(GLASSBORO, NJ) – Rowan University’s Marie Rader Series ushers in the New Year with three distinct artist engagements, continuing to deliver on the 25|26 Season’s “A World From Home” theme, while remaining committed to providing accessible and affordable arts experiences in South Jersey.
The first three months of the year offer a diverse array of performances designed to bring audiences on an international cultural journey, with an invitation to explore further through pre-performance and post-show artist chats with: Ragamala Dance Company: Sacred Earth and Mnozil Brass: Strau$$, and finishing the season with a crowd-pleasing The Philly Pops: Blockbusters in the ‘Burbs.
The Marie Rader Series is thoughtfully curated to bring one-of-a-kind presentations to the region, with Ragamala Dance Company and The Philly Pops making their Rowan debuts, and Mnozil Brass including the destination on their very limited, 9-day U.S. tour before returning to Europe.
Because of the Marie Rader Series, performing arts lovers throughout New Jersey don’t have to travel to New York or Philadelphia. Focused on artistic integrity and inclusion, the series provides public presentations, community outreach, and coaching for students that reflect the innovation and quality consistent with Rowan University’s overall standards of high achievement and transformation.
Ragamala Dance Company: Sacred Earth
Ramee Ramaswamy and Aparna Ramaswamy, Artistic Co-Directors
Saturday, January 31, 2026
7:30 PM | Pfleeger Concert Hall
Post-Show Artist Chat immediately following
Performed with live music, Ragamala’s stunning Bharatanatyam dancers create a sacred space to honor the divinity in the natural world and the sustenance we derive from it. Inspired by the ephemeral arts of kolam rice flour ritual, indigenous Warli painting, and the Tamil Sangam literature of India, Sacred Earth is co-Artistic Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy’s singular vision of the beautiful, fragile relationship between nature and man.
General Admission $35 / Eligible Discounts $25 / 18 and under $10
TICKETS: go.rowan.edu/ragamala
Pre-Performance Lunch & Learn with Ragamala Dance Company
Monday, January 26 | 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
Free and open to the public | Zoom link provided upon registration
Join Marie Rader Series Artistic Director Debbie Shapiro in conversation with mother-daughter trio Ranee Ramaswamy, Aparna Ramaswamy, and Ashwini Ramaswamy for this virtual event, preceding their in-person performance of Sacred Earth. Hear directly from the visionary artists behind the intergenerational company, and prepare to take in the transcendent beauty of Sacred Earth while gaining invaluable insight into the story behind the work.
Mnozil Brass: Strau$$
Saturday, February 28, 2026
7:30 PM | Pfleeger Concert Hall Post-Show Artist Chat immediately following
For over thirty years, the seven brass masters of Mnozil Brass have effortlessly waltzed between genres, gliding from Johann Strauss to Frank Sinatra, Shostakovich to Prince, Schubert to Queen. They embrace the grandeur of classical music and the irresistible charm of pop with equal joy, never afraid to mix the sublime with the playful. Now, Mnozil Brass ties it all together in their latest stage sensation: Strau$$. The “King of the Waltz” was admired by Brahms, Wagner, Verdi, Gershwin — and just about everyone else. A true pioneer, Strauss composed hit after hit, revolutionized music distribution, and became a mass phenomenon—not to mention a financial genius. With Strau$$, Mnozil Brass lays it all bare. Every flourish, every secret, every last twist and turn of the waltz’s golden age—until nothing remains but the naked truth.
General Admission $35 / Eligible Discounts $25 / 18 and under $10
TICKETS: go.rowan.edu/mnozilbrass
The Philly Pops: Blockbusters in the ‘Burbs
Saturday, March 14, 2026
3:00 PM | Pfleeger Concert Hall
Conducted by newly appointed Music Director, Chris Dragon, the re(born) Philly Pops will take the stage to perform some of cinema’s most cherished scores. Audiences can expect to hear emotional and epic works from Alan Menken, Steven Schwartz, Henry Mancini, and many more, and no orchestral Hollywood-themed concert would be complete without a nice bit of John Williams!
General Admission $35 / Eligible Discounts $25 / 18 and under $10
TICKETS:go.rowan.edu/phillypops
Concessions will be available for purchase at all performances. Pfleeger Concert Hall is a wheelchair accessible venue. For assistance contact Rowan University’s College of the Arts Box Office via performingarts@rowan.edu or 856-256-4545.
The series is made possible in part through generous support from the Henry M. Rowan Family Foundation via the Marie Rader Memorial Fund and through funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.