Not displaying correctly? View this email in your browser Greetings! We are thrilled to announce the 30th anniversary season of Miller Theatre at Columbia University. In the press release below, you will find the season highlights and concert descriptions. Part 2 includes all program details; Part 3 is the quick season-at-a-glance. See you at Miller in the new season! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 14, 2018 Tickets & Information: 212/854-7799 www.millertheatre.com PRESS CONTACTS Aleba Gartner, 212/206-1450 [email protected]Lauren Bailey, 212/854-1633 [email protected]Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts announces The 201819 Season 30th ANNIVERSARY View Part 2: Complete Concert Details with Pricing View Part 3: Season at a Glance by Month
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Greetings!
We are thrilled to announce the 30th anniversary season of Miller Theatre at ColumbiaUniversity. In the press release below, you will find the season highlights and concertdescriptions. Part 2 includes all program details; Part 3 is the quick season-at-a-glance.
“Miller Theatre, under its executive director, Melissa Smey, continues to be a hotbed of bold programming and contemporary music.”
— THE NEW YORK TIMES
O V E R V I E W(Read: The New York Times reports on the new season)
Opening Night (9/26, 9/28):
NEW YORK PREMIERE OF PROVING UP Launching Miller Theatre's new Chamber Opera Commissioning Initiative
After triumphing in Omaha and Washington D.C., composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek's newest opera comes to NYC.
This haunting tale of a family’s pursuit of the American Dream will transform the Miller stage into post-Civil War Nebraska in a new production by Opera Omaha.
THE ICONIC COMPOSER PORTRAITS SERIES
Miller's signature series since 1999 Each composer to attend their Portrait
KATE SOPER: Ipsa Dixit, the composer/singer's tour-de-force "philosophy-opera,"blends Greek theater and screwball comedy (10/27)
DU YUN: ICE performs a range of adventurous chamber music by the 2017 Pulitzer winner and social activist (11/15)
WANG LU: Yarn/Wire and ICE champion this composer's lyrical and powerfulworks; includes a world premiere commission (2/21)
JOHN ZORN: Dream team of new music superstars perform recent chamber works(3/7)
TYSHAWN SOREY: JACK and ICE perform new works by the visionary 2017 MacArthur Fellow, who guests as drummer and conductor (3/28)
DAVID T. LITTLE: Third Coast Percussion and ACME perform Little's socially engaged music (4/18)
SIGNATURE KEYS, A NEW KEYBOARD SERIES
THE WELLTEMPERED CLAVIER, PAIRED: Harpsichord star MAHAN ESFAHANI pairs Bach’s treasured
WellTempered Clavier with contemporary works by Berio, Perich, and a world premiere commission by George Lewis (11/7, 11/8)
AN EVENING WITH SIMONE DINNERSTEIN: The celebrated pianist brings her signature expressive elegance to works by
Schumann, Satie, Couperin, and Glass (12/8)
JAZZ EXPANDS WITH FIVE VISIONARY BANDLEADERS VIJAY IYER SEXTET:
The MacArthur "Genius" returns with his Grammy Award-winning sextet (10/20) MELISSA ALDANA QUARTET:
The gifted young saxophonist was the first female to win the prestigious TheloniousMonk International Jazz Competition (11/17)
RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA INDO-PAK COALITION: Indo-jazz fusion trio features percussionist Dan Weiss and guitarist Rez Abbasi (2/9)
LINDA MAY HAN OH QUINTET: The spellbinding bassist displays her commanding presence as a bandleader (3/2)
ALFREDO RODRÍGUEZ TRIO: The dazzling young Cuban pianist is back by popular demand (4/6)
EARLY MUSIC FEATURES RENAISSANCE VOCAL MASTERS
STILE ANTICO: Elizabeth I, Queen of Muses (10/13) CAPPELLA PRATENSIS (Miller debut): The Josquin Imitation Game (11/10) TALLIS SCHOLARS: A Renaissance Christmas, featuring a Nico Muhly
world premiere commissioned by Miller Theatre (12/1) ORLANDO CONSORT: Love's Command – Sacred Poetry & Music (1/26) NEW YORK POLYPHONY: Music From Over the Alps (2/16)
CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS RETURNS
Director/designer and puppet master Lake Simons's ingenious production celebrates Saint-Saëns and Ogden Nash's “feathers, fur, and fins” (12/15)
POPUP CONCERTS BRING THE AUDIENCE ONSTAGE
"Close to the music" takes on new meaning with year seven of this spontaneous, free series of hour-long 6PM concerts
7th ANNUAL MORNINGSIDE LIGHTS: FLIGHT
Concept and direction by Processional Arts Workshop Miller throws open the doors again this fall, inviting all to join lantern-making
workshops to create an illuminated processional flock of birds that will fill the night sky over Morningside Heights (9/4-9/8)
Royce Vavrek and Missy Mazzoli. Photo by Matt Zugale for Miller Theatre.
An Experimental Uptown HavenTurns 30
Miller Theatre is known for the consistency and integrity of its curating. The venue hasbeen heralded by The New York Times for its “transformative impact on musical culture inNew York City” and exerting an “oversize influence on tastes and trends." Many creditMiller Theatre with pioneering the kind of programming that bigger organizations nowemulate. Since becoming Executive Director in 2009, Melissa Smey has continued Miller Theatre'stradition of adventurous programming, while steering Miller into new territory—welcoming a stylistically eclectic mix of composers and ensembles; expandingMiller's leadership in community engagement (PopUp Concerts, MorningsideLights, family programs like Carnival of the Animals, and commissioning public murals inMiller's lobby); and recalibrating the gender imbalance in classical music byshowcasing the work of female composers, a development hailed by The NewYorker and The New York Times. "For 30 years, Miller Theatre has been a nexus of creativity and experimentation," statesSmey. "As we celebrate this milestone anniversary, we honor the vibrant history of the artsat Columbia University—including premiere performances of landmark works by AaronCopland, Charles Ives, and Martha Graham—and embrace our commitment to the bold,adventurous work that has made Miller Theatre a vital contributor to the creativecommunity."
Smey continues: "We open the 2018-19 season with the highly anticipated New Yorkpremiere of the opera Proving Up by the brilliant team of Missy Mazzoli and RoyceVavrek, in a new production by Opera Omaha. I am honored to have played a role inthis project, and deeply grateful to co-commissioners Washington National Opera andOpera Omaha for inviting us to take part. Our flagship Composer Portraits feature thework of six visionary artists, including world premiere commissions from Wang Luand Tyshawn Sorey. Our dedication to develop and produce new work doesn’t stop here:the Early Music series will feature a Miller-commissioned world premiere by NicoMuhly, written for the Tallis Scholars. Our artist-focused collaborations continue, witha new keyboard series developed with Mahan Esfahani and Simone Dinnerstein, andwe welcome back familiar friends and introduce two stellar bandleaders for their Millerdebuts—Melissa Aldana and Linda May Han Oh—in our Jazz series. Miller’scharming and whimsical puppet-theater production of Carnival of theAnimals returns, with an ensemble of new music all-stars performing Saint-Saëns’treasured score."
It is striking that each of these contrasting series have such strong, continuing support,perhaps because people like a challenge and trust Miller Theatre to deliver concerts that
are always intriguing. Looking ahead, Melissa Smey says, with characteristic enthusiasm:"This is an incredible new season, and I can’t wait for audiences to join us."
Melissa Smey, Miller Theatre Executive Director. Photo by Matt Zugale for Miller Theatre.
"Refreshingly creative and smart." — SLATE
"Immersive, cutting-edge work that sets the bar high."
— THE NEW YORKER
“Miller Theatre remains as vital as ever. Under the auspices of Melissa Smey,
the venue consistently features programming that’s forward-thinking and fresh.”
— TIME OUT NEW YORK
“Miller Theatre continues to be the leading destination for new music and classics of modernism.”
— NEW YORK CLASSICAL REVIEW
"One of the city’s essential destinations for unusual programming,
an unlikely concoction of contemporary music, early music, and jazz."
— MUSICAL AMERICA
The 201819 Season
PROVING UPWednesday, September 26, 2018, 8 p.m.
Friday, September 28, 2018, 8 p.m. NEW YORK PREMIERE
LISTEN
Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek thrilled audiences and criticsalike in 2016 with the premiere of their opera Breaking the Waves. This dynamic creativeduo reunites for Proving Up, a harrowing tale of a family’s pursuit of the American Dreamset in post-Civil War Nebraska. Miller’s 30th Anniversary Season opens with the New Yorkpremiere of this chamber opera that is by turns optimistic, exultant, and menacing.
After its premiere at Opera Omaha this past April, Musical America described it as"completely riveting from the beginning to its devastating conclusion" and "a suspenseful,gripping, and unsettling work of music theater."
Music by Missy Mazzoli
Libretto by Royce Vavrek Adapted from the short story Proving Up by Karen Russell
Co-commissioned by Washington National Opera, Opera Omaha, and Miller Theatre at Columbia University
For nearly 20 years, Miller's flagship series ComposerPortraits—deemed "endlessly important" by The New YorkTimes and “indispensable” by The New Yorker—has exposedaudiences to eveninglength immersions into a single livingcomposer's work. This season, Miller offers an indepth look atsix composers—including the chance to hear directly fromthem during onstage discussions.
Zachary Woolfe, Classical Music Editor of The New YorkTimes, has written: “The Miller Theatre’s signature, invaluableComposer Portraits series is music’s Dia:Beacon, offering thechance to spend an entire evening getting to know a singleliving artist. You get a sense of who he (or, often, she) really is,rather than just a snapshot.”
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Saturday, October 27, 2018, 8 p.m.
Kate Soper (b. 1981)Wet Ink Ensemble
Kate Soper, soprano, Josh Modney, violin Erin Lesser, flute, Ian Antonio, percussion
LISTEN
Kate Soper is a multi-talented composer, singer, and writer whose theatrical chambermusic masterpiece Ipsa Dixit (“She, herself, said it”) explores the integration of music,drama, and rhetoric. Called a “philosophy-opera” by The New Yorker, the work blendsaspects of monodrama, Greek theatre, and screwball comedy in a musical journey thatexamines the treachery of language and the questionable authenticity of artistic expression.The composer, herself, performs the virtuosic score alongside members of the ensembleWet Ink in this evening-length tour-de-force.
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Thursday, November 15, 2018, 8 p.m.
Du Yun (b. 1977)International Contemporary Ensemble
LISTEN
The 2017 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her opera Angel’s Bone, Du Yun is amultifaceted artist—composer, multi-instrumentalist, performance artist, and curator. Her
music is adventurous and daring; it embraces orchestral, theatrical, pop music,storytelling, cabaret, and visual arts influences, and reflects her social activism. She avidlycollaborates with ICE, of which she was a founding member, for an evening of recentworks.
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Thursday, February 21, 2019, 8 p.m.
Wang Lu (b. 1982)International Contemporary Ensemble; Yarn/Wire
LISTEN
Born in Xi’an, one of the oldest cities in China, composer and pianist Wang Lu writes musicthat is dramatic, lyrical, and powerful. Brought up in a musical family with strong Chineseopera and folk music traditions, her works reflect a very natural identification with thoseinfluences, through the prism of contemporary instrumental techniques and new sonicpossibilities. The musicians of ICE and Yarn/Wire are longstanding champions of WangLu, and their enthusiastic devotion will be on full display in this important showcase.
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Thursday, March 7, 2019, 8 p.m.
John Zorn (b. 1953)Tara Helen O’Connor, flute, Peter Evans, trumpet, Marshall Gilkes, trombone
Dave Taylor, bass trombone, Stephen Gosling, piano Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman, violin
John Pickford Richards, viola, Jay Campbell, cello Shanir Blumenkranz, bass, Tyshawn Sorey, drums Sae Hashimoto, vibraphone
LISTEN
“If his work is a game, then…it’s a beautiful one,” says The New York Times of the iconicand prolific composer John Zorn. He returns to Miller’s Composer Portraits series for aprogram of chamber music that has been written within the last three years. Boundlesslyimaginative and energetic, Zorn is a smart, generous, and thoughtful collaborator, drawinginto his orbit a host of new music superstars who bring his creations to life.
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Thursday, March 28, 2019, 8 p.m.
Tyshawn Sorey (b. 1980)JACK Quartet; International Contemporary Ensemble
LISTEN
Tyshawn Sorey is a visionary artist who is erasing the lines of musical preconceptions. The2017 MacArthur Fellow has a wide-ranging creative practice, embracing the roles ofcomposer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist, scholar, and educator. This Portrait willfeature two new works, written for ensembles with which Sorey has close ties.
David T. Little (b. 1978)ACME; Third Coast Percussion
LISTEN
Hailed as “one of the most imaginative young composers” on the scene by The New Yorker,David T. Little explores political and philosophical questions through his dramaticallycharged works. This program features two companion pieces—presented together for thefirst time—that grapple with powerful ideologies. Haunt of Last Nightfall, a “ghost play intwo acts” for percussion quartet and electronics, examines the US’s role in the 1981massacre in El Mozote. AGENCY for string quartet and electronics questions the existenceof personal choice in society by examining spy agencies and faith-based indigenouscultures.
Major support for Composer Portraits is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts
Signature Keys
www.millertheatre.com/eventseries/signaturekeys
Miller shines the spotlight on two of today’s most soughtafterkeyboard artists for a series of unique concerts. Followingrave reviews last season at Miller, the acclaimedharpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and celebrated pianist SimoneDinnerstein return with programs they’ve curated especiallyfor this series.
Wednesday and Thursday, November 7 and 8, 2018, 8 p.m.
The WellTempered Clavier, PairedMahan Esfahani, harpsichord
Back by popular demand, the exceptionally gifted Mahan Esfahani returns for twoharpsichord recitals featuring J. S. Bach’s treasured WellTempered Clavier. For eachevening, Esfahani pairs selections from Bach’s masterpiece with contemporary works,including a world premiere commission by George Lewis.
An Evening with Simone DinnersteinSimone Dinnerstein, piano
The celebrated pianist Simone Dinnerstein brings her signature expressive elegance toworks by Schumann, Satie, Couperin, and Glass. This collection of intriguing musicalcurios was chosen by Dinnerstein for their lyrical, contemplative, and exuberant qualities.
JAZZwww.millertheatre.com/eventseries/jazz
In a city so heavily steeped in jazz music, Miller Theatrecontinues to shift attention uptown and distinguish itself notonly with a sharp focus on great jazz artists but with anartfully curated and diverse series.
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Saturday, October 20, 2018, 8 p.m.
Vijay Iyer SextetVijay Iyer, piano
Graham Haynes, cornet, flugelhorn, electronics; Steve Lehman, alto saxophone Mark Shim, tenor saxophone; Stephan Crump, bass; Marcus Gilmore, drums
MacArthur “Genius” Vijay Iyer has earned his spot as one the most important musicalvoices of the 21st century, and deservedly so. He makes a triumphant return to MillerTheatre with his Grammy Award-winning sextet, featuring a dream team lineup of theworld’s best improvisers.
Sam Harris, piano; Pablo Menares, bass; Kendrick Scott, drums Saxophonist Melissa Aldana turned heads in 2013 when she became the first femaleinstrumentalist and the first South American to win the prestigious Thelonious MonkInternational Jazz Competition. The Chilean native is one of the most prodigioussaxophonists on the scene, and her lively and energetic sound possesses an ambition andtenacity far beyond her years.
JazzTimes’s “Saxophonist of the Year” and Village Voice’s “Best Jazz Artist” winnerRudresh Mahanthappa returns to Miller Theatre with his Indo-Pak Coalition, featuringguitarist Rez Abassi and percussionist Dan Weiss. On the heels of the success of theirrecent album, Agrima, the Indo-jazz fusion trio continues to maintain a blend of colorful,Carnatic motifs with elements of rock and bebop jazz, while still finding new ways toexpand their improvisational and sonic vocabulary.
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Saturday, March 2, 2019, 8 p.m.
Linda May Han Oh QuintetLinda May Han Oh, bass
Greg Ward, saxophone; Matthew Stevens, guitar Fabian Almazan, piano; Allan Mednard, drums
The spellbinding bassist Linda May Han Oh is at the forefront of New York's jazz scene. Afrequent collaborator of Vijay Iyer, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Pat Metheny, she is acommanding presence as a band leader who also thrives off the collaboration of hercontemporaries, turning inspiration into action like few can, due to her exemplarytechnique.
Considered an indispensable voice in the next generation of Cuban jazz musicians, AlfredoRodríguez returns by popular demand. He captivated Miller’s audience with the debutperformance of his album The Little Dream, featuring a refreshing combination oftraditional Cuban music and original compositions. The chemistry and comradery of histrio further amplify Rodriguez’s gift for improvisation and storytelling.
EARLY MUSICwww.millertheatre.com/eventseries/earlymusic
Miller Theatre's "essential" (The New Yorker) EarlyMusic series has been lauded as a leader in the scene. Thisyear’s series highlights many of the undisputed masters of thegenre as Miller welcomes back The Tallis Scholars, StileAntico, Orlando Consort, and New York Polyphony, whileintroducing audiences to the Dutch ensemble CappellaPratensis. The result is gloriously transcendent music of theRenaissance and Baroque eras, brought to life by some of thebest musicians from around the world.
“Columbia University’s performance hub advocates just as
vigorously for early music as it does for contemporary work.” — The New Yorker
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Saturday, October 13, 2018, 8 p.m.
Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 West 46th Street)
Stile Antico: Elizabeth I, Queen of Muses Queen Elizabeth I presided during a time that delighted in the talents of some of the mostrenowned composers of the Renaissance, including Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, and JohnDowland. The exquisite Stile Antico explores the reign of the great Tudor Queen in aprogram illuminating the life of a court that rejoiced in some of the finest music evercreated.
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Saturday, November 10, 2018, 8 p.m.
Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 West 46th Street)
Cappella Pratensis: The Josquin Imitation Josquin des Prez paid homage to his predecessors through the use of imitation. By thesame token, subsequent composers played this game as a deliberate tribute, utilizing thesame texts, melodies, and other characteristics of his music. The acclaimed CappellaPratensis, known for their period interpretations, makes their Miller debut with a programanchored by Josquin masterpieces and exploring some of the great polyphonic works of theperiod by composers who inspired Josquin and those who were later inspired by him.
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Saturday, December 1, 2018, 8 p.m.
Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 West 46th Street)
Tallis Scholars: A Renaissance Christmas The renowned Tallis Scholars make their annual appearance on Miller’s Early Music serieswith beloved, festive Renaissance favorites including Palestrina’s Missa Hodie Christusnatus est. The thrilling program features the world premiere of a work commissioned byMiller Theatre for the occasion by sought-after American composer Nico Muhly.
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Saturday, January 26, 2019, 8 p.m.
Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 West 46th Street)
Orlando Consort: Love's Command Sacred Poetry
With performances described as “simultaneously ravishing and reverential” by the LosAngeles Times, the London-based Orlando Consort returns to perform a collection ofsublime sacred music from the first part of the 16th century. The period is marked byunprecedented richness in music, with text settings that often went beyond the confines ofthe usual daily liturgy. Joined for this concert by bass Robert Macdonald, the Consortperforms a program of works by Josquin des Prez, Clemens non Papa, Nicolas Gombert,and others, concluding with Lamentations by English Tudor composer Robert White.
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Saturday, February 16, 2019, 8 p.m.
Church of St. Mary the Virgin (145 West 46th Street)
New York Polyphony: Music from Over the Alps The four voices of the celebrated ensemble New York Polyphony return to take audienceson a journey over the Alps to explore the Flemish composers who traversed the mountainsto work in Italy. Encompassing works by well-known composers Josquin des Prez andPalestrina, alongside gems by Philippe Verdelot, Cipriano de Rore, and others, the rich andvaried program highlights the flourishing of the polyphonic style in the region.
CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS
Saturday, December 15, 2018, 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Music by Camille Saint-Saëns; Poetry by Ogden Nash Lake Simons, director and designer; Laura Barger, music director and piano
“Enchanting…” — The New Yorker
"Extraordinary magic from ordinary things.” — The New York Times Miller's annual holiday treat returns, a playful production that brings Camille Saint-Saëns’sbeloved work to life—Carnival of the Animals. Audiences experience the magic, aseveryday objects take on new lives as lions, elephants, and birds, through the incrediblevision of director Lake Simons and some of New York’s best puppeteers. Just about an hourin length, this family-friendly presentation is a wonderful holiday tradition for imaginativeaudiences of all ages.
“The irresistible production brings Saint-Saëns’ immortal musical sketches to visual lifewith Simons’ ingenious puppet theater," wrote ZEALnyc. "The musical performance by theten-piece onstage chamber orchestra was virtuosic, nuanced, and sublime." Carnival of the Animals is a Miller Theatre at Columbia University production.
Commissioned by Miller Theatre at Columbia University.
FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS Community is at the heart of everything Miller Theatre doesfor its adventurous audiences. Public art, participatoryworkshops, free concerts—these ongoing programs aredesigned to welcome visitors of all ages and interests to getinvolved with Miller's innovative ventures.
September 4 – 8, 2018
7th Annual Morningside Lights: Flight
Concept and Direction by Processional Arts Workshop Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, artistic directors
"The gorgeous and communal evening parade is worth keeping the kids up past their bedtime.”
— What Should We Do Starting September 4, Miller throws open the doors for a week of free lantern-buildingworkshops, culminating in a magical illuminated procession through Morningside Park.
This year Morningside Lights takes flight, joining with The Audubon Society to recognize2018 as the Year of the Bird. On September 8, a flock of animated and illuminated birdswill fill the night sky of Morningside Park. Carrying suitcases, these birds evoke the powerand the precariousness of migration on a changing planet. Flight honors the resilience andhope of populations on the move—avian and human—and celebrates the vitality anddiversity that migrations have always brought to New York.
Morningside Lights is coproduced with the Arts Initiative at Columbia University.
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PopUp ConcertsOnstage at Miller Theatre
Select Tuesdays throughout the season Mingling at 5:30 p.m., music at 6 p.m. Performers to be announced
Whether it is one's first visit to Miller Theatre or fiftieth, the free and fun PopUp Concertsprovide the perfect opportunity to get up close and personal with today’s most exciting newmusic. Sit onstage and enjoy a free drink during these hour-long weeknight concerts, andmingle with the musicians and fellow concertgoers after the show. Onstage seating is first-come, first-served.
Check www.millertheatre.com for dates and times (typically announced a month ortwo in advance), and join the Miller Theatre email list for updates and concertannouncements.
"Miller Theater’s PopUp series (free entry, free beer) continues to outdo itself.” — THE NEW YORK TIMES
"Miller Theatre's exciting, intimate and generous free series."
— TIME OUT NY
Major support for Pop-Up Concerts is provided by
the National Endowment for the Arts and the Dow Jones Foundation
PopUp Concerts Series Sponsor
Major support for Miller Theatre’s 201819 Season is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature
