Performing Arts Series

Perennial favorite, cellist Sophie Shao, opens our 106th season with an accomplished, all-female ensemble. Shao is joined by violinist Carmit Zori and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute to perform selections from François Couperin’s Five Concert Pieces for Cello & Piano, as a nod to the Museum of Art’s “Le Petit Salon” exhibition. Additional works include Amy Beach’s Piano Trio, the Vermont premiere of Elena Ruehr’s second Cello Sonata, and Dvorák’s F Minor Piano Trio.

Fusing butoh dance theater, hip-hop mixology, new music, and multimedia,the Vermont premiere of time/life/beauty by Michael Sakamoto and Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) is inspired by the legacy of famed composer-musician and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023). Inspired by the variety and mystery of Ryuichi’s music, interdisciplinary collaborations, and environmental and anti-war commitments, time/life/beauty looks at the past, present, and future of acute cultural, social, and ecological themes in our historical moment.

Fusing butoh dance theater, hip-hop mixology, new music, and multimedia,the Vermont premiere of time/life/beauty by Michael Sakamoto and Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) is inspired by the legacy of famed composer-musician and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023). Inspired by the variety and mystery of Ryuichi’s music, interdisciplinary collaborations, and environmental and anti-war commitments, time/life/beauty looks at the past, present, and future of acute cultural, social, and ecological themes in our historical moment.

Don’t miss the Vermont debut of this wholly original, classically-trained, composing pianist Nahre Sol, who’s amassed over 75 million views on her YouTube channel. Sol’s music draws from her diverse musical influences, from chamber music to ambient soundscapes, improvisation, and more. Expect to hear solo music (both familiar and original) that’s playful, colorful, agile, emotional, and picturesque.

Approximate running time: 100 minutes including one intermission.

About the Artist:

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

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

Food Drive at the MAC

Rising star jazz pianist Isaiah J. Thompson makes his Middlebury debut with “A Guaraldi Holiday,” which promises to start your December in a swinging mood. Thompson will highlight the works of composer/pianist Vince Guaraldi, who introduced generations to jazz through his Peanuts cartoon-accompanying scores. Guaraldi’s works are in good hands with Thompson, who’s already been named a Steinway artist, and is the winner of the 2023 American Pianists Association Awards, as well as their Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz.

The forgotten story of Mozart’s genius sister. This award-winning play written and performed by Sylvia Milo tells the true story of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of Amadeus. She was a prodigy, keyboard virtuoso, and composer who performed throughout Europe with her brother, to equal acclaim—but her work and her story faded away, lost to history.

The visiting faculty ensemble from the Music Institute of Long Island (our Rothrock Residency artists) share what recordings they are listening to that inspire them.  Open to all Middlebury ID holders. Bring your own lunch or grab from Ross Dining upstairs.  A free playlist will be provided after lunch. Signup at go/listeninglunch

Faculty musicians from the Music Institute of Long Island (MILI) treat us to an evening of chamber music including Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Turina, Mendelssohn, and more!  Established in 1990, MILI is a classical music school staffed by exceptional instructors from many of the most prestigious conservatories and graduate music schools in the United States and Europe. This performance is the culminating event of their current Rothrock Residency working with Middlebury students.

About the Artists: