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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 5, 2021Tickets & Information: 212/854-7799www.millertheatre.com

PRESS CONTACTSAleba Gartner, 212/206-1450

aleba@alebaco.comLauren Bailey Cognetti, 212/854-1633

lrb2113@columbia.edu

Miller Theatre at Columbia UniversitySchool of the Arts

 announces

 

The 2021-22 SeasonMiller welcomes live audiences back to Broadway & 116th Street 

for the first time since March 2020

Season opener is a Composer Portrait of Kati Agócs on December 9, 2021  

* Subscriptions on sale starting Tuesday, November 16 * * Single tickets on sale starting Monday, November 29 *

Jump to the Season-at-a-Glance

"I am so excited that we are able to resume concerts at Miller Theatre! It has been anenormous effort to get to this result, and there is yet an enormous effort ahead of us.But we are ready for the challenge. Miller Theatre is, and always has been, a home for

adventurous ideas, programming, and audiences. The composers and musiciansfeatured in our 2021-22 season are eager to share their work, and we can't wait to

finally experience it together."— Melissa Smey, Executive Director of Miller Theatre

O V E R V I E W

COMPOSER PORTRAITSMiller's signature series since 1999 | Each composer to attend their Portrait

KATI AGÓCS: Vocalist Lucy Dhegrae and Third Sound perform the world premiereof Agócs' striking new chamber cantata, co-commissioned by Miller Theatre (12/9)

 LUCA FRANCESCONI: Ensemble Signal's first live concert since COVID features two large-scale premieres by the Italian composer whose work 

Brad Lubman has often conducted in Europe (2/3) 

FELIPE LARA: As longtime champions of this Brazilian-American composer,International Contemporary Ensemble brings his transformative sonic world to life,

including an epic piece for bassoon and electronics (3/3)

 MATANA ROBERTS: A much-deserved Portrait of their challenging, engaging,

socially relevant music features a multimedia world premiere Miller commissionplayed by International Contemporary Ensemble & improvising musicians (4/7)

 THOMAS MEADOWCROFT: The Australian-born Berlin-based composer is a close

collaborator of Yarn/Wire who performs two sprawling world premiere Millercommissions of his "dreamy post-rock" music (4/21)

JAZZ SHOWCASES THREE VISIONARY BANDLEADERS MIGUEL ZENÓN QUARTET (2/12)

LIONEL LOUEKE TRIO (3/5)  KENNY BARRON TRIO (4/2) 

EARLY MUSIC ON THE MILLER STAGESTILE ANTICO—the famed Renaissance vocal ensemble from London—performs sacred music, chansons, and madrigals by masters including

Byrd, Monteverdi, and Tallis (2/19)

BACH WITH SIMONE DINNERSTEIN AS CURATOR & PIANISTCellist Alexis Pia Gerlach joins Dinnerstein in Bach's three Gamba Sonatas (2/17)

Dinnerstein performs her signature Goldberg Variations (3/31)

 Plus:SEASON TWO of Miller's MISSION: COMMISSION PODCAST

This spring, the much-praised reality podcast—which was first produced during thepandemic—follows a new group of composers across a six-week deadline

Miller Theatre is Back 

Miller Theatre's 2021-22 season sees the beloved, bold venue  return  to in-personprogramming 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 producedan invigorating season of “immersive, cutting-edge work that sets the bar high” (The NewYorker) through four classic Miller series: Composer Portraits, Early Music, Bach,and Jazz.

 "There are few series as satisfying as the Miller Theater’s signature dives into onecomposer," states The New York Times about Composer Portraits. This season’s lineup(originally programmed for the 2020/21 season) features five distinct voices from aroundthe world, whose music deserves to be heard more in the city. Large-scale evening-lengthpieces for big forces, numerous premieres, and three Miller commissions fill the programsand 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 composersthey delve into. Ensemble Signal showcases Italian electronic composer  LucaFrancesconi;  International Contemporary Ensemble performs Portraits ofBrazilian-American electroacoustic composer  Felipe Lara and the trailblazingmusician/composer  Matana Roberts;  Yarn/Wire plays music of Australiancomposer  Thomas Meadowcroft. The season opens  with a Portrait of  Kati Agócs,featuring singer Lucy Dhegrae and Third Sound.

 Miller Theatre is also home to exciting Early Music and Bach concerts, having “pioneeredthe mix of antique and avant-garde that the bigger organizations now emulate” (The NewYorker). England’s venerable Stile Antico and Simone Dinnerstein's Bach return thisyear. Jazz is also a passion of Smey, and the stage  welcomes  three fabulousbandleaders: Lionel Loueke, Miguel Zenón, and the Miller debut of Kenny Barronand his esteemed trio. After the COVID shutdown, Miller Theatre was far from silent. It continued to commissionmusic and support composers and musicians, throwing itself into digital  innovationswith  the critically acclaimed podcast  Mission: Commission (Season Two debuts thisspring) and  Live from Columbia, an extension of Pop-Up Concerts that  brings  thecampus to the people through state-of-the-art concert films. World-class musicians rangingfrom the JACK Quartet to Brandee Younger performed  in places like Columbia's famedButler Library and The Lantern, and the public got to watch from the front row—athome. These digital ventures have already reached people in 80 countries and 50 states.

Melissa Smey, photo by Adrienne Stortz

h S

The 2021-22 Season

COMPOSER PORTRAITSwww.millertheatre.com/event-series/composer-portraits

75 minutes or less • Intermissionless • Onstage conversations

Single tickets from $20Series tickets from $80 for all five concerts, or from $48 for three concerts

The iconic and influential Composer Portraits are deep dive immersions into a single livingcomposer’s work, and have been hailed as “utterly indispensable,” “essential,” “endlesslyimportant,” and “invaluable” over and over by The New York Times and The New Yorker,among others. The popularity of this series proves that people like a challenge and trustMiller Theatre to deliver concerts that are always satisfying and thought-provoking. 

For over twenty years, Miller Theatre’s flagship series has fostered the creation of myriadnew works, served as an incubator for emerging artists and a champion of those not yetwell known, and created a community of adventurous listeners. The commissioned photosbelow were taken over the pandemic and are exclusive to Miller Theatre (with theexception of Matana Roberts). 

◆

Thursday, December 9, 2021, 8:00pm

Kati Agócs (b. 1975)

Photo by Robyn Twomey for Miller Theatre

LISTEN

The beautifully crafted music of Kati Agócs delivers visceral power and otherworldlylyricism with soulful directness. The New York Times has characterized her chamber musicas "striking" and her vocal music as possessing "an almost 19th-century naturalness." HerComposer Portrait kicks off Miller’s in-person programming featuring the world premiereof the dramatic, newly commissioned Voices of the Immaculate—a chamber cantata inseven uninterrupted movements written for Third Sound ensemble and vocalist LucyDhegrae.

Lucy Dhegrae, voiceThird 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 byMiller Theatre, Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and PhiladelphiaChamber Music Society     Immutable Dreams (2007)

◆

Thursday, February 3, 2022, 8:00pm

Luca Francesconi (b. 1956)

Photo by Alessandro Grassani for Miller Theatre

LISTEN

The adventurous Ensemble Signal returns to perform two important premieres by Italiancomposer Luca Francesconi, whose “music is the result of a fearless creative voraciousness”

(The Guardian) and who studied with Stockhausen and Berio. His Portrait features a pairof works, including the New York premiere of Trauma Etudes—a large-scale, powerfulpiece that reflects on the human experience of trauma in a modern world.

Ensemble SignalBrad Lubman, conductor

PROGRAM

Trauma Etudes (2018) New York premiereUnexpected End of Formula (2008) U.S. premiere

Presented with the friendly support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

                                                         

◆

Thursday, March 3, 2022, 8:00pm

Felipe Lara (b. 1979)

Photo by Celeste Sloman for Miller Theatre

LISTEN

Brazilian-American electroacoustic composer Felipe Lara writes music that transforms andreinterprets sonic expectations. International Contemporary Ensemble, longtime advocatesof Lara, perform two of his substantial recent works, including Metafagote—a work for solobassoon and six pre-recorded spatialized bassoons that results in the creation of anastonishing soundworld.

International Contemporary Ensemble

PROGRAM

Chambered Spirals (2020)Metafagote (2015)

◆

Thursday, April 7, 2022, 8:00pm

Matana Roberts (b. 1975)

Photo by Evan Hunter McKnight

LISTEN

Matana Roberts is a trailblazing  American composer, saxophonist, and creative artist.Their work is visceral, brilliant, relevant, engaging, and challenging. It defies categorizationand focuses on sonic experimentation through a multi-faceted, often socially and politicallyconscious lens. Miller is proud to present  the world premiere commission of a newiteration  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/performerInternational Contemporary EnsembleMatt Lavelle, bass clarinet and pocket trumpetMaria Grand, tenor saxophoneGeng/King Vision Ultra, wordspeak/samplerThomas Fujiwara, drumset

PROGRAM

I call america: Sandy Speaks… (2019, rev. 2022) world premiere, MillerTheatre commission. This work was originally commissioned by the EarleBrown Music Foundation Charitable Trust for TIME:SPANS 2019

◆

Thursday, April 21, 2022, 8:00pm

Thomas Meadowcroft (b. 1972)

Photo by Karin Streicher for Miller Theatre

LISTEN

The music of Australian-born, Berlin-based composer Thomas Meadowcroft has beendescribed as "reaching an inexpressible purity” (Le Monde) and “dreamy post-rock” (TheNew York Times). The intrepid percussion and piano quartet Yarn/Wire performs theworld premiere of a pair of commissioned works, in which Meadowcroft pulls from anarray of influences to create his own unique take on pop songs. Related Note: OnNovember 9, 2021 at 7pm on Miller's virtual Live From Columbia  concert series,Yarn/Wire can be heard playing Meadowcroft’s Walkman Antiquarian,  which juxtaposesmusic technologies to create an altogether singular sonic experience. 

Yarn/Wire (Laura Barger and Julia Den Boer, piano; Russell Greenberg andSae Hashimoto, percussion)

PROGRAM

Another Children's Television (2021) world premiere, Miller TheatrecommissionPatriarchal Matriarch & Matriarchal Patriarch (2021) world premiere,Miller Theatre commission

These commissions are made possible with lead support fromMark H. Jackson and Karen L. Hagberg

Additional support is provided by theAustralian Performing Rights Association – Art Music Fund

◆

JAZZwww.millertheatre.com/event-series/jazz

Single tickets from $20

Series tickets from $52 for three concerts ◆

Saturday, February 12, 2022, 8:00pm

Miguel Zenón Quartet: SoneroMiguel Zenón, saxophone; Luis Perdomo, piano;

Hans Glawischnig, bass; Henry Cole, drums

(L-R) Hans Glawischnig, Luis Perdomo, Miguel Zenón, Henry Cole

A Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow, Miguel Zenón is one of the most groundbreakingand influential saxophonists of his generation, known for artistry that defies categorization.With his quartet of almost two decades, Zenón performs selections from his recent albumSonero, which pays tribute to the music of the Puerto Rican composer Ismael Rivera.

◆

Saturday, March 5, 2022, 8:00pm

Lionel Loueke TrioLionel Loueke, guitar and vocals; Massimo Biolcati, bass; Ferenc Nemeth, drums

Photo of Lionel Loueke by Jean-Baptiste Millot

Called “a musical painter” by his mentor Herbie Hancock, acclaimed guitarist LionelLoueke has achieved international acclaim as an extraordinary artist, combining harmonicsophistication, soaring melody, and a deep knowledge of African music. He brings hiscelebrated trio, longtime collaborators from their days at Berklee College of Music, toshowcase his signature warm and evocative sound.

◆

Saturday, April 2, 2022, 8:00pm

Kenny Barron TrioKenny Barron, piano; Kiyoshi Kitagawa, bass; Johnathan Blake, drums

(L-R) Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake, Kenny Barron; Photo by Philippe Lévy-Stab

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 beenleading for the last decade. Here is a chance to experience the American Jazz Hall of Fameinductee who mesmerizes audiences with his lyrical melodies and infectious rhythms.

EARLY MUSICSingle tickets from $30

 “Columbia University’s performance hub advocates just as vigorously for early music

as it does for contemporary work.” — The New Yorker  ◆

Saturday, February 19, 2022, 8:00pm

Stile AnticoToward the Dawn

Photo of Stile Antico by Musicarte Media

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 coursefrom twilight to sunrise, echoing both the rhythms of church liturgy and the medievalexperience of night, seductive and unsettling in equal measure. Experience a combinationof sacred music, chansons, and madrigals by masters such as Byrd, Monteverdi, and Tallis,including the exquisite Miserere by Allegri.

Stile Antico

PROGRAMGregorio AllegriWilliam ByrdOrlande de LassusMonteverdiThomas Morley/Philippe RogierNico MuhlyJohn SheppardThomas TallisJohn TavernerJohn WardJohn WilbyeRobert White

MiserereVigilateToutes les nuitzEcco mormorar l’ondeLaboravi in gemitu meoGentle SleepIn manus tuasO nata lux de lumine    Ave Dei Patris filiaCome, sable nightDraw on sweet nightChriste qui lux es et dies

BACHmillertheatre.com/event-series/bach

 Single tickets from $30

Series tickets from $52 for two concerts

“Although the Miller Theater at Columbia University is indelibly tied to contemporarycomposers and early music, the voluminous canon of Johann Sebastian Bach has long

formed a third pillar of that institution’s programming.” — The New York Times 

◆

Thursday, February 17, 2022, 8:00pm

Gamba Sonatas

Photo of Alexis Pia Gerlach by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

In this intimate recital, celebrated pianist Simone Dinnerstein is joined by the expressivecellist Alexis Pia Gerlach for their unique interpretation of Bach’s three Gamba Sonatas.

Alexis Gerlach, celloSimone 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)

◆

Thursday, March 31, 2022, 8:00pm

Goldberg Variations

Photo of Simone Dinnerstein by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

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 distinctiveperformance of the iconic work went on to become the bestselling classical album that yearand established the pianist as “a unique voice in the forest of Bach interpretation” (TheNew York Times).

Simone Dinnerstein, piano 

PROGRAM

J.S. Bach      Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1741)

DIGITAL MILLER CONTINUES

While in-person programming was on pause over the past 18+ months, Miller’s missionwas anything but. Miller launched several brand new digital series unique to Miller,including the acclaimed podcast Mission: Commission (which produced brand new worksby three groundbreaking contemporary composers: Marcos Balter, Courtney Bryan, andAugusta Read Thomas)  and a digital version of the theatre's beloved Pop-Up Concertsseries, called Live from Columbia. This programming has reached audiences in all 50states and in 80 countries across the globe, many of which are new audiences for Miller.

◆

Mission: CommissionSeason Two

 

“Mission: Commission is breaking new ground.Rarely are audiences granted this kind of insight into a composer’s process.”

– The New York Times 

Commissioning new work is at the heart of Miller Theatre’s mission, and MelissaSmey  was  determined to create opportunities for composers and musicians during theworst months of the pandemic, while in-person concerts were on pause. Produced by GoldaArthur and hosted by Smey, Season One of Mission: Commission comprised six episodesthat demystified  the process of how classical music get made, from blank page to doublebar. It closely followed the creative journeys of three composers who were given just sixweeks to create a newly commissioned piece of music. Miller’s foray into the world ofpodcasts was an enormous success, and  Miller is excited to continue with Season Two,which launches in  spring 2022. The new season will feature all new composers, newmusicians, the same brilliant production team and the same six-week timeline. 

Golda Arthur, ProducerMelissa Smey, Co-Creator, Producer and Host

Adrienne Stortz, Co-Creator and ProducerLauren Cognetti, Co-Creator and Assistant Producer

Taylor Riccio, Assistant ProducerErick Gomez, Sound Designer and Engineer

◆

NOW STREAMING ON-DEMAND

LIVE FROM COLUMBIADigital Pop-Up Concerts

Miller continued its popular  Pop-Up Concerts  series while the stage was dark,  offeringaudiences a virtual front-row seat to new performances filmed live  in iconic locations atColumbia University, from Butler Library to The Lantern inside the Lenfest Center for theArts. 

"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 (WILL PREMIERE THIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9)Filmed from the Miller Theatre Stage

Simone Dinnerstein, pianoFilmed in Butler Library | Premiered on October 12, 2021

Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz OrchestraLivestreamed from the Miller Theatre Stage | Premiered on September 18, 2021

Regional de NY plays Brazilian choroFilmed in the Lantern | Premiered on April 27, 2021

Attacca Quartet plays John Adams, Paul Wiancko, Gabriella SmithFilmed in the Lantern | Premiered on April 6, 2021

JACK Quartet performs Lachenmann's GridoFilmed in the Lantern | Premiered on February 16, 2021

Brandee Younger, harp and Dezron Douglas, double bassFilmed in the Lantern | Premiered on January 19, 2021

Mariel Roberts, cello, performing Bach, Saint-Saëns, George LewisFilmed in the Lantern | Premiered on November 17, 2020

SEASON AT A GLANCE 

Thursday, December 9, 2021, 8:00pmComposer PortraitsKati AgócsLucy Dhegrae, voiceThird SoundTricia Toliver, lighting designer

 

Thursday, February 3, 2022, 8:00pmComposer PortraitsLuca FrancesconiEnsemble SignalBrad Lubman, conductor

 

Saturday, February 12, 2022, 8:00pmJazzMiguel Zenón Quartet: SoneroMiguel Zenón, saxophoneLuis Perdomo, pianoHans Glawischnig, bassHenry Cole, drums

 

Thursday, February 17, 2022, 8:00pmBachGamba SonatasAlexis Pia Gerlach, celloSimone Dinnerstein, piano

 

Saturday, February 19, 2022, 8:00pmEarly MusicStile Antico: Toward the Dawn

 

Thursday, March 3, 2022, 8:00pmComposer PortraitsFelipe LaraInternational Contemporary Ensemble

 

Saturday, March 5, 2022, 8:00pmJazzLionel Loueke TrioLionel Loueke, guitar and vocalsMassimo Biolcati, bassFerenc Nemeth, drums

 

Thursday, March 31, 2022, 8:00pmBachGoldberg VariationsSimone Dinnerstein, piano

 

Saturday, April 2, 2022, 8:00pmJazzKenny Barron TrioKenny Barron, pianoKiyoshi Kitagawa, bassJohnathan Blake, drums

 

Thursday, April 7, 2022, 8:00pmComposer PortraitsMatana Robertsvarious artists

 

Thursday, April 21, 2022, 8:00pmComposer PortraitsThomas MeadowcroftYarn/Wire

COVID POLICIES AND GUIDELINES

The safety of audiences, staff, and musicians is important to Miller Theatre and toColumbia University. Miller Theatre will act to protect the health and safety of allpersonnel by following Columbia University, New York State, and New York City guidanceand policies. All Miller Theatre events this season will be 75 minutes or less with nointermission to reduce congestion in lobby areas. We have added a mobile ticketing optionto provide a seamless, contact-free entry.

In order to return to Miller Theatre, audiences must:

Provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination along with an accompanying photo ID Wear a mask at all times upon entering the doors of Miller TheatreStay home if you don't feel well

Read the complete details of Miller's COVID-19 policies.All ticket buyers must agree to adhere to these policies during the ticket-buying process.

Miller Theatre at Columbia Universitymillertheatre.com

Miller Theatre at Columbia University is the leading presenter of new music in New YorkCity and one of the most vital forces nationwide for innovative programming. Inpartnership with Columbia University School of the Arts, Miller is dedicated to producingand presenting unique events, with a focus on contemporary and early music, jazz, opera,and multimedia performances. Founded in 1988, Miller Theatre has helped launch thecareers of myriad composers and ensembles over the years, serving as an incubator foremerging artists and a champion of those not yet well known in the United States. A four-time recipient of the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for AdventurousProgramming, Miller Theatre continues to meet the high expectations set forth by itsfounders—to present innovative programs, support the development of new work, andconnect creative artists with adventurous audiences.

Miller Theatre's 2021-22 season is supported by the New York State Council on the Artswith the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature,

and by the Howard Gilman Foundation.

Support for contemporary music is provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Additional supportis provided by the Amphion Foundation.

    

Support for Live from Columbia is provided by the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation.

Support for Mission: Commission is provided by the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For further information, press tickets, and to arrange interviews,

please contact Aleba & Co. at 212/206-1450 or aleba@alebaco.com.

For photos, please contact Lauren Bailey Cognetti, lrb2113@columbia.edu.

 

Copyright © 2021 Aleba & Co., All rights reserved.

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