Special Projects

Black Art at Rice: A Conversation with Chelsea Sharpe

From performing for world-renowned classical musicians to recording music for Kanye West and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Shepherd School of Music alumna Chelsea Sharpe (Lovett College ’15) has done it all. As she reflects upon key experiences and lessons that have shaped her journey to becoming a professional violinist, Sharpe offers her perspective on the role of music in politics, representation and empowerment. She is currently a fellow at the prestigious New World Symphony Orchestra and works remotely with students from Medellín, Colombia as part of an educational outreach program.  

weekly scenes & screens 11/4

Owls to battle Roadrunners on Saturday

Rice will host the University of Texas at San Antonio on Saturday in what will be the Owls’ third game of the season. Rice beat The University of Southern Mississippi on Saturday to improve to 1-1 on the season.  

4 veggie friendly restaurants near campus to visit

Living on campus and have limited options as vegetarians or vegans? Trying to live a healthier life? Here’s a list of vegetarian and vegan options around Rice’s campus. With such diverse food scenes in the city of Houston, you're sure to find an option you love. 

Alumna and renowned opera singer Erin Wall passes away at 44

Rice alumna and renowned opera singer Erin Wall passed away on Oct. 8 at 44, after a years-long struggle with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband and two children. 

Review: Gorillaz’s new audiovisual album is a chaotic masterpiece

In an age where the once-rigid barriers between virtual reality and real life are becoming blurred, Gorillaz’s new album, “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez,” sits on the precipice of what albums of the future may begin to look and sound like.   

Review: Ariana Grande’s surprise album “positions” seduces and shimmers

Ariana Grande, a quintessential pop star of our current generation, released her sixth full-length studio album “positions,” consisting of 14 new songs on Oct. 30. The pop singer’s recent discography has been a whirlwind of heartbreak, but rather than singing about her heartaches this time, Grande steers the next chapter of her career towards a lighthearted, fresh take. After her two hit collaborations released earlier this year — “Stuck With U” with Justin Bieber and “Rain On Me” with Lady Gaga — Grande’s surprise album generated major buzz from fans and critics alike.

11-4-20 Crossword #1: "Cage the Elephant"

Owls Pounce on Southern Miss

The Rice football team got their first win of the season this past Saturday against the University of Southern Mississippi. Playing an away game in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the Owls piled up 30 points on the Golden Eagles, giving up only six. Rice’s overall record is now 1-1, while Southern Miss has dropped to 1-5.

The Election’s effects go beyond Tuesday — academic accommodations must reflect this

Students have heightened anxieties during this time, regardless of who wins — for their safety, for their futures, for other people, for their families, for the rest of the world. With all this going on, no midterm break to properly rest, and an increasingly worsening pandemic without proper academic accommodations to account for it all, we need time to rest and check in with one another. Whatever outcome, election night will be hard; the days following may be worse. Be gentle with us — we’re trying. 

Students cast ballots for early voting, exceed previous turnout rates

As early voting came to a close last week, many Rice students cast their ballot ahead of national Election Day, either by mail-in or early voting at one of the many sites in the Houston area, including this year on campus at Rice Stadium.

One and done: XC completes season with C-USA Championship

The Rice men’s and women’s cross country teams began and ended their season on Saturday when they competed in the Conference USA Championship, their first and only meet of the season. The men’s team finished third overall, and the women finished fourth. But the story of the day was sophomore Grace Forbes, who became just the third Owl in the history of the program to win an individual conference title.

Drive-thru ballots and ‘finger condoms’: Students talk voting in the 2020 general election

Two days after the early voting period started in Texas on Oct. 13, Katimah Harper got in a car with her boyfriend and drove down the street to NRG Stadium. They pulled up behind a line of cars and waited for about 10 minutes, then pulled into a tent, where a poll worker checked their IDs and gave them a tablet to fill out their ballots for the 2020 general election.

DIY Monster Costume

10-28-20 Crossword #1: "Vampire Weekend"

10-28-20 Crossword #2: "Monster Mash"

Tips for a COVID-Friendly Halloween

Songs For Quiet Time Pt. 2

Back in April, the Thresher compiled a playlist of songs submitted by students that made them feel more grounded while swimming in the sea of COVID-19 chaos. Now, seven months and a seeming lifetime later, the series is back for a second installment, “Songs For Quiet Time Pt. 2.” We asked the same two questions to those who submitted music: What songs or artists have been helping you get through self-isolation, and how have they helped you do so?  

Forgotten Gems: A conversation with Amanda Pascali on the bittersweet teenagedom of her self-titled EP

I am obsessed with seventeen. It’s the transitive property, really: I’m obsessed with music and music is obsessed with seventeen. Ever since McCartney howled “she was just seventeen” and Hammerstein celebrated “sixteen going on seventeen,” bands from Marina and the Diamonds to The 1975 have celebrated this liminal year. Seventeen is the terminus of the slow death of childhood but prior to the rude awakening of adulthood. It’s when you sneak out of the house or read philosophy or, in my case, listen to Amanda Pascali. 

Rice Opera to hold first ever virtual production

When ground broke in 2017 for the construction of the Brockman Hall for Opera, no one could have predicted that the first show in the new hall would be one without an audience. The new hall, equipped with a three-tiered, 600-seat European-style theater, the first of its kind according to the Shepherd School of Music’s website, amongst all U.S. conservatories and universities, will be completely empty for its pre-recorded and lip-synced showing of the little-known chamber opera: “Der Kaiser von Atlantis.”