Meany Hall for the Performing Arts

Fierce friends as well as colleagues, the Danish String Quartet is celebrated not only for their integrated sound and impeccable intonation, but for the infectious joy they bring to music making. The quartet, which has been playing together since childhood, returns to the Meany stage with an imaginative program of Purcell as arranged by Britten, a suite of dances by composers spanning continents and centuries, and the quartet’s own unique arrangements of traditional Nordic folk music. This is one of… Continue Reading Danish String Quartet

Composer, pianist and singer Gabriel Kahane grafts a deep interest in storytelling to a keen sense of harmony and rhythm. In this intimate solo performance, he presents a new slate of songs selected from thirty-one pieces he composed in October 2020, one for each day of that tumultuous month. This latest work — among the most personal Kahane has written in a decade — is, by design, introspective. Marriage, friendship and fatherhood come to the fore against the ambient grief… Continue Reading Gabriel Kahane

The acclaimed Imani Winds and Catalyst Quartet present a bold combination of chamber music for winds and strings with (im)migration: music of change. Known for their dynamic performances and innovative repertoire, Grammy-nominated Imani Winds leads a revolution of the wind quintet while Catalyst Quartet features alumni from the internationally acclaimed Sphinx Organization. Performing individually and together, they present a program highlighting the experiences of migration, built around Sergeant McCauley, their newly commissioned piece from violinist and composer Jessie Montgomery. Dazzling… Continue Reading Imani Winds & Catalyst Quartet

Simone Dinnerstein is an inventive pianist “of strikingly original ideas and irrefutable integrity” (The Washington Post), known for projects that express her diverse musical interests. Her newest recording, An American Mosaic, features a 15-movement cycle for solo piano composed by Richard Danielpour. Inspired by Dinnerstein’s Bach recordings, the composer created the work to give comfort to all who have struggled through these challenging times. This deeply affecting composition is accompanied by Danielpour’s Three Bach Transcriptions, written as a thank-you to… Continue Reading Simone Dinnerstein

Violinist Philip Setzer of the Emerson Quartet joins pianist Wu Han and cellist David Finckel for this performance of dynamic trio chamber music. Ranked among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today, the trio returns to Meany Center with a program that features Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Four African Dances for violin and piano alongside the eerily beautiful strains of Beethoven’s “Ghost” trio and Dvořák’s intense and stormy third piano trio. The music unfolded like a spontaneous, heady… Continue Reading Wu Han, Philip Setzer & David Finckel

Praised by The Washington Post for combining “staggering technical prowess, a sense of command and depth of expression,” pianist George Li possesses an effortless grace, brilliant technique and poised authority far beyond his years. A silver medalist at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Li has established a major international reputation with performances on the world’s most prestigious stages. For his Meany debut, Li showcases Qigang Chen’s Peking opera-inspired “Moments,” alongside Schumann’s Op. 17 and 18, and Liszt’s towering pinnacle for… Continue Reading George Li

Acclaimed for her extraordinary lyricism, technique and versatility, classical guitarist Sharon Isbin was named the 2020 Musical America Worldwide Instrumentalist of the Year, the first guitarist ever to receive the coveted honor. Isbin has won multiple Grammys and has recorded over 30 albums ranging from Baroque, Spanish and 20th-century classical guitar to jazz fusion and crossover. She continues to expand the guitar repertoire including recent performances with India’s legendary Amjad Ali Khan in Strings for Peace. In this Meany Center… Continue Reading Sharon Isbin

For over 38 years, the groundbreaking Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company has revolutionized modern dance while exploring issues of identity. The company’s work What Problem? evokes the tension between belonging to a community and feelings of isolation in divisive times. Jones pursues the elusive “we” in this highly personal work with a performance that includes a cast of local community members. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick serve as the basis… Continue Reading Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company

The Emerson String Quartet’s performances combine “an extraordinary fusion of experience and authority with audacity and freshness” (The Boston Globe). Over four decades, the quartet has accumulated an impressive list of achievements, including over 30 notable recordings, nine Grammys, three Gramophone Awards and the Avery Fisher Prize. These long-time friends of Meany perform works by Haydn and Borodin, and the poetic Lyric for Strings, composed by George Walker — the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music… Continue Reading Emerson String Quartet

One of America’s foremost pianists, Jeremy Denk’s creative blend of virtuosic dexterity and colorful imagination has earned him praise as “an artist you want to hear no matter what he performs” (The New York Times). Winner of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize, he is also lauded for his original and insightful writing about music. Denk returns to Meany with a program that examines the interplay between Bach and Schubert with four American-inspired works and culminates in… Continue Reading Jeremy Denk

Third Coast Percussion joins forces with the groundbreaking choreography of Movement Art Is (MAI) for an evening-length program that explores the duality of human nature. At once intensely personal and fiercely virtuosic, MAI co-founders and choreographers Lil Buck and Jon Boogz seamlessly blend two disparate styles of street dance with new music by Jlin and Tyondai Braxton, as well as Third Coast Percussion’s critically acclaimed arrangement of Philip Glass’ Aguas da Amazonia. MAI advocates for social change while expressing how… Continue Reading Third Coast Percussion/Movement Art Is

Seattle native Mark Morris — revered as “the most artfully musical choreographer alive” (The New York Times) — creates singular works that combine beautiful music, graceful movement and delicious wit. This season, his dance group performs three joyful works accompanied by the company’s own music ensemble: Words, set to 18 of Felix Mendelssohn’s 48 enchanting Songs Without Words; Rock of Ages, performed to the adagio movement of Franz Schubert’s Nocturne; and Festival Dances, set to a piano trio by Johann… Continue Reading Mark Morris Dance Group And Music Ensemble

Pianist Joyce Yang captivates audiences around the globe with her stunning virtuosity, heartfelt lyricism and vibrant musical personality. Yang first came to international attention as the Silver Medalist of the 12th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Her powerful musicianship is showcased in a program ranging from Bach and Mozart to Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky, combined with a musical “kiss” written by Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, a work Yang premiered during quarantine. Vivid and beautiful playing.… Continue Reading Joyce Yang

For over a quarter century, the Jerusalem Quartet has toured the world, earning rave reviews for its warm, full sound — a balance so finely tuned that The New York Times described the ensemble as “a single instrument with 16 strings.” They return to Meany Center with a program that explores different approaches to the art of the fugue through jewels of the string quartet repertoire by Haydn, Beethoven and Shostakovich. Passion, precision, warmth, a gold blend. — The New… Continue Reading Jerusalem Quartet

Known for her electric stage presence and galvanizing live shows, Meklit has rocked stages from London to Cairo. The Ethiopian American vocalist and songwriter makes music that sways between cultures and continents, blending jazz, folk and East African influences. An innovator and activist, Meklit co-founded the Nile Project and her latest album, When the People Move, The Music Moves Too, reached the top of the iTunes and European world music charts. In the world premiere of her new show, Meklit’s… Continue Reading Meklit