DANBURY, CONN. — The Midtown Coffeehouse has become a popular Thursday evening ritual for students on Western Connecticut State University’s Midtown campus. Local residents also are welcome to enjoy the eclectic and exciting performances to be featured at 9 p.m. during the fall semester in Alumni Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.

The featured artists will be:

• Sept. 11: Arildo de Souza – Connecticut resident de Souza combines Brazilian musical influences into an original expression of world music featuring drumbeats, poetry, acoustic guitar and the Portuguese language.

• Sept. 18: Comedian Dan Cummins – Within three days of deciding to pursue stand-up, Cummins landed spots on “The Late, Late Show,” “Last Comic Standing: Season 6,” Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and his first half-hour special, “Comedy Central Presents Dan Cummins.” He’s appeared at the Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival, HBO’s Las Vegas Comedy Festival, the Boston Comedy Festival and Comedy Central South Beach Comedy Festival.

• Sept. 25: WCSU Jazz Quartet – Led by Coordinator of the WCSU Jazz Studies program Jamie Begian on guitar, the quartet features music department alumni Jonathan Blanck on tenor saxophone, Chris DeAngelis on bass and Tim Walsh on drums.

• Oct. 2: Chris Kiley – A WCSU music department graduate, Kiley is a popular folk guitarist and singer-songwriter who describes his work as “acoustic love songs and anthems to shout with your fist in the air or whisper into your lover’s ear.”

• Oct. 9: Rebecca Pronsky – A Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter who received jazz vocal training at Brown University, Pronsky tours nationally and has released three well-received CDs.

• Oct. 16: Derek Waldron – A WCSU music department graduate and popular Midtown Coffeehouse performer, Waldron is trained in classical vocal performance and is self-taught on the piano.

• Oct. 23: Ryanhood – Acoustic duo Ryan Green and Cameron Hood brought their Arizona-bred influences to Boston, where they graduated from performing in subway stations to touring theaters with platinum-selling artist Jason Mraz and from selling self-made CDs to recording with Grammy-winning producer Ross Hogarth.

• Oct. 30: WCSU Faculty and Staff Talent Showcase – A variety of professors and administrative staff from the university will display a wide range of musical and vocal skills in a showcase format.

• Nov. 6: Artist to be announced.

• Nov. 13: DC James – Southbury resident DC James will perform technically demanding classical and jazz-inspired guitar compositions. Born and raised in Jamaica, he has studied and performed from a young age.

• Dec. 4: Play it by Ear – Always a hit on campus, Play it by Ear features more than a dozen WestConn students who perform a capella.

• Dec. 11: Artist to be announced.

For those who want to participate, there is an hour of Open Mic beginning at 8 p.m. before the featured act. Admission to the coffeehouse will be free; donations to sustain the coffeehouse will be accepted.

For more information, call (203) 837-9700.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.