Coreyah has pioneered a new style of Korean music that blends genres of contemporary ethnic and popular sounds while maintaining the distinctive characteristics of traditional Korean instruments. Ancient rhythms combine with toe-tapping and hand-clapping dance beats set to the sounds of the soulful daegeum flute, electrifying geomungo zither, and forceful janggu hourglass drum. The group’s freewheeling, polystylistic vision combines a variety of influences, including Anglo-American rock, Balkan gypsy, and genres from South America and Africa. “The world needs more bands who are this much fun and willing to take chances” (New York Music Daily).

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Coreyah

Lafayette College

The Danish String Quartet is renowned for impeccable musicianship, sophisticated artistry, and, above all, an uncanny ability to perform as one: “The Danish play as if they have abandoned their individual personalities entirely to serve the collective—as if they were joined on a single instrument, armed with four bows” (The New York Times). On this welcome return to the Williams Center, their musical journey will traverse the Baroque, Classical, and 20th-century eras before traveling far back in time for a medley of the ensemble’s trademark arrangements of Scandinavian folk music.

Danish String Quartet

Die schöne Müllerin (“The Fair Maid of the Mill”) is a landmark song cycle composed by Franz Schubert in 1823. Based on 20 poems by German lyric poet Wilhelm Müller, it tells the story of a young wanderer’s unrequited love and tragic demise. The distinguished conductor, pianist, and musicologist Joshua Rifkin, Lafayette College’s 2023-24 Pesky Artist-in-Residence, is joined by his longtime collaborator, Frank Kelley, to perform this poignant work.
The expressive weight of Die schöne Müllerin, widely considered the epitome of lied repertoire, is shared equally by pianist and singer.

Die Schöne Müllerin

As the world faces its Second World War, John Halder, a good, intelligent German professor, finds himself pulled into a movement with unthinkable consequences. David Tennant (Doctor Who) stars in a blistering reimagining of one of Britain’s most powerful, political plays. Olivier Award winner Dominic Cooke (Follies) directs C.P. Taylor’s timely tale.

GOOD

Landis Cinema

Pianist Tord Gustavsen’s music is the offspring of American jazz and European influences, a uniquely Norwegian sound that unites beauty with emotional intensity. With a few carefully chosen notes, he draws listeners into a world where melody is cherished as much as the freedom to explore textures and soundscapes. His band’s interplay creates a genuine ensemble rapport, leaving space for the audience to savor each note. “Gustavsen is a Svengali of the piano. He draws you into his encompassing atmosphere of rapt contemplation” (Jazz Times).

Tord Gustavsen Trio

Pope Leo X, scion of Florence’s beneficent Medici, inherited his family’s zeal for all artistic endeavors, but his passion for music was legendary. Because Leo was an accomplished composer and musician himself, the life of his court was unimaginably rich. Switzerland’s acclaimed early music ensemble La Morra brings to life the aural splendor of the Italian Renaissance and Leo’s musici segreti, the instrumentalists and singers who filled the Pope’s private sphere with music quite different from that of the Sistine Chapel—sounds of viols, lutes, harpsichords, and winds, with and without vocal ornamentation.

La Morra / The Lion’s Ear: Music from the Age of Pope Leo X

An extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy. She’s the headstrong daughter of a senator, elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He’s a refugee of slavery who, having risen to the top, finds that love across racial lines has a cost. In the title role, “Giles Terera shines in this powerful, brutal staging” (Evening Standard).

Othello

The members of Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing, the mesmerizing technique of singing multiple pitches at the same time: “Like a human bagpipe,” (Newsweek), “it’s one of the most astonishing sounds a human body can produce” (The Washington Post). What makes Alash unique is its subtle infusion of traditional Tuvan music with Western elements, continually evolving the form. One can find complex harmonies, Western instruments, and contemporary song structures in Alash’s music, but the overall sound and spirit remain true to its musical heritage and steadfastly Tuvan.

Alash

With performances that “balance passion with sensitivity and grace” (BBC Music Magazine), the Neave Trio epitomizes the meaning of the Gaelic name “Neave:” bright and radiant.

Neave Trio

Led by trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra is made up of 15 top soloists, ensemble players, and arrangers. The first half of the evening explores three essential architects of jazz: Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, and Charles Mingus, with musical direction by trombonist Vincent Gardner. The second half features Usonian Structures, a new suite by saxophonist Andy Farber, one of the finest big band composers and arrangers on today’s stage, with each movement inspired by the iconic designs of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Ephrat Asherie’s “movement phrases—compact bursts of choreography with rapid-fire changes in rhythm and gestural articulation—bubble up and dissipate, quickly paving the way for something new” (The New York Times). Her fun, lively company’s performance of UNDERSCORED serves as a living archive of five generations of New York City club dancers. It’s an exhilarating journey through deeply personal histories; rarely seen archival footage; a vast musical landscape including funk, disco, and house; and decades of dancing through the culturally reflective styles of breaking, hip hop, house, vogue, waacking, and hustle.

Ephrat Asherie Dance / Underscored

With passion and finesse, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra (ASO) plays time-honored masterworks, newly commissioned premieres by prominent composers, and unusual and intriguing repertoire. Among the ASO’s honors is the American Prize in Orchestral Performance. A highlight of the Williams Center program will be the world premiere of an ASO-commissioned work by Composer-in-Residence Clarice Assad. Guitarist Petrit Çeku, a winner of the Schadt String Competition, will perform two of the most popular guitar works in the repertoire: Antonio Vivaldi’s Guitar Concerto in D and Joaquín Rodrigo’s Fantasia para un gentilhombre.

Allentown Symphony Orchestra

In an isolated home in the countryside, dreams lie in tatters and hearts are broken. With nowhere left to turn, the only option for the four characters is to turn on each other. Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) makes her West End debut in this 21st-century retelling of Anton Chekhov’s tale of love and loneliness.

The Seagull

Internationally hailed as one of the world’s foremost avant-garde bands, Olivier Award winners The Tiger Lillies never cease to surprise, shock, and entertain. Their inimitable musical style conjures the macabre magic of pre-war Berlin and fuses it with the savage edge of punk, leaving no deviant edge of theatrics unturned. From the stars of the West End hit Shockheaded Peter, this concoction of cabaret, anarchic opera, and gypsy music echoes the voices of Bertolt Brecht and Jacques Brel—a world that is dark, peculiar, and varied, spiked with black humor and immense beauty.

The Tiger Lillies / From the Circus to the Cemetery

At age 23, Samara Joy is already a phenom. Winner of two Grammy Awards and the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, she’s performed with such legends as Christian McBride and Bill Charlap. She possesses a voice that is rich and velvety, yet precociously refined: “The close precision and frothy power of her voice stand out immediately … so does the depth of her comfort within the jazz tradition,” attests The New York Times. With ease and a preternatural assurance,  Joy swings through understated yet powerful renditions of jazz standards.

Samara Joy

For more than five decades, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has produced classical music interpretations as unconventional as the ensemble’s democratic structure. The Grammy Award winners have recorded over 70 albums on all major classical labels, toured 46 countries, and collaborated with hundreds of world-class soloists. Their performances “have polish and spirit, and display an infectious love for making music” (The New York Times). The incomparable saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis joins Orpheus on selections by Debussy and Ibert, as well as George Gershwin’s inventive and rhapsodic An American in Paris.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Branford Marsalis

Lisa Peterson’s adaptation of The Odyssey brings new life to this ancient epic. Four young women trapped in the limbo of a refugee camp recount Odysseus’ adventures as they struggle with their own search for a home. A production based on the revelatory new translation by Emily Wilson, its bold theatricality brings humor and grace to a story we think we all know. Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley, The Acting Company has launched the careers of such notables as Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Rainn Wilson, Lorraine Touissaint, and Jeffrey Wright.

The Acting Company / Odyssey

Hub New Music marks its 10th anniversary with new and rarely heard music by contemporary composers including a premiere by Jessica Meyer, co-commissioned with the Williams Center for the Arts in recognition of our 40th year. This Grammy-nominated, trailblazing quartet continues to usher in a fresh and culturally relevant body of work for its distinct combination of flute, clarinet, violin, and cello, and its ambitious commissioning projects celebrate the rich diversity of today’s chamber music landscape. “Next time Hub New Music offers a concert, go, listen, and be changed” (Boston Globe).

Hub New Music

The most celebrated modern dance company in America exemplifies its founder’s timeless and uniquely American style of dance—one that has influenced generations of artists and continues to captivate audiences worldwide. The dancers are “technically assured, individual, and, more than most, attuned to their inner emotions” (The New York Times) as they carry on pioneering choreographer Martha Graham’s legacy with “grace, athleticism, and [a] sense of exuberance” (Broadway World). The program features works by Graham, a reimagining of 1952’s Canticle for Innocent Comedians, and a new work by the acclaimed team of Baye & Asa.

Martha Graham Dance Company

Williams Center for the Arts

Named among Downbeat Magazine’s “Top 20 Jazz Drummers,” Allison Miller engages her deep roots in improvisation as a vehicle to explore all music. Her band, Boom Tic Boom, “recalls classic drummer-led ensembles of 50 years ago … [yet] works from a diverse sonic palette that is unmistakably contemporary” (The Wall Street Journal). This all-star ensemble breaks down musical barriers in fearless explorations of folk, funk, Latin, and klezmer music. A musician with enormous spirit and influence, “Miller’s craftiness as a percussionist is met by her ingenuity as a composer and group conceptualist” (The New Yorker).

Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom

Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered, and self-obsessed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to stay afloat, this hilarious, award-winning play—written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge—is a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her some sort of life.

Fleabag

A towering figure in contemporary African music, singer/songwriter/guitarist Fatoumata Diawara’s artistry defines her as the voice of West African womanhood. She’s boldly experimental yet proud of her Malian roots, merging the modernity of stinging electric guitar lines with ancient strings, kit drums with the timeless rhythms of traditional percussion. In slow-burning blues and simmering funk, syncopated Afro-pop and gentle lullabies, Diawara’s riveting sound is burnished by her penetrating, redolent singing. “Incendiary” (The New York Times) and “hypnotic” (Rolling Stone), Fatoumata Diawara’s performances “scream with energy” (NPR).

Fatoumata Diawara

Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, The English Patient) leads the cast in David Hare’s blazing account of the most powerful man in New York. For 40 years Robert Moses exploited those in office to influence the design of parks, bridges, and expressways. A master manipulator, Moses changed the fabric of the city forever.

Straight Line Crazy

The 2019 Williams Center debut of Raphaëlle Boitel’s company l’Oublié(e) introduced audiences to the stunning aesthetic of this French choreographer, director, and aerial mastermind. With extraordinarily fluid body movement, evocative visual style, and dramatic spatial sense, Boitel tells emotional, moving stories shaped by darkness and light. Shadows Cast is a quest for identity, where familial secrets—like ghosts hiding in the past—unfold in a dreamscape of haunting imagery. Soaring, gliding, diving, dancing, catapulting into the sky, Cie l’Oublié(e)’s performers create cinematic visions with high-flying elements of circus craft. “Truly ravishing,” marvels The New York Times.

Raphaëlle Boitel / Cie l’Oubliée

Founded in 2018 by lutenist Thomas Dunford, France’s Jupiter Ensemble has rapidly captured acclaim in the early music firmament. This international assembly of soloists brings the repertoire fully alive with energy and freedom in their playing. Drawing from the ensemble’s award-winning 2019 debut recording Vivaldi, Jupiter performs arias of jealousy, despair, and love, punctuated by concerti for lute, violin, and bassoon—music that illuminates the composer’s sundry sensations, from the sorrowful to the valiant. At the center, rising opera star Lea Desandre beguiles and ignites with a clarion voice and uncommonly beautiful technique.

Jupiter Ensemble Lea Desandre, mezzo-soprano

The Florence of Lorenzo de’ Medici was a maelstrom of art and culture coexisting with power struggles, intrigue, and violence. One artist, above all, captured the light and the shadows of an unforgettable era. From the outset of his career under the Medici, Botticelli asserted himself as the inventor of an ideal Beauty.

Botticelli: Florence and the Medici

“Raucous and exquisitely poised” (The New York Times), “uncompromising and slyly humorous” (Gramophone), David Sanford’s music is a boundary-bursting fusion that takes the third stream ideas of Ellington, Kenton, and Schuller to a whole new plane. With a penchant for the primacy of brass, Sanford returns to the experimental roots of jazz in richly layered charts. The Big Band comprises 20 virtuosi in jazz, avant-garde, classical, funk, and Latin music who triumph in Sanford’s originals and delve into large ensemble literature that draws on popular music, classical, and jazz standards.

David Sanford Big Band

A rollicking new comedy by Richard Bean (One Man, Two Guvnors) and Oliver Chris (Twelfth Night), based on Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s masterpiece, The Rivals. After an aerial dogfight, WWII Pilot Officer Jack Absolute flies home to win the heart of his flame, Lydia Languish, but the young heiress demands to be loved on her own terms.

Jack Absolute Flies Again

For over two decades Imani Winds has championed the evolution of the wind quintet through adventurous programming. With De Memorias, they take inspiration from Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Tania León’s woodwind quintet, dedicated to the Cuban composer Alfredo Diez Nieto. In doing so, Imani journeys onto the field of contemporary Latin composers and the masters who blazed the trail ahead of them. This reflective prism reveals a textured landscape, one that complements introspective designs by Miguel del Águila and Astor Piazzolla with the playfulness of Paquito D’Rivera, Heitor Villa Lobos, and Pixinguinha’s madcap Um a Zero.

Imani Winds / De Memorias

Two thousand years of folk art come alive when China’s expert tumblers, jugglers, gymnasts, and cyclists take the stage. The Peking Acrobats are internationally renowned for incomprehensible feats of physical bravura and artistry. From the dazzling pagoda of chairs and spinning plates, to the lion dance and cycling pyramid, these elite performers thrill with impeccable timing, dexterous athleticism, flexibility, and grace. Accompanied by a live ensemble playing traditional Chinese instruments including erhu, pipa, dizi, and yangqin, the Peking Acrobats’ gravity-defying acts of derring-do leave audiences wondering “How DO they do that?”

Peking Acrobats

The high-wire artistry achieved by this supergroup defies expectation. A bona fide “Who’s Who” of jazz, Artemis brings together six distinct personalities renowned for their solo compositional and performing careers: pianist and musical director Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, alto saxophonist and flutist Alexa Tarantino, tenor sax player Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller. Together, a chemistry born of individual character bursts forth, creating a stunningly eclectic yet entirely cohesive flow. From the Newport Jazz Festival to Carnegie Hall, Artemis astounds with an “extremely cosmopolitan, sleek, rhythm-forward, modern sound” (NPR Music).

Artemis

Isabella Rosselini hosts a journey to one of the world’s richest and most mysterious archaeological sites. A city suspended in time, over the centuries Pompeii has influenced culture and art, from neoclassicism to contemporary art, and its legacy continues to be a source of inspiration.

Pompeii: Sin City

Few ensembles have achieved the stature of the Emerson String Quartet, one of the most celebrated of all time. “For precision and unanimity it is second to none…so perfectly in tune that it [is] almost uncanny,” attests London’s Financial Times. Along with the insightful musicians of the Escher String Quartet, this estimable force takes command of an infrequently performed repertoire, with Mendelssohn’s genre-defining Octet for Strings as its centerpiece. The occasion offers all the more reason to applaud: after 47 superb seasons, the distinguished Emerson takes its final bow in summer 2023.

Williams Center for the Arts

Apr 20, 2024

Coreyah

Apr 16, 2024

Danish String Quartet

Apr 4, 2024

Die Schöne Müllerin

Mar 24, 2024

GOOD

Mar 20, 2024

Tord Gustavsen Trio

Williams Center for the Arts

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