Events & Programs
View all upcoming live concerts, literature/poetry readings,
exhibition openings, and more below.
Email Programs Coordinator to propose an event at the Hearst Center.
Nature Quest, in collaboration with the CFPL, goes through May 2026! More info!​
Red House Studios: Located next door to the Hearst Center, this facility offers studio space to artists. We announce open lease opportunities on this site and our social media.
Upcoming
All events listed below are free, unless otherwise noted requiring pre registration via Civic Rec.
MARCH
UNI STUDENT THEATRE ASSOCIATION PRESENTS: ALMOST MAINE
Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Welcome to Almost, Maine, a place that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States. It’s almost in Canada. And it’s not quite a town, because its residents never got around to getting organized. So it almost doesn’t exist. One cold, clear, winter night, as the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend – almost – in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.
MIDDAY MELODIES
Enjoy classics performed by the UNI School of Music Department students and faculty.
March 13: Luke Sanders directs Guitar Students
EMPOWERMENT DRUMMING WITH BARBARA ASHTON
Second Saturdays through April from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
In this fun and dynamic group, use various drums and percussion instruments from around the world to create powerful and empowering group music experiences. Drumming can help group members build connections, engage in self-reflection, develop individual and collective strengths, improve coping strategies, deepen communication skills, and process emotions. Join in - instruments provided - no prior music experience is necessary. All participants 18+ are welcome!
HEARST FILM SCENE PRESENTS PANEL DISCUSSION: CULT FILMS, KILLER B'S AND MIDNIGHT MOVIES
Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Screenings and panels for cinephiles, film buffs, and anyone interested in movies.
In the 1970’s one man revolutionized the way underground cinema was brought to an audience. Credited with launching midnight screenings of wild and weird films, Ben Barenholtz would program his transgressive cinematic discoveries at Chelsea’s Elgin Theater into the late hours of the night, sometimes for months-long runs and typically to packed houses.
IOWA CHAMBER MUSIC COLLECTIVE
Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m.
Experience an unforgettable afternoon of masterful music as this group brings their
spring tunes to the Hearst stage. Featuring musicians Daniel Kaplunas, violin; Vakhtang Kodanashvili, piano; Ranee Lei Yang, clarinet; Liudmila Lebedeva, cello; Bethany Washington, violin; John Chiles, viola. The Iowa Chamber Music Collective is a non-profit organization created to support and encourage chamber music performances in Iowa. They strive to further the musical education of our community with free performances, educational outreach, and educational programs for the Cedar Valley.
HYBRID! FINAL THURSDAY READING SERIES
Open mic at 7 p.m. and featured author at 7:30 p.m. Visit finalthursdaypress.com for virtual links.
Celebrate 25 years of words, voices, and community with the Final Thursday Reading Series! This long-running program offers a welcoming space for writers at all levels, and the evening begins with an open mic that invites new and emerging voices to share their work. Whether you’re reading for the first time or returning to the mic, it’s your chance to be heard.
The Final Thursday Reading Series is a collaboration of Final Thursday Press, the Hearst Center, the UNI College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences, and the UNI Department of Languages and Literatures. This event takes place on the final Thursday of each month.
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March 26: Art Cullen l Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the new collection, Dear Marty, We Crapped in Our Nest: Notes from the Edge of the World.
APRIL
FREE! EKPHRASTIC POETRY WORKSHOP WITH THE HEARST COLLECTION (Ages 16+)
Thursdays, April 2-23 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Ekphrasis, from the Greek, is a literary technique employed by writers from Homer to Dostoyevsky to describe a subject with vivid detail. This series is perfect for visual artists, arts appreciators, and writers!
Participants will:
•Explore rarely seen artworks from the Hearst Permanent Collection.
•Practice being attentive to detail to deepen art appreciation, critical thinking, and strengthen your own creative writing.
•Develop your own creative vocabulary to describe art to patrons or potential buyers. Led by last year’s James Hearst Writer-in-Residence, Dr. Hannah Carr-Murphy, this series invites you to create and share your own ekphrastic poems.
HEARST FILM SCENE
Screenings and panels for cinephiles, film buffs, and anyone interested in movies.
FILM SCREENING: EL TOPO, 1970, (NR): Tuesday, April 7 with intro at 6:30 p.m.; screening at 6:45 p.m.
Written and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, this film defies the Four Masters of the Desert for the love of a woman. Having defeated them, his conscience rises until his wife betrays him, and his new life as a holy man begins.
FILM SCREENING: ERASERHEAD, 1977, (NR): Tuesday, April 21 with intro at 6:30 p.m.; screening at 7:00 p.m.
Written and directed by David Lynch, this film portrays Henry, who resides alone in a bleak apartment surrounded by industrial gloom. When he discovers that an earlier fling with Mary X left her pregnant, he marries the expectant mother and has her move in with him. Things take a decidedly strange turn when the couple’s baby turns out to be a bizarre lizard-like creature that won’t stop wailing. Other characters, including a disfigured lady who lives inside a radiator, inhabit the building and add to Henry’s troubles.
MIDDAY MELODIES
Enjoy classics performed by the UNI School of Music Department students and faculty.
April 10: Anthony Williams directs Trombone Students
April 24: Bonus Concert! Will Yager directs String Bass Students
CEDAR VALLEY YOUTH POET LAUREATE COMMENCEMENT PERFORMANCE
Saturday, April 18 from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
A select number of youth poets perform their work with the award-winning poet Martín Espada crowning the laureate. CVYPL is a proud chapter of the National Youth Poet Laureate initiative, a nationwide effort initiated by Urban Word, the country’s leading youth literary arts organization. Their mission is to celebrate and uplift young artists and provide them with the tools they need to grow both as writers and as members of the community. The program is free and offers scholarships to the University of Northern Iowa, and winning participants will additionally see their work published in the North American Review’s online publication, Open Space.
FREE! EARTH DAY RETREAT: NURTURE SELF, NURTURE NATURE (Ages 16+)
Saturday, April 18 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
In celebration of Earth Day 2026, this mini retreat reveals how the human body reflects the natural world and how tending to one can nurture the other. Its holistic lens on wellness invites participants to see how caring for their own health and the health of the planet are deeply intertwined. Led by our current James Hearst Writer-in-Residence Felicia Babb Cass and Sue Schuerman of EarthWhispers Abbey Retreats & Programs. Funded by an Arts Midwest grant. This program is perfect for creatives — and anyone seeking renewal, clarity, and inspiration.
EMPOWERMENT DRUMMING WITH BARBARA ASHTON
Saturday, April 25 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
In this fun and dynamic group, use various drums and percussion instruments from around the world to create powerful and empowering group music experiences. Drumming can help group members build connections, engage in self-reflection, develop individual and collective strengths, improve coping strategies, deepen communication skills, and process emotions. Join in - instruments provided - no prior music experience is necessary. All participants 18+ are welcome!
HYBRID! FINAL THURSDAY READING SERIES
Open mic at 7 p.m. and featured author at 7:30 p.m. Visit finalthursdaypress.com for virtual links.
Celebrate 25 years of words, voices, and community with the Final Thursday Reading Series! This long-running program offers a welcoming space for writers at all levels, and the evening begins with an open mic that invites new and emerging voices to share their work. Whether you’re reading for the first time or returning to the mic, it’s your chance to be heard.
The Final Thursday Reading Series is a collaboration of Final Thursday Press, the Hearst Center, the UNI College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences, and the UNI Department of Languages and Literatures. This event takes place on the final Thursday of each month.
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April 30: Sean Thomas Dougherty & Jeremy Schraffenberger l This event is a book release reading for Dueling Shovels, a poetry chapbook co-written by Dougherty & Schraffenberger.
MAY
BISCOTTI BRASS AND BRIO BRASS QUINTETS PERFORMANCE
Friday, May 1 at 12:00 p.m.
Join us for “An Afternoon of Brass” featuring Biscotti Brass and Brio Brass, students from the University of Northern Iowa School of Music. Biscotti Brass: Austin Efflandt; trumpet, Eric Torneten; trumpet, Patrick Mooney; horn, Morgan Uitermark; trombone, and Garrett Arensdorf; tuba. Brio Brass: Ale Cabello; trumpet, Alyssa Dougherty; trumpet, Maddie Klein; horn, Kristen Engelhardt; trombone, and Brian Chea; tuba.
OUTDOOR CONCERT WITH SORCHA IRISH TRIO
Thursday, May 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Born out of love for the Celtic and Folk genres, Sorcha brings originality of arrangements and instrumental material to the forefront. Inspired by the likes of legendary bands such as Flook, Solas, Lunasa, and Capercaillie, just to name a few - Sorcha puts their own unique stamp on the tradition that band members Nicole, Joseph, and Dan grew up with. BYO chair, a beverage, and enjoy!
RED HERRING THEATRE PRESENTS I AND YOU
Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Written by Lauren Gunderson; Directed by Greg Holt Synopsis: Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months. Then, one afternoon, her classmate, Anthony, arrives unexpectedly bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and an urgent assignment from their English teacher. They forge an unexpected bond but there is a much deeper mystery that has brought them together.
OUTDOOR CONCERT WITH JACOB LAMPMAN’S EGO DEATH
Thursday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Jacob Lampman’s first original project after performing as a sideman for years (Joel Sires, Swamp Donkey) combines jazz, pop, and rock into a sound that defies labels. With a unique instrumentation, Ego Death entertains instrumentalists and songwriters alike. Signature flute and guitar arrangements blend folk and jazz. For lovers of Van Morrison, Michael Hurley, Todd Rundgren.
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JUNE
SAVE THE DATE! MAKING MUSIC CEDAR FALLS
Saturday, June 20, all day
Join us and our co-hosts, West Music, as we bring our community together for a free day of music performances and creative expression. Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association street performance: Downtown Cedar Falls from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Raldo and the Boys: Cedar Falls Farmers Market from 10:30 a.m.-noon Stay tuned for additional venues and performances announced soon. Keep up-to-date here and Hearst socials for the latest announcements.