Vijay Iyer & Mark Ladd
In What Language?

In What Language? explores individual identity in the era of globalization. The piece depicts interior monologues of travelers at an international airport. Characters portrayed in In What Language? are based on real-life voyagers, such as scientist Wen Ho Lee and poet Taslima Nasreen; the libretto is inspired by news articles, INS documents, autobiographical writings, and other source material. The piece is performed by Iyer, Ladd, and an ensemble of ten musicians and vocalists.

Pianist Vijay Iyer is recognized as one of the most innovative jazz improvisers working today.

Mike Ladd is a hip hop musician from Boston, Massachusetts.

Samora Pinderhughes
The Healing Project

The Healing Project is a boundary-breaking multidisciplinary music, film, and installation project exploring the realities of incarceration, policing, violence, and detention in the United States. The central material is found in recorded collaborative exchanges which serve as the melodic and narrative underpinnings of the pieces. The Healing Project uses music, film, and people’s stories in their own voices to unveil the true damages of American carceral institutions, and then engages alternative ways for us to protect, heal, and support each other outside of these oppressive systems.

Samora Pinderhughes is a composer, pianist, and vocalist known for striking intimacy and carefully crafted, radically honest lyrics alongside high-level musicianship.

Meshell Ndegeocello
Chapter & Verse: The Gospel of James Baldwin

An ever-evolving work by Meshell Ndegeocello, Chapter & Verse: The Gospel of James Baldwin pays homage to James Baldwin by creating a shared space for reflection, conversation, and social change. Ndegeocello’s transformative music and collaborative spirit ignites this genre-bending performance: a church service, a concert, a celebration, a testimonial, and a call to action.

Meshell Ndegeocello is a bassist, vocalist, and songwriter whose prolific output spans a wide range of genres, at once lush and investigative, subversive, and sublime.

Meredith Monk & Ann Hamilton
mercy

mercy, a music/theater collaboration between Meredith Monk and visual artist Ann Hamilton, is a meditation on the human capacity to both extend and withhold compassion, kindness, empathy, and mercy. The two women are pioneers in their respective fields. In mercy, they have joined their unique worlds to create a new and haunting universe. The New York Times described the world premiere as “a multitude of visual and sonic wonders.” mercy explores the dual lines of art and science. Combining the creators’ talents and their shared interests in mystery, enigma and memory, this work melds Hamilton’s rich, poetic physical environment with Monk’s unique approach to movement and voice. The musical component of mercy is scored for six voices, two keyboards, percussion, violin, and theremin.

Meredith Monk creates works that thrive at the intersection of music and movement, image and object, light and sound in order to discover new modes of perception.

Ann Hamilton is a visual artist internationally acclaimed for her large-scale multimedia installations, public projects, and performance collaborations.

Daniel Roumain
I, Composer

I, Composer synthesizes Daniel Roumain’s work as a classical composer and hip-hop artist. The music in I, Composer is both played live on electric/acoustic violin and sampled from drum loops, percussion, synthesizers, and a string quartet. The text is comprised of sampled conversations recorded in the neighborhood and spoken elements that convey aspects of urban African-American experience and its influence on American culture as a whole. A reflection of life in Harlem, the work encompasses a broad stylistic range, including hip-hop, rock, jazz, and improvisation.