The Middlebury College Performing Arts Series celebrates its 94th season with an exciting array of performances in music, theatre, and dance. 

Information on our 2014-2015 Season coming soon!!

Friday–Saturday, September 20–21, 2013
8:00 pm each evening, Wright Memorial Theatre

The Living Word Project: Word Becomes Flesh

Spoken-word poet and playwright Marc Bamuthi Joseph brings his personal history to life in Word Becomes Flesh, a groundbreaking hip-hop theatre event. Using poetry, dance, and live music, the “choreopoem” performance documents nine months of pregnancy from a young, single father’s perspective. Bamuthi’s landmark work has been recreated for a cast of five performers and a live DJ. The work deconstructs black male identity in the 21st century with deep honesty and raw physicality. Hailed by the Washington Post as “a searing, satisfying evening.” For mature audiences. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series, Theatre Program, Office of the Dean of the College, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity, and the New England Foundation for the Arts. Residency activities are possible thanks to support from the Rothrock Residency Fund for Experiential Learning in the Performing Arts. 

Tickets: $20/15/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release >>

Thursday, October 10, 2013
7:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Imogen Cooper, piano

Recognized worldwide as a pianist of virtuosity and poetic poise, Imogen Cooper has established a reputation as one of the finest performers of the classical repertoire. Cooper’s epic Middlebury program features Schubert’s three final piano sonatas, opuses 958–960. “Imogen Cooper has shown herself to be one of the interpretative élite . . . and one of the finest Schubertians in the world”—International Record Review. Due to the extended nature of this program, please note the early start time; complimentary refreshments will be served during the two intermissions. See associated dinner event. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25/20/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Associated Residency Activity

Dinner and Conversation with Friends

Thursday, October 10, 2013
6:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Lower Lobby

The pre-performance dinner is back by popular demand! Before settling into the Concert Hall for an evening of piano music by Imogen Cooper, join fellow concertgoers for dinner and a creative conversation about the arts in our community. Tickets: $25

Friday–Saturday, October 11–12, 2013
8:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre

Catherine Cabeen—Hyphen

Hyphen is a contemporary dance company anchored in the choreography of dance faculty member Catherine Cabeen. Join us for an evening of interdisciplinary collaboration, investigating how collaboration can be used to build new movement vocabularies—shifting intersections of language, sound, color, emotion, and love arise from the dancing body. “Highly kinetic, complex movement . . . visually exquisite . . . beautifully performed”—New York Times. Stay for post-performance discussions with the artists both evenings. See full schedule of associated residency activities at go.middlebury.edu/hyphen13. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series and the Dance Program.

Tickets: $20/15/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Associated Residency Activities 

October 7, Monday

GYROKINESIS Master Class with Sarah Lustbader
2:50-4:15 PM, MCFA 110

GYROKINESIS® a somatic technique developed by Juliu Horvath, systematically and gently works the joints and muscles through rhythmic, fluid movements. Sarah Lustbader has worked with Catherine Cabeen since 2009. Open to all levels. 

October 8, Tuesday

Ballet Master Class with Karena Birk 
9:30-10:45 AM, MCFA 109

Karena Birk, MFA, has worked with Catherine Cabeen since 2010. Open to all levels.

October 9, Wednesday

Movement Invention and Collaboration
12:30-1:20 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Dance Theatre

In this lecture/demonstration, Catherine Cabeen and members of Hyphen perform excerpts from their upcoming performances and discuss the collaborative process. Bring a bag lunch. Residency activities are made possible by the Rothrock Family Fund for Experiential Learning in the Performing Arts. 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013
7:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Benjamin Grosvenor, piano

Twenty-year-old pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is already internationally recognized for his electrifying performances and profound interpretations. Gramophone named him 2012 Young Artist of the Year. Renowned for his distinctive sound, Grosvenor is described as “poetic and gently ironic, brilliant yet clear-minded, intelligent but not without humour, all translated through a beautifully clear and singing touch”—The Independent. In his Vermont debut, Grosvenor performs works by Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Mompou, Medtner, Ravel, and Gounod/Liszt. Professor Greg Vitercik, chair of the music department, offers a pre-concert lecture at 6:45 pm in Room 125. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $20/15/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release>>

Sunday, November 10, 2013
3:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Singer Pur

When Singer Pur was awarded the 2013 Bavarian State Prize for Music, Minister of Art and Culture Wolfgang Heubisch put it best: “This vocal sextet is particularly well-known for its broad repertoire, ranging from early Renaissance to the Romantics and contemporary music, all on the highest musical level.” At Middlebury, this internationally acclaimed a cappella ensemble performs a program called “Fields of Gold: Vocal Music through the Centuries,” featuring works from Hildegard von Bingen to Palestrina and Orlando di Lasso; then on to Brahms and Schumann, and later to Irving Berlin and Sting, among others. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

Reserved seating. Tickets: $20/15/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release>>

November 23, Saturday
8:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Jupiter String Quartet

Nelson Lee, violin
Megan Freivogel, violin
Liz Freivogel, viola
Daniel McDonough, cello
with Kim Kashkashian, viola

Beloved by Middlebury audiences, the award-winning Jupiter String Quartet is known around the world for blazing, passionate, and energetic performances. Grammy-award-winner Kim Kashkashian is internationally recognized as a unique voice on the viola. Together, these artists will wow our Middlebury audience with a performance of Brahms’s sunny String Quintet no. 2 in G Major. The Jupiters also perform Beethoven’s Quartet no. 6 in B-flat Major, op.18 no.6; and Quartet no. 12 in E-flat Major, op. 127. This free Performing Arts Series concert is made possible with generous support from the Institute for Clinical Science and Art, in memory of F. William Sunderman Jr. and Carolyn Reynolds Sunderman. Free; no tickets required

Associated Residency Activity

Pre-concert Lecture for PASS Members

November 23, Saturday
7:00 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Room 221

Members of the Performing Arts Series Society (PASS) are invited to a talk by music department chair Greg Vitercik about the music to be performed by the Jupiter String Quartet. Enjoy a backstage peek into the pre-concert experience. A members-only event; membership information: 802.443.PASS (7277) or go.middlebury.edu/pass. Free

Read the press release>>

December 6, Friday
8:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Xuefei Yang, guitar

China’s most accomplished and in-demand classical guitarist, Xuefei Yang, has performed in over 40 countries throughout the UK, Europe, Asia, and North America, including twice at Middlebury. Gramophone observes, “The color and fluency of her playing is a delight throughout. The guitar world has a new star.” Her program includes transcriptions of works by Scarlatti, Schubert, and Britten; the evocative Ginastera guitar sonata; and the New England premiere of a work by Chen Yi, composed especially for Yang. See associated dinner event. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25/20/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Associated Residency Activity

Dinner and Conversation with Friends

December 6, Friday
6:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Lower Lobby

The pre-performance dinner is back by popular demand! Before settling into the Concert Hall for an evening of guitar music by Xuefei Yang, join fellow concertgoers for dinner and a creative conversation about the arts in our community. Tickets: $25

Sunday, January 12, 2014
3:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Jung-Ja Kim, piano

Korean-born pianist Jung-Ja Kim has won critical acclaim for her pianistic brilliance and insight, earning praise from publications like the Boston Globe for her “virtuosity of imagination,” “strong, generous personality,” and “pianistic precision of a rare order.” Kim travels from Boston, where she is on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory, to delight our audience with six preludes by Rachmaninoff, plus Ravel’s Miroirs, Sonatine, and Valses nobles et sentimentales. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series. 

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $20/15/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release>>

Thursday, January 23, 2014
7:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Isabelle Faust, violin
Alexander Melnikov, piano

At the 2010 Gramophone Awards, violinist Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov were praised for “a searching and very poetic collection of Beethoven’s sonatas” upon winning the chamber music category. The Guardian wrote, “[they] are ideal partners, wrestling with the musical dialogue with poise, imagination and freshness.” While in Middlebury, the duo performs two Beethoven sonatas, two Weber sonatas, and Schubert’s Fantasy in C Major. Associate Professor of Music Larry Hamberlin offers a pre-concert lecture at 6:45 pm in Room 221. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25/20/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release>>

Sunday, February 23, 2014
3:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Alexander Melnikov, piano

The New York Times calls pianist Alexander Melnikov’s performances “electrifying and rhapsodic.” The Washington Post says, “his imagination and ability to create long narrative arcs . . . put him among the most elite pianists today.” The last time Melnikov played in Middlebury, everyone asked us when would he be coming back. On this return engagement, he performs Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, and Book Two of Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues. Associate Professor of Music Larry Hamberlin offers a pre-concert lecture at 2:15 pm in Room 221. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series, with support from anonymous PASS producer-level members.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25/20/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release>>

Thursday. March 13, 2014
7:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Elias String Quartet

Sara Bitlloch, violin
Donald Grant, violin
Martin Saving, viola
Marie Bitlloch, cello

The Elias String Quartet quickly established itself as one of the most intense and vibrant quartets of its generation, accumulating accolades at every turn. Middlebury hosted the group’s Vermont debut in spring 2012, two days before a sold-out Carnegie debut, which the New York Times characterized as “excellent . . . particularly memorable.” Here, the quartet plays Beethoven’s Quartet no. 4 in C Major, and his second “Razumovsky” quartet, as well as Kurtag’s Officium breve in memoriam Andreae Szervánszky. See associated event March 12. This free Performing Arts Series concert is made possible with generous support from the Institute for Clinical Science and Art, in memory of F. William Sunderman Jr. and Carolyn Reynolds Sunderman. Free; no tickets required.

Associated Residency Activity

CANCELED Lecture/Demonstration: The Beethoven Project

March 12, Wednesday
4:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Due to travel delays and the weather, today’s 4:30 PM lecture-demonstration by the Elias String Quartet is canceled.  

However, we still hope to go forward with tomorrow’s formal concert as planned, at 7:30 PM at the Mahaney Center for the Arts. As the storm develops, concert-goers are encouraged to check http://www.middlebury.edu/arts or call xMIDD (6433) for event updates.

Weather-related event updates posted now at http://www.middlebury.edu/arts/news/node/471305

Read the press release>>

Friday, April 4, 2014
8:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Paul Lewis, piano

Over the last decade, Middlebury audiences have been treated to an in-depth study of Beethoven and Schubert piano sonatas at the brilliant hands of pianist Paul Lewis. Lewis returns this spring with a fresh program of beloved piano works, including two Bach-Busoni chorales, Beethoven’s “Moonlight” sonata, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. “Scarcely more than ten years ago, a little known Englishman called Paul Lewis made us sit up and listen to Schubert as never before. Now the pianist is a hot ticket wherever he goes”—Times of London. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series and the Performing Arts Series Society.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25/20/6; PASS Members: $20/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Associated Activity

Performing Arts Series Society (PASS) Reception

Friday, April 4, 2014
6:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Lower Lobby

This is a festive evening for members to gather and celebrate the second year of PASS, preview performances from the 2014–15 season, and vote on which performance to support. Membership information: 802.443.PASS (7277) or go.middlebury.edu/pass

Read the press release>>

Wednesday, April 9, 2014
7:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Heath String Quartet

Oliver Heath, violin
Cerys Jones, violin
Gary Pomeroy, viola
Christopher Murray, cello

Known for “passionate performances that combine technical accomplishment with interpretative flair” (The Strad), the Heath Quartet is rapidly emerging as an exciting and original voice on the international chamber-music scene. Middlebury hosts the quartet on their U.S. debut tour, with a preview of their Carnegie Hall debut program: Beethoven’s String Quartet op. 18 no. 6; Bartok’s second quartet, and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet no. 2 in A Minor. Professor Greg Vitercik, chair of the music department, offers a pre-concert lecture at 6:45 pm in Room 125. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series and an anonymous member of the Performing Arts Series Society, in honor of Paul Nelson.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $20/15/6, and on sale in September. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release>>

*NEW CONCERT!

Wednesday, April 16, 2014
7:30 PM, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

David Finckel, cello
Wu Han, piano

Cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, Musical America’s 2012 Musicians of the Year, rank among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. The talent, energy, imagination, and dedication they bring to their multifaceted endeavors as concert performers, recording artists, educators, artistic administrators, and cultural entrepreneurs go unmatched. In high demand year after year among chamber music audiences worldwide, the duo has appeared each season at the most prestigious venues and concert series across the United States and around the world to unanimous critical acclaim. For thirty-four years, David Finckel served as cellist of the Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet. David Finckel and Wu Han’s wide-ranging musical innovations include the launch of ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company, whose catalogue of sixteen albums has won widespread critical acclaim. The duo will play a program entitled "Russian Reflections," featuring works by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Scriabin, and Rachmaninov. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

Tickets: $25/20/6. *Tickets purchased for the Christianne Stotijn concert originally scheduled for this date/time will be honored.  Buy tickets>>

Read the press release>>

***PLEASE NOTE CHANGE***

Wednesday, April 16, 2014
7:30 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

Christianne Stotijn, mezzo soprano
Rick Stotijn, bass
Joseph Breinl, piano

 ***Unfortunately, Ms. Stotijn and her fellow musicians are not able to appear. A newly-arranged concert will take place at the same date/time/place. Tickets purchased for the Stotijn concert will be honored at the new concert.

 

Friday, April 25, 2014
8:00 pm, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Concert Hall

*PLEASE NOTE CHANGE

Middlebury Bach Festival Opening Concert:
Sophie Shao, cello
Soovin Kim, violin

Exquisite chamber musician and cellist Sophie Shao returns to Middlebury to play as we’ve never heard her before—unaccompanied—performing Bach’s first and sixth solo cello suites. NEW: Unfortunately violinist Frank Huang, originally scheduled to share this concert, will not be able to appear. In his place, Ms. Shao has invited the esteemed violinist Soovin Kim, winner of the Paganini Competition, an Avery Fischer career grant recipient, and Artistic Director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival. Kim will play Bach’s third violin sonata, and the second partita, which concludes with the great Chaconne. Associate Professor of Music Larry Hamberlin offers a pre-concert lecture at 7:00 pm in Room 221. Stay for a reception after the performance. Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series, Middlebury Bach Festival, and Office of the President.

Reserved Seating. Tickets: $25/20/6. Visit the Box Office for details>>

Read the press release>>