Columbia’s Miller Theatre, lauded by the New York Times as “a hotbed of bold programming,” celebrates its thirtieth-anniversary season with a lineup that promises to reaffirm the reputation not only of the venue but of Columbia’s diverse artistic community. This year’s Composer Portraits, a series that champions artists at the forefront of new music, features three alumni with singular styles and multiple talents.
Kate Soper ’11GSAS
October 27, 2018
Part Greek theater, part screwball comedy, Kate Soper’s Ipsa Dixit blends drama, rhetoric, and innovative vocal technique to create an inspired musical journey. Soper, who is both a composer and singer, joins members of the Wet Ink Ensemble to deliver what the New Yorker has called a “twenty-first-century masterpiece.”
Wang Lu ’12GSAS
February 21, 2019
Born in Xi’an, China, composer and pianist Wang Lu was brought up listening to traditional opera and folk music. These influences, seen through the prism of contemporary instrumentation and sonic experimentation, will be on full display in a performance that includes a world premiere presented with the percussion and piano quartet Yarn/Wire. Musicians from the International Contemporary Ensemble will also perform.
Tyshawn Sorey ’17GSAS
March 28, 2019
Tyshawn Sorey is an accomplished composer and drummer whose creative practice pushes boundaries and eschews categorization. The 2017 MacArthur fellow embraces the roles of conductor, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and scholar to deliver radical innovation in its purest form. Miller will present several of his works, including the New York premiere of New Quartet for JACK, performed by the JACK string quartet.
