Performing Arts Series

Performed by Roger Guenveur Smith History, poetry, and tragedy collide when stage and film actor Roger Guenveur Smith (American Gangster, Malcolm X) tackles the thorny odyssey of Rodney King, caught in the glare of the national spotlight as the victim of police brutality that ignited the 1992 L.A. riots. In this riveting performance, Smith offers a meditation on a flawed, good-hearted man and reveals America’s endlessly complicated relationship with its racial past and present. “Roger Guenveur Smith gets it all and gets it brilliantly”— New York Times.

Renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw is Artistic Director of the Graduate Vocal Arts Program at Bard College’s Conservatory of Music. Passionate about educating the next generation of singers, she will lead a master class for five Middlebury College voice students. Free

While Jean-Michel Pilc is a premier jazz pianist, he believes that improvisation is central to the development of all music and musicians. As he lectures from the piano, Pilc will explore the role of originality, communication, and expression in improvisation. Free

The Vermont premiere of Legends of Kintamani—a new cello concerto by Middlebury Professor of Music Su Lian Tan—is a unique collaboration with the Digital Liberal Arts (DLA) Initiative, cellist Darrett Adkins, and the Burlington Chamber Orchestra (BCO) with guest conductor Evan Bennett. Accompanied by projection of large animated murals of mythical Bali produced by Middlebury students in the DLA Initiative’s Animation Studio, the five-movement storytelling form depicts a return to a more innocent time, where mythology and reality combine in fairy tales.

Although the Belcea Quartet was founded at the Royal College of Music in London over 20 years ago, they “still play like a young quartet, seizing the music’s energy, shocking us out of our seats with every fortissimo”—The Guardian. The quartet returns to perform a program of Brahms and Schubert quartets, including Death and the Maiden. This Performing Arts Series concert is made possible with generous support from Olin C. Robison. Reserved seating. Tickets: $25/20/6

Recognized worldwide as a pianist of virtuosity and poetic poise, Imogen Cooper has established her reputation as one of the finest interpreters of the classical repertoire. The Guardian of London described a recent performance as “playing of the greatest intelligence and musical integrity.” In her return to Middlebury, Cooper offers a program including Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy, and Albeniz. Pre-concert lecture by Professor of Music Greg Vitercik, 6:30 PM in Room 125. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series. Reserved seating. Tickets: $25/20/6

Five-time Grammy-award winner, soprano Dawn Upshaw has achieved worldwide celebrity as a singer of opera and concert repertoire ranging from the sacred works of Bach to the freshest sounds of today. Her ability to reach to the heart of music and text has earned her both the devotion of an exceptionally diverse audience and the awards and honors accorded to only the most distinguished of artists. In Middlebury, she offers a traditional song recital with her regular duo partner, pianist Gil Kalish, singing a program of works by Ravel, Schubert, Bartók, Bolcom, and more.

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.