From lively concerts on the Ag Quad to thought-provoking talks, the 2025 Summer Events Series at Cornell promises a vibrant blend of free entertainment and learning, open to all. Hosted by the Cornell University School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions (Cornell SCE), events begin at 7 p.m. on select Wednesdays and Fridays, July 9 to Aug. 1.

Cornell SCE has been offering free summer events since the early 1900s, when speakers included former president Andrew Dickson White and concerts were performed in Sage Chapel. Over the years, outdoor concerts have been held on the Arts Quad, attracting hundreds of people from the Cornell and Ithaca communities and beyond. This year, due to construction, all concerts will be held outdoors on the Ag Quad.

In addition to music, the Summer Events Series offers Wednesday lectures – with a format similar to a TED Talk followed by a Q&A session – at Warren Hall, B25, on the Ag Quad.

“We’re proud to have continued this tradition more than 125 years,” said Mary Loeffelholz, dean of Cornell SCE. “Cornell is such an expansive university in terms of our intellectual breadth and depth, global reach and community impact. Cornell SCE’s summer events bring some of this expansiveness back home to Ithaca, for everyone who wants to keep learning and have fun while doing it.”

Friday concerts are family-friendly; concertgoers can bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs. Cornell Dairy will sell ice cream, vegan mango sorbet and bottled water during performances.

“It’s a pleasure to invite the Cornell community and area residents and visitors to our beautiful summer campus to enjoy outdoor concerts and lectures by today’s important thinkers,” Loeffelholz said.

Concerts

• Samite, July 11: This internationally recognized musician from Uganda specializes in playing the flute and kalimba. This summer he brings his pan-African band to the Ag Quad to serve up exuberant, danceable rhythms.
• The Caribe Jazz Allstars, July 18: Jorge Cuevas, who will perform with his band, says Cornell’s summer concerts are some of his favorite gigs. “Many local and regional dancers come to our shows to dance up a storm,” he said. “Our music is for anyone who enjoys soaking up great Latin Jazz and summer vibes.”
• Gunpoets, July 25: This seven-member live hip-hop band from Ithaca offers a positive message and uplifting performances.
• Maddy Walsh and the Blind Spots, Aug. 1: These local favorites play high-energy pop and rock.

Lectures

• How Do Americans Think About AI?, July 9: Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and professor of government, will discuss this timely and politically pressing topic.
• Behind the Scenes of the Johnson Museum of Art, July 16: Jessica Levin Martinez, director of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, will share a look into the Johnson’s diverse artworks and history.
• Wings and Waves: Adventures with Albatrosses and Whales from Japan to Patagonia, July 23. One of Cornell’s most beloved poets and authors, Diane Ackerman, M.F.A. ’73, M.A. ’77, Ph.D. ’79, who wrote The New York Times bestsellers The Zookeeper’s Wife, A Natural History of the Senses, and The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, will share anecdotes about her research spanning the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

For details, visit the Cornell SCE events page.

Shelley Preston is communications specialist and events producer at Cornell University School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions.