7 Days of Opening Nights - About - FSU's 11th Annual Arts Festival

What Is Seven Days of Opening Nights?

Seven Days of Opening Nights is a performing-arts festival that takes place each February and spotlights Florida State University's commitment to the arts — music, theatre, dance, visual art, film and literature. Now widely embraced as the high point on Tallahassee's cultural calendar, the festival began in 1999 and was an immediate success with both the university and the Tallahassee community.

"Seven Days is a cultural institution in Tallahassee, as well as an invaluable educational resource for our students in the arts," says FSU President T.K. Wetherell. "It's also one of the best examples of the university engaging the community, to the benefit of everyone."

Education is integral to the festival, and the majority of the artists who perform at Seven Days also spend time with FSU students in master-classes, giving invaluable insights into craft, process and art. Students and faculty are frequently invited to perform onstage with the artists, as well.

Over the years, the festival has hosted the A-list of classical music (Joshua Bell, Andre Watts, Denyce Graves), jazz (Bobby McFerrin, Marcus Roberts, Chick Corea), American roots (Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Ricky Skaggs), world music (Ladysmith Black Mambazo), literature (Stephen King, Richard Ford, Salman Rushdie), soul (Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville, Blind Boys of Alabama), blues (Buddy Guy, Keb Mo'), dance (Paul Taylor, Noche Flamenca, Suzanne Ferrell, Momix), theater (Actors from the London Stage, Aquila Theatre), film (Jonathan Demme, Danny Glover, Geoffrey Gilmore), and more.

"Seven Days of Opening Nights is much more than a string of great performances," explains Sally McRorie, Dean of the College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance. "It engages our students, faculty, community, and beyond with quality arts and artists. That culture of achievement is what a truly great university provides."

Why 'Seven Days'?

Good question. That first year, the festival lasted seven days. That hasn't happened since, but the name has stuck. By this time everyone knows that '7 Days' is a metaphor for quality, not a measure of quantity.

Membership

For Florida State University's Seven Days of Opening Nights, membership has its privileges. Members get early access to the best tickets and the inside information, so think about becoming a member of Seven Days today. See the membership application for details. Members can purchase seats up to a month before they go on sale to the general public, and they get early news about the upcoming season and special events.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Community Council

The Seven Days of Opening Nights Community Council is a group of concerned and motivated community leaders who assist Seven Days in a variety of ways, including membership, sponsorship and fund-raising. Seven Days is proud to have these individuals showing their support for the festival. The current members of the Community Council are: