Performing Arts Series

By Waterwell

By Waterwell

Learn more about this concert’s music in a free pre-concert lecture by Professor Emeritus of Music Larry Hamberlin.

Hailed as an artist “alight with the spirit of the music” (Boston Globe), three-time Grammy-winning bass-baritone Dashon Burton has built a vibrant career, performing regularly throughout the U.S. and Europe. His deep, expressive voice wields extraordinary power and warmth. At Middlebury, Burton will perform selections from the 1946 Middlebury recital of Paul Robeson, a celebrated singer, actor, athlete, and advocate for the civil rights of people around the world.

Fresh off their Juilliard residency, the multi-award-winning Katarina String Quartet makes a Vermont debut in our annual free quartet concert, courtesy of the Sunderman Family Concert Fund.  Their program “The Rest Will Change” follows the compositional journey of Gourzi, Fung, Beethoven, and Quebecois traditional music to pursue the thought that the only constant is change. Come hear one of North America’s most exciting young ensembles, founded in Montreal and now based in New York.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine transformed Bandura virtuoso Maryna Krut from being a singer and performer updating a beautiful tradition of music to being a witness testifying around the world about the devastating war in her homeland. From her temporary home in the west of Ukraine, she travels to the front lines of the war to perform for soldiers. In Ukraine, Krut gained a national following after appearances on that country’s versions of “The X Factor” and “The Voice,” as well as placing in Eurovision.

Learn more about this concert’s music in a free pre-concert lecture by Professor Emeritus of Music Larry Hamberlin.

No season is complete without our perennial favorite, cellist Sophie Shao, and her talented collaborators. This year, Shao has expanded her circle of award-winning friends to six, who will delight our community with the lush sounds of the beloved sextets of Dvorák and Brahms. They’ll also play Arensky’s quartet for violin, viola, and two cellos—a deeply expressive, late-Romantic homage to his friend Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Tierra del Sol is a community-based ballet folklorico whose aim is to preserve, present, and promote Mexican cultural heritage through traditional dance and music. They will share the rich beauty and diversity of the dances, history, and costumes of Mexico in this matinee event, alongside Middlebury dancers. This performance is the culminating event of their current Rothrock Residency working with Middlebury students. 

Free. No tickets required. Approximate running time: 75 minutes with a 10 minute intermission. A Q&A with the artists will follow the performance. 

Sponsored by the Rothrock Family Residency Fund for Experiential Learning in the Performing Arts. Learn more about the artists:  https://sites.google.com/site/tierradelsolboston/

Join us in making flower headpieces that are traditionally used for Mexican folk dance performances. This will be a great opportunity to meet people from various backgrounds and create community. We will have multiple stations to allow the participants to enjoy the costume-making process. We hope to see you there! For more information visit: go/tierradelsol

Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the award-winning Celtic quintet Goitse (a Gaelic word for “come here,” pronounced “Go-wit-cha”). Named Live Ireland’s “Traditional Group of the Year” and Chicago Irish American News’ “Group of the Year,” Goitse is leading the new generation of traditional Irish ensembles. Their distinctive sound lies in the quality of their original compositions, interspersed with age-old traditional tunes, making each performance unique.