Performing Arts Series

Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han are not only “chamber music’s busy power couple”(New York Times) but also two of Middlebury’s most frequent and beloved performers. In this video presentation, they’ve invited us into their Westchester home for a French-inspired program of cello sonatas by Saint-Saëns and Franck. Special commentary by the artists and a surprise encore included. Part of our 2022 celebration of the cello.

Concert program:

Camille Saint-Saëns, Sonata no. 1 in C Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 32 (1872)

The great Catalan cellist Pablo Casals (1876–1973) stands alone as arguably the most influential and universally revered instrumentalist of all time. He was first cellist in history to recognize Bach’s Six Solo Suites as great music, and the first to record them. This was only one of the musical milestones of this extraordinary man, who not only dominated cello playing for more than half a century, but also served as an uncompromising and indisputable voice of social conscience.

One of the most historied Shakespeare theatre companies in the world takes on the Bard’s comedic masterpiece, exploring two wildly different romances, each wrapped in secrets and trickery. Co-founded by Sir Patrick Stewart in 1975, Actors From The London Stage embraces theatrical simplicity at its finest. Five actors take the stage, with minimal props and costumes, and direct themselves in a performance of a complete Shakespeare play, with each actor portraying multiple roles.

We’re thrilled to welcome back the acclaimed Takács Quartet, long-time friends of the Performing Arts Series and “one of the world’s greatest string quartets” (The New York Times) for their 27^th appearance at Middlebury. For this unique collaborative concert, the Takács will be joined by Julien Labro, one of the foremost accordion and bandoneon players in both the classical and jazz worlds. His artistry, virtuosity, and creativity as a musician, composer, and arranger have earned him international acclaim.

Nobuntu, the dazzling female a cappella quintet from Zimbabwe, has drawn international acclaim for its inventive performances that range from traditional Mbube songs to Afro Jazz and Gospel. The ensemble’s concerts are performed with pure voices, augmented by minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments such as the Mbira, and organic, authentic dance movements. Their traditional Mbube songs (mostly in native languages) center around family, work, faith, and home, and are affirming, authentic, and celebratory.

Performance subject to change.

Extraordinary Vermont-based cellist and composer Zoë Keating continues our cello celebration with a contemporary lens. A one-woman orchestra, she uses a cello and a foot-controlled laptop to record layer upon layer of cello, creating intricate, haunting, and compelling music. Keating has a devoted global audience and her self-released albums have reached #1 several times on the iTunes classical chart. She has composed music for ballet, theater, film, and radio and lends her music regularly to film, tv, dance productions, and commercials.

Hailing from historic County Waterford, Danú is one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of today. Their standing-room only concerts throughout Ireland are true events featuring high-energy performances and a glorious mix of ancient Irish music and new repertoire. Danú’s virtuosi players on flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki, and vocals (Irish and English), have performed around the globe and recorded seven critically acclaimed albums. Their Middlebury debut program is sure to warm your spirits in advance of St. Patrick’s Day.

Conference of the Birds is an evening-length, multi-media movement theater work inspired by the epic poem of Farid Ud din Attar, embodying modern-day stories of migration. Attar’s The Conference of the Birds is the tale of a group of birds that set off in search of a mythical being, the Simurgh. Many of the birds abandon the quest. When the remaining birds arrive in the land of the Simurgh, they find themselves reflected—they are the very deity they seek.

Conference of the Birds is an evening-length, multi-media movement theater work inspired by the epic poem of Farid Ud din Attar, embodying modern-day stories of migration. Attar’s The Conference of the Birds is the tale of a group of birds that set off in search of a mythical being, the Simurgh. Many of the birds abandon the quest. When the remaining birds arrive in the land of the Simurgh, they find themselves reflected—they are the very deity they seek.

One of the most historied Shakespeare theatre companies in the world takes on the Bard’s comedic masterpiece, exploring two wildly different romances, each wrapped in secrets and trickery. Co-founded by Sir Patrick Stewart in 1975, Actors From The London Stage embraces theatrical simplicity at its finest. Five actors take the stage, with minimal props and costumes, and direct themselves in a performance of a complete Shakespeare play, with each actor portraying multiple roles.