MILLER THEATRE IS BACK
Miller Theatre at Columbia University is the leading presenter of new music in New York City; now, one of the most vital forces nationwide for innovative programming is back. The 2021-22 season sees the beloved, bold venue return to in-person programming for the first time since March 2020, a boon to NYC’s cultural landscape. Executive Director Melissa Smey, lauded for the integrity of her curating, has produced an invigorating season of “immersive, cutting-edge work that sets the bar high” (The New Yorker) through four classic Miller series: Composer Portraits, Early Music, Bach, and Jazz.
The Composer Portraits lineup features five distinct voices from around the world, whose music deserves to be heard more in the city. Large-scale evening-length pieces for big forces, numerous premieres, and three Miller commissions fill the programs and the stage. The ensembles — all blue-chip new-music champions that call Miller home, a place where they can put on ambitious dream concerts — have close ties to the composers they delve into.
Subscriptions go on sale Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
Single tickets go on sale Monday, November 29, 2021.
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Thursday, December 9, 2021, 8:00pm
Composer Portraits
Kati Agócs
Lucy Dhegrae, voice
Third Sound
Tricia Toliver, lighting designer
The beautifully crafted music of Kati Agócs delivers visceral power and otherworldly lyricism with soulful directness. The New York Times has characterized her chamber music as “striking” and her vocal music as possessing “an almost 19th-century naturalness.” Her Composer Portrait kicks off Miller’s in-person programming featuring the world premiere of the dramatic, newly commissioned Voices of the Immaculate—a chamber cantata in seven uninterrupted movements written for Third Sound ensemble and vocalist Lucy Dhegrae.
Lucy Dhegrae, voice
Third Sound (Sooyun Kim, flute; Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Karen Kim, violin; Michael Nicolas, cello; Mika Sasaki, piano)
Tricia Toliver, lighting designer
PROGRAM
Voices of the Immaculate (2021) world premiere, co-commissioned by Miller Theatre, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
Immutable Dreams (2007)
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Thursday, February 3, 2022, 8:00pm
Composer Portraits
Luca Francesconi
Ensemble Signal
Brad Lubman, conductor
The beautifully crafted music of Kati Agócs delivers visceral power and otherworldly lyricism with soulful directness. The New York Times has characterized her chamber music as “striking” and her vocal music as possessing “an almost 19th-century naturalness.” Her Composer Portrait kicks off Miller’s in-person programming featuring the world premiere of the dramatic, newly commissioned Voices of the Immaculate—a chamber cantata in seven uninterrupted movements written for Third Sound ensemble and vocalist Lucy Dhegrae.
Lucy Dhegrae, voice
Third Sound (Sooyun Kim, flute; Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet; Karen Kim, violin; Michael Nicolas, cello; Mika Sasaki, piano)
Tricia Toliver, lighting designer
PROGRAM
Voices of the Immaculate (2021) world premiere, co-commissioned by Miller Theatre, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
Immutable Dreams (2007)
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Saturday, February 12, 2022, 8:00pm
Jazz
Miguel Zenón Quartet: Sonero
Miguel Zenón, saxophone
Luis Perdomo, piano
Hans Glawischnig, bass
Henry Cole, drums
A Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow, Miguel Zenón is one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, known for artistry that defies categorization. With his quartet of almost two decades, Zenón performs selections from his recent album Sonero, which pays tribute to the music of the Puerto Rican composer Ismael Rivera.
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Thursday, February 17, 2022, 8:00pm
Bach
Gamba Sonatas
Alexis Pia Gerlach, cello
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
In this intimate recital, celebrated pianist Simone Dinnerstein is joined by the expressive cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach for their unique interpretation of Bach’s three Gamba Sonatas.
Alexis Gerlach, cello
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
PROGRAM
J.S. Bach Sonata in G major, BWV 1027 (c. 1736–41)
Sonata in D major, BWV 1028 (c. 1736–41)
Sonata in G minor, BWV 1029 (c. 1736–41)
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Saturday, February 19, 2022, 8:00pm
Early Music
Stile Antico: Toward the Dawn
England’s exquisite Stile Antico, one of the world’s most accomplished vocal ensembles, returns with a program that evokes hope and renewal. Toward the Dawn charts a course from twilight to sunrise, echoing both the rhythms of church liturgy and the medieval experience of night, seductive and unsettling in equal measure. Experience a combination of sacred music, chansons, and madrigals by masters such as Byrd, Monteverdi, and Tallis, including the exquisite Miserere by Allegri.
PROGRAM
| Gregorio Allegri William Byrd Orlande de Lassus Monteverdi Thomas Morley/Philippe Rogier Nico Muhly John Sheppard Thomas Tallis John Taverner John Ward John Wilbye Robert White |
Miserere
Vigilate
Toutes les nuitz
Ecco mormorar l’onde
Laboravi in gemitu meo
Gentle Sleep
In manus tuas
O nata lux de lumine
Ave Dei Patris filia
Come, sable night
Draw on sweet night
Christe qui lux es et dies
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Thursday, March 3, 2022, 8:00pm
Composer Portraits
Felipe Lara
International Contemporary Ensemble
Brazilian-American electroacoustic composer Felipe Lara writes music that transforms and reinterprets sonic expectations. International Contemporary Ensemble, longtime advocates of Lara, perform two of his substantial recent works, including Metafagote—a work for solo bassoon and six pre-recorded spatialized bassoons that results in the creation of an astonishing soundworld.
International Contemporary Ensemble
PROGRAM
Chambered Spirals (2020)
Metafagote (2015)
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Saturday, March 5, 2022, 8:00pm
Jazz
Lionel Loueke Trio
Lionel Loueke, guitar and vocals
Massimo Biolcati, bass
Ferenc Nemeth, drums
Called “a musical painter” by his mentor Herbie Hancock, acclaimed guitarist Lionel Loueke has achieved international acclaim as an extraordinary artist, combining harmonic sophistication, soaring melody, and a deep knowledge of African music. He brings his celebrated trio, longtime collaborators from their days at Berklee College of Music, to showcase his signature warm and evocative sound.
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Thursday, March 31, 2022, 8:00pm
Bach
Goldberg Variations
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Simone Dinnerstein’s international concert career was launched in 2007 with her self-produced recording of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Her exquisite and distinctive performance of the iconic work went on to become the bestselling classical album that year and established the pianist as “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation” (The New York Times).
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Saturday, April 2, 2022, 8:00pm
Jazz
Kenny Barron Trio
Kenny Barron, piano
Kiyoshi Kitagawa, bass
Johnathan Blake, drums
The NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, known as “One of the top jazz pianists in the world” (The Los Angeles Times), makes his long-overdue Miller debut with the trio he has been leading for the last decade. Here is a chance to experience the American Jazz Hall of Fame inductee who mesmerizes audiences with his lyrical melodies and infectious rhythms.
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Thursday, April 7, 2022, 8:00pm
Composer Portraits
Matana Roberts
various artists
Matana Roberts is a trailblazing American composer, saxophonist, and creative artist. Their work is visceral, brilliant, relevant, engaging, and challenging. It defies categorization and focuses on sonic experimentation through a multi-faceted, often socially and politically conscious lens. Miller is proud to present the world premiere commission of a new iteration of Roberts’ I call america: Sandy Speaks…, a multimedia work for thirteen improvising musicians written in reflection of Sandra Bland—her life and death.
Matana Roberts, composer/performer
International Contemporary Ensemble
Matt Lavelle, bass clarinet and pocket trumpet
Maria Grand, tenor saxophone
Geng/King Vision Ultra, wordspeak/sampler
Thomas Fujiwara, drumset
PROGRAM
I call america: Sandy Speaks… (2019, rev. 2022) world premiere, Miller Theatre commission.
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Thursday, April 21, 2022, 8:00pm
Composer Portraits
Thomas Meadowcroft
Yarn/Wire
The music of Australian-born, Berlin-based composer Thomas Meadowcroft has been described as “reaching an inexpressible purity” (Le Monde) and “dreamy post-rock” (The New York Times). The intrepid percussion and piano quartet Yarn/Wire performs the world premiere of a pair of commissioned works, in which Meadowcroft pulls from an array of influences to create his own unique take on pop songs. Related Note: On November 9, 2021 at 7pm on Miller’s virtual Live From Columbia concert series, Yarn/Wire can be heard playing Meadowcroft’s Walkman Antiquarian, which juxtaposes music technologies to create an altogether singular sonic experience.
Yarn/Wire (Laura Barger and Julia Den Boer, piano; Russell Greenberg and Sae Hashimoto, percussion)
PROGRAM
Another Children’s Television (2021) world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
Patriarchal Matriarch & Matriarchal Patriarch (2021) world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
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LIVE FROM COLUMBIA
Digital Pop-Up Concerts
Miller continued its popular Pop-Up Concerts series while the stage was dark, offering audiences a virtual front-row seat to new performances filmed live in iconic locations at Columbia University.
“Those thirty minutes number among the most intense I’ve experienced as a listener…
The close-up, multiple angle and high resolution shots of the performance gave a view not even accessible to an audience member sitting in the front row.”
— The Hudson Review
Yarn/Wire
Filmed from the Miller Theatre Stage | Premiered on November 9, 2021
Simone Dinnerstein, piano
Filmed in Butler Library | Premiered on October 12, 2021
Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Livestreamed from the Miller Theatre Stage | Premiered on September 18, 2021
Regional de NY plays Brazilian choro
Filmed in the Lantern | Premiered on April 27, 2021
Attacca Quartet plays John Adams, Paul Wiancko, Gabriella Smith
Filmed in the Lantern | Premiered on April 6, 2021
JACK Quartet performs Lachenmann’s Grido
Filmed in the Lantern | Premiered on February 16, 2021
Brandee Younger, harp and Dezron Douglas, double bass
Filmed in the Lantern | Premiered on January 19, 2021
Mariel Roberts, cello, performing Bach, Saint-Saëns, George Lewis
Filmed in the Lantern | Premiered on November 17, 2020