Events

Vanderbilt in the City

Vanderbilt in the City is an event series hosted at Vanderbilt University–New York City, 440 W. 21st St., in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. These events open the university’s doors to the New York City community and convene faculty and thought leaders for discussions that explore big questions and ideas.

Upcoming Vanderbilt in the City Events

Big Quarterly: Untold American history through gospel and dance - April 23, 2026
Vanderbilt University–New York City presents an evening of conversation and musical performances with excerpts from "Big Quarterly," an original musical honoring Peter Spencer and the founding of the Big Quarterly, the nation’s longest-running African American festival. Experience selections from the show and join a discussion exploring the intersection of history, art, and community.

Open to the public. Tickets required; seats are limited. Proceeds support this not-for-profit production and performer pay. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite. Purchase here.
- Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
- Time: 6:30–8:30pm | Doors open 6:00pm
- Location: The Chapel at Vanderbilt University–New York City
  - Entrance: 429 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011
- Panelists include:
  - S. Todd Townsend — Writer, artist, and educator with a background in ministry, musical theater, and spoken word.
  - Kim Kilby — Composer, librettist, and healthcare provider; focuses on music’s role in well-being and creative storytelling.
- Moderator:
  - Yolanda Pierce, PhD — Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School and leading scholar of African American religious life and storytelling.
Curating America: Art, Society and Influence – April 30, 2026
With its world-famous galleries, studios, and museums, Vanderbilt University is thrilled to join our neighbors in Chelsea. Long a rich, cultural site of exhibitions, performances and shows that galvanize, challenge and stir audiences, with our next public discussion, we spotlight Chelsea's talented arts leaders and the conversations they engender. This program features a panel of celebrated curators who, through their critical framing and uplifting of artists, influence how we see, how we collectively understand ourselves and how we leap forward in our thinking of what even is "art".
Attendance is open to the public; registration is required. Registration link coming soon.
- Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026
- Time: Reception: 6–7 p.m. ET; Event: 7–8 p.m. ET
- Location: The Refectory at Vanderbilt University–New York City
  - Entrance: 429 West 20th Street, New York, New York 10011
- Panelists include:
  - Cecilia Alemani, Donald R. Mullen Jr. Director & Chief Curator, The High Line
  - Adrienne Edwards, Engell Speyer Family Senior Curator and Associate Director of Curatorial Programs, Whitney Museum of American Art
  - Ebony Haynes, Global Head of Curatorial Projects, David Zwirner Gallery
  - Scott Rothkopf, Alice Pratt Brown Director, Whitney Museum of American Art

Past Vanderbilt in the City Events

Managing Disruption: The Role of Business in Turbulent Times – Mar. 5, 2026
This event was an evening of conversation exploring how leaders across business, finance, and the nonprofit sector define and manage disruption in moments of economic uncertainty and rapid change. The discussion examined shifting markets, the evolving role of capital, social investing, and the broader responsibilities of business in today’s charged environment.
- Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
- Time: Reception: 6–7 p.m. ET; Event: 7–8 p.m. ET
- Location: The Refectory at Vanderbilt University–New York City
  - Entrance: 429 West 20th Street, New York, New York 10011
- Panelists include:
  - Teresa Younger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Foundation for Women
  - Giorgos Tsestis, Co-founder, Chairman, and former Chief Executive Officer of Nutrafol; social investor and philanthropist;
  - Tom J. Steenburgh, Ralph Owen Dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt and Professor of Marketing
- Moderator:
  - Alex Goldmark, Executive Producer of NPR’s Planet Money and The Indicator from Planet Money
AI and the Future of the American University – Nov. 13, 2025
This event featured a moderated panel conversation on artificial intelligence and the future of American higher education, hosted in collaboration with the New York Academy of Sciences.
Rufus Griscom, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Next Big Idea Club, recorded this panel discussion and edited it into an episode of his podcast The Next Big Idea available here.
- Date: Thursday, Nov. 13
- Time:
  - Reception: 6–7 p.m. ET
  - Event: 7–8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: The Refectory at Vanderbilt University–New York City. Main entrance at 440 W. 21st St. (between 9th and 10th avenues)
- Panelists:
  - Nicholas Dirks, President and Chief Executive Officer, The New York Academy of Sciences
  - Julie Samuels, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tech:NYC; Vanderbilt Law School Alumna 2005
  - Nabiha Syed, Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation
  - Matthew Johnson-Roberson, Inaugural Dean of the College of Connected Computing, Vanderbilt University
- Moderator:
  - Rufus Griscom, co-founder and chief executive officer, Next Big Idea Club; host, The Next Big Idea podcast.
Divine Rhythms: Jazz and the Sacred – Sept. 25, 2025
This event was an evening of conversation and music as artists, theologians, and musicians explored the influence of spirituality on the development of jazz and the meaning of sacred elements within the jazz tradition.
- Date: Thursday, September 25
- Time:
  - Reception: 6–7 p.m. ET
  - Event: 7–8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: The Refectory at Vanderbilt University—New York City. Main entrance at 440 W. 21st St. (between 9th and 10th avenues)
- Opening Remarks: C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, Vanderbilt University
- Panelists:
  - Robbie Fry, Principal Senior Lecturer of Musicology and Ethnomusicology, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University
  - Eric Thomas, Assistant Professor of Bible, General Theological Seminary
  - Buck McDaniel, Artist-in-Residence at The General Theological Seminary; Director of Music at the Church of Our Saviour, Murray Hill and Chapel of the Sacred Hearts, Kips Bay
- Moderator:
  - Yolanda Pierce, Dean of the Divinity School; University Distinguished Professor of Religion & Literature; University Distinguished Professor of African American & Diaspora Studies, Vanderbilt University
- Performance: Live jazz ensemble featuring students from Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music
Health in America: Challenges and Opportunities – May 1, 2025
This panel explored pressing public health issues, the role of federal agencies and emerging priorities for health policy. Experts from NYU, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt and the American Journal of Public Health discussed such topics as health equity, science-based policymaking and the rise of “healthism” and self-directed health—examining their implications for the future of U.S. health policy.
- Date: Thursday, May 1
- Time:
  - Reception: 6–7 p.m. ET
  - Event: 7–8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Vanderbilt University—New York City. Main entrance at 440 W. 21st St. (between Ninth and 10th avenues)
- Panelists:
  - Eric Klinenberg, professor of sociology, Helen Gould Shepard Professor in the Social Sciences and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University
  - Melissa Harris-Perry, Maya Angelou Presidential Chair in the Department of Politics and International Affairs, the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the Program in Environment and Sustainability, Wake Forest University
  - Alfredo Morabia, M.D., professor of clinical epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, and editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Public Health
- Moderator:
  - Jonathan Metzl, Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry and director of the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt University
American Humor – April 10, 2025
Award-winning authors and Vanderbilt faculty members Lorrie Moore and Major Jackson explored the power of humor and storytelling to bridge divides in a “fireside chat.” Moore read from I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home, and Jackson read from Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems. Afterward, they discussed humor’s role in society and writing’s cultural power and political impact.
- Date: Thursday, April 10
- Time:
  - Reception: 6–7 p.m. ET
  - Event: 7–8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: The Refectory at Vanderbilt University—New York City. Main entrance at 440 W. 21st St. (between Ninth and 10th avenues)
- Panelists:
  - Lorrie Moore, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English, Vanderbilt University
  - Major Jackson, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English, Vanderbilt University
America and the World – March 6, 2025
This panel explored shifts in foreign policy and international alliances and their impact on the future of multilateralism, global security and America’s role in addressing challenges like climate change and emerging technologies.
- Date: Thursday, March 6
- Time:
  - Reception: 6–7 p.m. ET
  - Event: 7–8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: The Refectory at Vanderbilt University—New York City. Main entrance at 440 W. 21st St. (between Ninth and 10th avenues)
- Opening Remarks: Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, Vanderbilt University
- Panelists:
  - Rana Foroohar, global business columnist and associate editor at the Financial Times and global economic analyst for CNN
  - Brett Benson, associate professor of political science and Asian studies, Vanderbilt University
  - Beth Noveck, professor at Northeastern University and Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change and the Governance Lab (The GovLab)
- Moderator:
  - Jad Abumrad, public radio icon, podcast pioneer and Vanderbilt University Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology

Host an Event at Vanderbilt University–New York City

In addition to hosting Vanderbilt’s official university events, the Chelsea campus is a beautiful place for external partners to host any type of event, from small meet and greets to large conventions and weddings. Vanderbilt University–New York City has partnered with Chelsea Square, an event and hospitality group, to host private events. Email Bianca Townsend, director of special events and venue management, at Vanderbilt University–New York City to discuss your event.

Host Your Event on Campus