Performing Arts Series

Cellist Sophie Shao appears to have an exhaustive supply of supremely talented friends. She returns for her ninth consecutive season—this time with violinist Jennifer Frautschi, violist Dimitri Murrath, and pianist Gloria Chien—for an afternoon of chamber music including Beethoven’s C Minor string trio, Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 2, and Dvorak’s second piano quartet. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series. Reserved seating. Tickets: $25/20/6

In addition to being beloved by our local audience, pianist Paul Lewis is internationally regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. Lewis makes his return to Middlebury with a mixed repertoire program including a Bach partita, Beethoven’s fourth piano sonata, three Chopin waltzes, and Weber’s Sonata No. 2. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series. Reserved seating. Tickets: $25/20/6

The Performing Arts Series collaborates with the Bach Festival again this season—this time with a keyboard performance. Organist Nathan Laube treats audiences to a Bach program that celebrates Mead Chapel’s 45-year-old Gress-Miles organ. The Oberlin Review may have said it best: “The organ is indeed the king of instruments and Mr. Laube one of its supreme players.” Laube’s brilliant playing and gracious demeanor have thrilled audiences and presenters across the United States and in Europe. He offers a pre-concert lecture at 2:15 PM.

Named after the 19th-century German poet Christian Morgenstern, this young trio has been lauded by the Washington Post for “…a unanimity, polished technique, and musical imagination.” After only two short years working together, they burst onto the music scene, receiving top prizes and awards, including the prestigious Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio Award in 2010. In this, their Vermont debut, the trio plays works by Tailleferre, Ravel, and Vermont native Pierre Jalbert. Jalbert offers a pre-concert lecture at 6:30 PM in Room 125. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

One of the finest musicians of her generation, Maria Joao Pires continues to transfix audiences with the spotless integrity, eloquence, and vitality of her art. Also a dedicated educator, she performs recitals with her most gifted piano students as part of her “Partitura Project,” designed to create an altruistic dynamic between artists of different generations.

Join Maree ReMalia / merrygogo for The Ubiquitous Mass of Us, an evening-length, escalating journey where nine performers from across artistic disciplines question the bounds of their identities. Moving in and around the set designed by visual artist Blaine Siegel, they explore the way they take up space. Watch them bare a broad range of physicality and newly discovered expressions to an original soundscore by David Bernabo. For all ages, seasoned performance goers, and those new to the theater. The artists offer a post-performance discussion both nights.

Join Maree ReMalia / merrygogo for The Ubiquitous Mass of Us, an evening-length, escalating journey where nine performers from across artistic disciplines question the bounds of their identities. Moving in and around the set designed by visual artist Blaine Siegel, they explore the way they take up space. Watch them bare a broad range of physicality and newly discovered expressions to an original soundscore by David Bernabo. For all ages, seasoned performance goers, and those new to the theater. The artists offer a post-performance discussion both nights.

Winner of the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Competition, this trio has been hailed for its “passionate playing, articulate and imaginative ideas and wide palette of colors”—The Strad. At their Weill Recital Hall debut at Carnegie Hall, the New York Times lauded the ensemble’s “…rich sound and nuanced musicianship…resulting in a finely hued collaboration among the three musicians.” Their program honoring Veteran’s Day, entitled “Recovered Voices: Music by European Composers Displaced by World War II,” includes music by Krenek, Ben-Haim, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and Weinberg.

Acclaimed composer, singer, and violinist Jenny Scheinman invites us into the captivating visual world of Depression-era filmmaker, H. Lee Waters. Scheinman and her musical sidemen, Robbie Fulks and Robbie Gjersoe, create a live soundtrack of new folksongs, fiddle music, and field sounds to accompany Waters’ fascinating footage, now masterfully reworked by director Finn Taylor. The result is a reflection on “the gaze” both then and now; the evolution of mill towns; and a striking commentary on race, class, and the American experience.

The Jupiter String Quartet is known around the world for blazing, passionate, and energetic performances. Between three of the four members being related, and their annual treks to Middlebury, the Jupiters feel like family. This time, they visit our Robison Hall (Concert Hall) with friends: the husband and wife team of violist Roger Tapping (whom many will remember from his many years with the Takács Quartet) and cellist Natasha Brofsky.