Caroline Shaw and So Percussion (feat. Ringdown)

So Percussion has redefined chamber music through their commitment to the creation and amplification of new work. The ensemble is celebrated for a dazzling range of activities: live performances, contributions to education and community, and the creation of opportunities and platforms for music and artists. In their Middlebury debut, they’ll collaborate with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, featuring songs and highlights from their latest co-composed album Rectangles and Circumstance. 

The program features Shaw’s unmistakable melodies and rich harmonies floating on top of the whirling post-minimal complexity of So’s rhythmic patterns, giving voice to lyrics from James Joyce, Emily Dickinson, William Blake, Emily Brönte, members of So, and Shaw herself. 

The concert will also feature Shaw’s Ringdown partner Danni Lee, plus include selections from Jason Treuting’s Go Placidly with Haste performed with Middlebury students.

About the Artists: Brooklyn-based So Percussion was founded in 1999 at the Yale School of Music and has been transforming the definitions of percussion and chamber music ensembles ever since through an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (New Yorker). They’ve brought to life the vibrant percussion repertoire for an extravagant array of collaborations in classical music, pop, indie rock, contemporary dance, and theater; and for their work in education and community, creating opportunities and platforms for music and artists that explore the immense possibility of art in our time.

Caroline Shaw is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and vocalist known for her innovative blend of classical and contemporary music. Her works, spanning from solo works to large-scale orchestral pieces, reflect a distinctive and deeply expressive approach, captivating audiences globally with their dynamic and emotive qualities. Her genre-bending compositions have been performed worldwide by leading ensembles, showcasing her profound musical voice.

Danni Lee is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter based in Portland, OR. Her latest album, “Truth Teller” (October 2021), has her focusing her efforts on distorted electric tenor ukulele and rule-breaking how instruments are “supposed” to be played. Known for her live performance energy and witty stage banter, Lee’s live shows have been described as equal parts stand-up comedy and live music. Whether you laugh or cry—or both—her emotionally driven lyrics will be stuck in your head for weeks and weeks. 

“a collection of clandestine earworms—nonchalant but generous music whose swarms of percussion and electronics swirl around the spine of [Shaw’s] bright voice.”—NPR

“exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam”—New Yorker

Program: 
Eric Cha-Beach, Percussion
Josh Quillen, Percussion
Adam Sliwinski, Percussion
Jason Treuting, Percussion
Caroline Shaw, Vocals plus…
Danni Lee, Vocals plus…

Selected works from the artists’ collaborative albums 
JASON TREUTING Selections from Go Placidly with Haste (with Middlebury students)

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25 general public | $20 Middlebury ID holders | $10 Youth (Under 21) | $5 Middlebury students. Buy tickets: http://go.middlebury.edu/tickets

Approximate running time: 75 minutes; no intermission.

Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series, the Paul Nelson Performance Endowment, the Committee on the Arts, and the Rothrock Family Residency Fund.

Learn more about the artists: 
https://sopercussion.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sopercussion
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sopercussion/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sopercussion
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0aNLauXlYmoVmPmpYS7Ut6?si=mKG-mZHuTQKgUax0sXHhFg

https://carolineshaw.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolineadelaideshaw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolineadelaideshaw
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuLNIidedTrBubJTVA8DVwg
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3uUFClFtbjbjQQIq4BjY2C?si=Gi-ELxNsTsKpEyjTi83JYA

Watch a video: https://youtu.be/-cHc4n5mgNM?si=8eJRTrD48WHkU4Ua

Performance subject to change.