeal broadly and meet our students, undergraduates as well as graduates, where they are.”

Supporting the arts in students’ lives

The include two afterparties from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Top of the Hop—beats with student DJs and a set with on Oct. 17, and performances by student bands and on Oct 18.

These will take place during the weekend (registration opens later this week):

• Crafting the Memoir with Alexi Pappas ’12, Friday, Oct. 17, 1 p.m.
• Dance Film Clips and Conversation with Jamey Hampton ’76, Friday, Oct. 17, 1 p.m.
• Writing for TV/Comedy with Mindy Kaling ’01, Friday, Oct. 17, 2 p.m.
• DJ Skills with Angel + Dren (Angel Coleman ’13 and Dren Coleman ’13), Friday, Oct. 17, 2 p.m.
• Improv with Rachel Dratch ’88 and Pappas, Friday, Oct. 17, 3 p.m.
• Arts and Entrepreneurship with Kabir Seghal ’05, Friday, Oct. 17, 3 p.m.
• Stealing the Scene with Connie Britton ’89, Saturday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m.

Producer and author Shonda Rhimes ’91 will join Associate Professor Roopika Risam at 2 p.m. on Oct. 16 to discuss Rhimes’ book Year of Yes. Dratch, Pappas, Chris Newell ’96, and Sharon Washington ’81 will also take to the stage to share their perspectives about how the arts are essential to our lives in at 11 a.m. on Oct. 18. 

Other highlights throughout the weekend include a fireside chat with Kaling and Rhimes, moderated by CNN news anchor Jake Tapper ’91, at 2 p.m. on Oct. 18, and at 8 p.m. that evening in Spaulding Auditorium. We Are Water, an evening of songs and stories performed by Ma and Indigenous and regional artists, will also be simulcast for free viewing on the Green. The day will open with a free with the We Are Water artists at 6:30 a.m. at Kendal Riverfront Park.

The Hop’s Student Initiatives Fellow, Ivie Aiwuyo ’26, was struck by the weekend lineup, especially the events with Rhimes and Kaling.

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Students can see alt-pop artist hemlocke springs, Guarini ’23, perform at an afterparty at Top of the Hop. (Photo by Mia André)

The organizers “put so much work into making sure that it really is a space where students can come and learn and really want to be there and experience it,” says Aiwuyo, who is majoring in film and media studies modified with African and African-American Studies.

And she’s also looking forward to the reopening, noting the Hop’s potential “to serve as a vibrant cultural hub for students to come and experience and create art and not even just engage with art intellectually, but also recreationally.”

The Hop has always been multifaceted, always pioneering, says , the Hop’s director of external affairs. “But now it’s a much more versatile building that can meet the needs of students and 21st-century artists that are making different kinds of work.”

The $123.8 million expansion and renovation was driven in large part by student hopes and desires for more rehearsal spaces, which meant refurbishing practice rooms, installing additional sprung floors, and creating a dance studio and theater rehearsal room, Bodel says.

From workshops to ensembles to internships, takes myriad forms, including the , expanded in 2023 under the leadership of , manager of fellowships and student initiatives.

“In anticipation of the Hop’s reopening, leadership sought to ensure that the Hop’s DNA included a community of student leaders passionate about connecting all students to its programming,” prompting a new vision for the fellowship, Burmester says. “These leaders also build vibrant platforms for their arts-focused peers to be seen and celebrated.”

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Singer-songwriter Hans Williams will play at a community celebration and picnic on the Green. (Photo by Hank Miller)

In addition to working several hours a week for various departments, the fellows are also a cohort, Bodel says. The “student-powered engine” will facilitate and curate student performances in the Hop, among them student evenings in the Top of the Hop and the annual .

Also new are a commons dedicated to student use and spaces such as a and other performance areas that expand the opportunities for longer-term creative experiences.

“Students gain a lot from resident artists who aren’t just in and out in a day, but are working through an academic department or here for a week,” Bodel says. Thanks to these improvements, “the arts are able to be even more meaningfully supported in students’ lives and in the curriculum.”

Ben Floman ’28, the Coast Jazz Orchestra Hop Fellow, says he’s excited about the reopening weekend—especially the chance to see Ma and Kaling, and to experience the newly renovated Hop.

A jazz bassist and longtime orchestral player, he doesn’t intend to become a professional musician, yet wants the arts to be part of his life, says Floman, a government major from Long Island, N.Y. “The Hop is going to be really great for giving space to a lot of different people on campus to do what they want and to see what they want and to experience really cool art, which is, I think, what we need more of in this society.”

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An afterparty for students at Top of the Hop will feature twin DJs Angel Coleman ’13 and Dren Coleman ’13. (Photo courtesy of the artists) 

From warm-up to ramp-up

The celebrations will come on the heels of a warm-up period for the building, as students and academic departments begin using the building on Sept. 15, returns to Spaulding Auditorium starting on Sept. 17, and , a reinterpretation of the 1910 ballet, runs from Sept. 24 to 27.

Student ensembles will give the first public performances after the reopening, with programming by guest artists ramping up throughout the winter.