Happy Hour Friday with Weird Music Night

Kick off your weekend with an art-filled escape at The Aldrich! Every Friday this summer, the Museum stays open late until 7 pm for Happy Hour Fridays. Explore the galleries with a tour at 6 pm featuring works by 40 Connecticut-based artists in the exhibition The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me. Unleash your creativity with fun, hands-on activities in The Studio, or simply unwind in our Sculpture Garden, where newly installed outdoor artworks will be on view. Sip on $8 wine and beer while enjoying the Sculpture Garden, featuring beer selections from Nod Hill Brewery. Members receive one free drink ticket per Happy Hour, to be picked up at the Front Desk upon arrival. Chez Lenard and Bridge Street Ice Cream will be on site offering food and refreshments for purchase. Whether you’re a local or just visiting, Happy Hour Fridays at The Aldrich offer the perfect way to start your weekend! Special evening of Weird Music Night, featuring an eclectic lineup of experimental musicians and performers across the Museum’s campus. This collaboration brings together artists working across sound and performance for a dynamic program that pushes the boundaries of traditional music. Weird Music Night offers a unique platform for musicians, artists, and performers to connect with audiences through sound, art, and experimentation. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience an eclectic lineup of acts that redefine the boundaries of performance. John O’Donnell, is the creator/curator/performer of this series. O’Donnell is a professor at UConn and a member of The Ely Center of Contemporary Art’s Governing Board. For more information on how Weird Music Night came to be click here. A. I. Pacino is the performance persona of artist John O'Donnell, blending live music, performance art, and apocalyptic absurdist humor. Serving as both master of ceremonies and performer, A. I. Pacino makes appearances throughout the evening with improvised commentary and original songs. More info at www.johnodonnellprojects.com and www.instagram.com/a.i.pacino Panos/Ruggiero Magnetic Dynamics will debut a new piece titled "THE GLORIES OF YOUR PAST FADE SLOWLY BUT SO DO YOUR MISTAKES" performed on cello, trumpet, and four tape machines. Panos and Ruggiero are part of the Secular Music Group, who recently released their third LP on LoveAllDay Records. Yannis Panos is a Connecticut-based multi-instrumentalist whose work explores the intersection of jazz, free improvisation, and experimental music. He is a member of Secular Music Group, a project built on a shared interest in free jazz, library music, and American minimalism, creating a sound that echoes the pastoral grace of British jazz, the starkness of the European avant-garde, and the instrumental ensembles of the 1960s and 1970s. Chris Ruggiero is an Emmy-nominated composer, musician, and producer whose scores have appeared in award-winning films. He is the founder of Preservation Sound and a member of Secular Music Group, where his work embraces live performance, improvisation and magnetic tape as both a recording medium and creative instrument. More info at www.christianruggiero.com and www.preservationsound.com. Cryptwarbler is a custom modular synthesizer built around a circuit-bent Casio MT-240 and performed by Worcester-based experimental electronic musician Alex Bernhardt. Since 2023, Cryptwarbler has been featured in more than 145 live performances at venues throughout the eastern United States, including the International Computer Music Conference (Boston) , Ende Tymes (New York City) , New England Synthfest at the Microsoft Technology Center, and the Studio for Research in Sound and Technology at the Rhode Island School of Design. In addition to performing, Bernhardt serves on the sound and technology team for Non-Event, leads circuit-bending workshops at Firehouse Art Collective and holds a Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition from Montclair State University. More info at