Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC)

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Plans to Deploy First IBM Quantum System One on a University Campus

Today, it was announced that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will become the first university in the world to house an IBM Quantum System One. The IBM quantum computer, intended to be operational by January of 2024, will serve as the foundation of a new IBM Quantum Computational Center in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). By partnering, RPI’s vision is to greatly enhance the educational experiences and research capabilities of students and researchers at RPI and other institutions, propel the Capital Region into a top location for talent, and accelerate New York's growth as a technology epicenter.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Announces Commencement Honorands

Two women leaders in science and engineering will be honored at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 217th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 20. Dr. Marilyn Simons is co-founder and co-chair of the Simons Foundation, one of the most important philanthropic organizations funding research in basic science and mathematics in the United States.

EMPAC Awarded a Teiger Foundation Grant for Shifting Center, A Multi-Year Curatorial Project on the Architecture and Acoustics of Museums

EMPAC/ the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute received a $75,000 grant from Teiger Foundation for the exhibition Shifting Center (October 28–November 19, 2023), curated by Vic Brooks, Associate Director and Senior Curator of Time-Based Visual Art, and Nida Ghouse, Curator-in-Residence. Shifting Center stages the process of listening to infrasonic landscapes, acoustic architectures, and unsounded instruments. For the first time in a decade, EMPAC turns its concert halls, stages, and studios—which are tuned for acoustically-differentiated experiences of sounding and listening—into a series of exhibition spaces where existing and newly commissioned works of sculpture, moving-image, and sound are presented throughout and beyond its walls.

Acclaimed Author Gish Jen To Be Guest Speaker at 2022 McKinney Award Ceremony

Gish Jen, award-winning author of the acclaimed short story collection Thank You, Mr. Nixon, will speak at the 82nd annual McKinney Writing Award ceremony on Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The event is free and open to the public.

Grammy-Winning Jazz Legend Jack DeJohnette to Perform April 7

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will present a performance by two-time Grammy-winning percussionist Jack DeJohnette on Friday, April 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) on campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Grammy-Winning Third Coast Percussion to Perform at RPI

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will present a performance by two-time Grammy-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion on Saturday, January 28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) on campus.

EMPAC Announces Spring 2023 Season with Collaborations Across Borders, Disciplines, Mediums, and Themes

The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute unveils their Spring 2023 season of interdisciplinary performances that bridge the gap between artistic practices, and between art and technology. Starting in January through May, artists in residence at EMPAC premiere shows that span dance, visual arts, performance-installations, multimedia concerts, new music, film, and hybrid theatrical productions.

RPI President’s Holiday Concert Set for December 11

The 2022 President’s Holiday Concert at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will take place on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) on campus.

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