PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Teri Mumme, Director of Marketing & Communications
206-291-2990
tmumme@uw.edu

Photos available for download here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEANY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON ANNOUNCES ITS 2024–25 SEASON

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING MUSICIAN, MACARTHUR RECIPIENT AND 2023 PULITZER PRIZE WINNER RHIANNON GIDDENS JOINS MEANY CENTER AS ARTISTIC PARTNER, CURATING FIVE ARTISTS AND ENSEMBLES ON OUR 2024–25 SEASON. EACH PERFORMANCE IS EMBLEMATIC OF A COMMON THEME THAT GUIDED GIDDENS’ CHOICES: THE TRANSCENDENCE OF CULTURAL CONNECTIONS ACROSS BORDERS, CULTURES AND TIME: 

CONGOLESE GUITARIST AND SINGER NIWEL TSUMBU, JOINS WITH  EAMONN CAGNEY (PERCUSSION), LIZ KNOWLES (VIOLIN), NIALL VALLELY (CONCERTINA), JASON SYPHER (DOUBLE BASS) TO DEFINE A NEW IRISH SOUND IN  KO TONGA CHEOL: WEAVING MUSIC IN THE NEW IRELAND.

POWERHOUSE INDIGENOUS ARTISTS PURA FÉ, AN ELDER AND HEIR TO THE TUSCARORA INDIAN NATION, AND CHARLY LOWRY OF THE LUMBEE/TUSCARORA TRIBES COME TOGETHER TO SHARE THEIR ARTISTRY IN INDIGENOUS WOMEN.

WOMEN AND NON-BINARY MEMBERS OF THE SILKROAD ENSEMBLE DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THE FOLK AND ANCESTRAL MUSIC OF JAPAN, CHINA, ARMENIA, IRELAND AND THE HEBRIDES, AND NATIVE CULTURES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, FOR UPLIFTED VOICES.

BLACK BANJO FEATURES GRAMMY-WINNING MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST LEYLA MCCALLA PERFORMING MUSIC INFUSED WITH MELODIES AND RHYTHMS DERIVED FROM AFROBEAT, ETHIOPIAN MODALITIES, BRAZILIAN TROPICALISMO AND AMERICAN FOLK AND BLUES.

FROM SCOTT JOPLIN TO ANGELICA NEGRÓN, FLORENCE PRICE AND GEORGE GERSHWIN, PIANIST LARA DOWNES PRESENTS THIS LAND, CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT OF RESILIENCE AND IMAGINATION THAT GROWS AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE AMERICAN JOURNEY.

OTHER SEASON HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

ADAPTED FROM THE PERSIAN BOOK OF KINGS (SHAHNAMEH), HAMID RAHMANIAN'S SONG OF THE NORTH EMPLOYS A CAST OF 500 HANDMADE PUPPETS AND A TALENTED ENSEMBLE OF NINE ACTORS AND PUPPETEERS TO CREATE A SPECTACULAR MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE. 

THE ALL-MALE COMPANY LES BALLETS TROCADERO DE MONTE CARLO DANCES EN TRAVESTI WITH RAZOR-SHARP WIT AND BREATHTAKING POINTE WORK, PERFORMING POLISHED PARODIES OF PIECES THAT SPAN THE CLASSICAL BALLET CANON.

PIANIST CONRAD TAO AND DANCER CALEB TEICHER COMBINE THEIR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTRY INTO A COLLABORATION THAT DRIVES THE IMAGINATION AND OPENS THE HEART FOR A UNIQUE VALENTINE’S DAY PERFORMANCE.

CIRQUE FLIP FABRIQUE JOINS FORCES WITH RENOWNED DIRECTOR AND PLAYWRIGHT ROBERT LEPAGE AND EX MACHINA TO CREATE SLAM! TO RECREATE THE PASSIONATE ATMOSPHERE OF WRESTLING MATCHES.

GRAMMY-NOMINATED ACAPELLA BRITISH VOCAL ENSEMBLE VOCES8 MAKES ITS SEATTLE PREMIERE WITH WINTER TALES, A PROGRAM RANGING FROM RENAISSANCE MUSIC TO CONTEMPORARY HOLIDAY FAVORITES THAT CELEBRATE THE SEASON.

SEASON TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE.

SINGLE TICKETS GO ON SALE JULY 31.

SEATTLE, WA, April 15, 2024 — The University of Washington’s Meany Center for the Performing Arts today announces its 2024–25 Season, presenting 25 visionary artists and ensembles who are pushing artistic boundaries, blending genres and bringing more diverse creative representation to the stage.

Pilobolus

re:CREATION

Thursday–Saturday, October 17–19, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Step into a realm where imagination knows no limits. The boundaries of gravity and creativity blur, offering an intimate window into the essence of creativity itself with Pilobolus's re:CREATION. In re:CREATION the company brings their celebrated collection of repertory to delighted audiences from coast to coast. re:CREATION is a transformative odyssey of reinvention where both audience and artists rediscover, redefine, and recreate timeless narratives through new visions of history, myth and the innate human need for expression.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

Thursday–Saturday,  January 23–25, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo returns with beloved gems from across its repertoire. Affectionately known as the Trocks, the all-male company dances en travesti with razor-sharp wit and breathtaking pointe work, performing polished parodies of pieces that span the classical ballet canon. Revered by ballet aficionados as well as by those who don’t know a plié from a jeté, the Trocks are “a guaranteed hoot for people who know nothing of ballet and an absolute must for those who think they know the originals” (Sydney Star Observer).

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE

Thursday–Saturday, February 27–March 1, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Founded by Ronald K. Brown, EVIDENCE focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Brown uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture and to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms. The program includes Open Door, a journey into Afro Cuban dance forms with music by Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble; the electrifying Upside Down; and The Equality of Night and Day, a poetic work examining concepts of balance and equity. 

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Deep River 

Thursday–Saturday, April 3–5, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Alonzo King LINES Ballet, led by choreographer Alonzo King, bends the lines between classical and contemporary aesthetics while drawing from deeply rooted cultural traditions. The company presents Deep River, a soulful collaboration with Grammy–winning vocalist Lisa Fischer and jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran, that melds dance with Black spirituals, inviting audiences to look at human beings as the pinnacle of creation. In King’s words, “love is the ocean that we rose from, swim in, and will one day return to” — and that love can set us free. 

Complexions Contemporary Ballet 

Thursday–Saturday, May 8–10, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Led by dance icons Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Complexions Contemporary Ballet exhilarates audiences with their singular reinvention of dance and contemporary ballet. With a rich Alvin Ailey lineage and a cadre of 16 stunning dancers, Complexions has been hailed as a “matchless American dance company” by the Philadelphia Inquirer. The company performs WOKE, set to songs by DJ Logic, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne and others, and For Crying Out Loud, with music from U2’s latest album Songs of Surrender. 

Tessa Lark, Joshua Roman & Edgar Meyer

Timeless 

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

This collaboration of three like-minded and powerhouse virtuosos, each carving out their own niche in American music, delivers an innovative program including the music of J.S. Bach and the world premiere of a new string trio by seven-time Grammy winner Edgar Meyer. With boundary-expanding and timeless music, synthesizing diverse influences and styles, both Meyer and Bach are known for the enduring impact of their artistry. Dynamic performers Lark, Roman and Meyer promise to bring fancy fiddling on the violin, cello and bass.

PROGRAM
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonata for Viola de Gamba and Harpsichord, BWV 1027 (trio arrangement)
Edgar Meyer: Trio
Edgar Meyer: New Work  (World Premiere)

Israeli Chamber Project with Hila Baggio, Soprano

Two Clowns: Pierrot Meets Petrushka

Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

The Israeli Chamber Project — a dynamic ensemble of strings, winds, harp and piano — celebrates the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg’s birth with a semi-staged production of his groundbreaking expressionist cabaret, Pierrot Lunaire, featuring soprano Hila Baggio as the sad clown. Stravinsky’s brilliant Petrushka and Ravel’s La Valse complete this exploration of early 20th-century works with music specially arranged for an ensemble that brings together some of today’s most distinguished musicians in concert.

PROGRAM
Maurice Ravel: La Valse
Igor Stravinsky: Scenes from Petrushka
Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire

Isidore String Quartet

Unrequited 

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Winners of the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Isidore String Quartet was formed with a vision to revisit, rediscover and reinvigorate the repertory. The Quartet is inspired by the Juilliard String Quartet’s aesthetic of “approaching the established as if it were brand new, and the new as if it were firmly established.” Their program features works by Mozart and Beethoven alongside String Quartet No. 3, a reflection on unrequited love by Grammy-winning jazz pianist Billy Childs.

PROGRAM
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 “Dissonance”
Billy Childs: String Quartet No. 3 “Unrequited”
Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat Major, Op. 127

Silkroad Ensemble: Uplifted Voices
with Special Guest Pura Fé

Friday, March 28, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

In a stunning collaboration of global instrumentation and strings, Silkroad champions women and non-binary members of the ensemble with special guest Tuscarora/Taíno musician Pura Fé. Drawing inspiration from the folk and ancestral music of Japan, China, Armenia, Ireland and the Hebrides, and native populations across North America, Silkroad’s newest project Uplifted Voices brings together a collection of distinctive and powerful musical origins within a contemporary musical tapestry.

Third Coast Percussion and Jessie Montgomery

Strum, Strike, Bend

Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

This Grammy-winning percussion quartet and composer collective creates exciting and unexpected performances that “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR). The ensemble will be joined by Jessie Montgomery, “one of the most distinctive and communicative voices in the U.S.” (BBC) in a dynamic program that showcases her excellence as a composer and violinist

PROGRAM
Jessie Montgomery: New Work
Tigran Hamasyan: New Work
Philip Glass: Etude No. 6 (arr. Jlin)
Lou Harrison: Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra

Lila Downs

Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Iconic Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning singer Lila Downs is one of the world’s most singular and powerful voices. Her compelling stage presence and poignant storytelling transcends all language barriers. Raised in Minnesota and Oaxaca, this global superstar’s exquisite artistry bridges traditions from across the Americas, with influences ranging from the folk and ranchera music of Mexico and South America to North American folk, jazz, blues and hip-hop. As a passionate human rights activist, Downs’ lyrics often highlight issues relating to social justice, sharing stories that too often go untold.

Pura Fé and Charly Lowry

Indigenous Women

Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Powerhouse Indigenous artists Pura Fé and Charly Lowry come together to share their artistry, activism and passion for building community. Pura Fé is an elder and heir to the Tuscarora Indian Nation, and has won a Native American Music Award for Best Female Artist and an L’académie Charles Cros Award for Best World Album. Charly Lowry of the Lumbee/Tuscarora tribes follows in the footsteps of her mentor Pura Fé, performing on hand drum and guitar. Together their music honors their ancestral roots and lives vibrantly in the present.

Amjad Ali Khan and Sons

Friday, February 21, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Amjad Ali Khan is an undisputed virtuoso of the sarod and one of India’s most celebrated classical musicians. Together with his talented sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, the family represents a brilliant musical lineage of seven generations of revered sarod players. Renowned for their exquisite performances, this iconic trio showcases the rich tradition of Indian classical ragas and Indian folk music, playing with an elegant lyricism and joy-filled dynamism that is legendary.

Leyla McCalla

Black Banjo

Saturday, April 12, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

The Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla finds inspiration from the folk music of the American South and from her Haitian heritage. McCalla first gained renown as a member of the traditional string bands The Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters, alongside bandmate Rhiannon Giddens. She has since risen to produce a distinctive sound all her own. McCalla’s new album, Sun Without the Heat is playful and full of joy, with melodies and rhythms derived from Afrobeat, Ethiopian modalities, Brazilian Tropicalismo and American folk and blues.

Hamid Rahmanian’s Song of the North

Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Song of the North is a cinematic performance combining the manual art of shadow puppetry with projected animation to tell the courageous tale of Manijeh, a heroine from ancient Persia. Manijeh must use all her strengths and talents to rescue her beloved Bijan from a perilous predicament of her own making and help prevent a war. This epic love story, adapted from the Book of Kings (Shahnameh), employs a cast of 500 handmade puppets and a talented ensemble of nine actors and puppeteers to create a spectacular multimedia experience.

After the unfortunate theft of equipment, sets and puppets that kept Song of the North from appearing on the Meany Center stage last fall, we are thrilled to have another opportunity to share this highly anticipated performance.

Cirque FLIP Fabrique & Ex Machina/Robert Lepage

SLAM!

Saturday, September 28, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Where theater and cirque meet the mat! Cirque FLIP Fabrique joins forces with renowned director and playwright Robert Lepage and Ex Machina to create SLAM!, a celebration of wrestling in all its many forms. This mega-theatrical show amplifies the exuberant nature of wrestling, drawing inspiration from around the world. In a spectacular display of acrobatics and strength, the SLAM! acrobats embody an array of characters to recreate the passionate atmosphere of wrestling matches. Lepage’s influence on contemporary theater and his pioneering use of multimedia has secured his status as one of the most prominent and influential artists of his generation.

Ko Tonga Cheol

Weaving Music in the New Ireland

Friday, October 4, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Led by Congolese guitarist and singer Niwel Tsumbu, a prominent figure in Ireland’s music scene, Ko Tonga Cheol exemplifies the contemporary identity of Irish music and the positive impact of migration on culture. With the influx of diverse nationalities in Ireland, a new collective consciousness is emerging through the universal language of music. The musicians of Ko Tonga Cheol: Eamonn Cagney (percussion), Liz Knowles (violin), Niall Vallely (concertina), Jason Sypher (double bass) and Tsumbu find common ground in defining a new Irish sound.

Mark and Maggie O'Connor's An Appalachian Christmas

Friday, December 13, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

The Grammy-winning Mark and Maggie O’Connor bring their dynamic energy to a wondrous mixture of bluegrass instrumental and vocal music with An Appalachian Christmas. The holiday tradition features fresh arrangements of Christmas classics and captures the emotions of the season: playfulness, joy, contemplation, gratitude and more. Performing on fiddle, acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals, the husband and wife duo brings an elegance and earnestness to down-home bluegrass, Americana and folk music.

VOCES8

Winter Tales

The Grammy-nominated British vocal ensemble VOCES8 inspires people with “eight beautifully integrated solo voices… persuasive and committed singing” (BBC). Central to the ensemble’s ethos is a diverse musical expression — the group performs an extensive repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary times that will appeal to aficionados of a cappella vocal music. In the Seattle premiere of Winter Tales, there’s something for everyone, from thoughtful religious themes by Bach and Britten to holiday favorites that celebrate the season.

PROGRAM
J.S. Bach: O Jesulein süß, o Jesulein mild, BWV 493
Traditional: Gabriel’s Message
Samuel Scheidt: Puer natus in Bethlehem
Jan Sweelinck: Hodie Christus natus est
Benjamin Britten: Corpus Christi Carol
Philip Stopford: Lully, Lulla, Lullay
Hieronymus Praetorius: Magnificat Quinti Toni incorporating “Joseph, Lieber Joseph Mein In Dulci Jubilo”
Jonathan Rathbone: The Oxen
David Pickthall: Christmas Lullaby
Traditional: Silent Night
John Coots & Haven Gillespie: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Julie Styne: Let It Snow

Kodō

One Earth Tour: Warabe

Friday, January 31–February 1, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Meany Hall — Katharyn Alvord Gerlich Theater

Let your soul dance to the rhythm of life in Warabe, a new performance from internationally renowned taiko ensemble, Kodō. Forever children of the drum at heart, the group looks to its classic repertoire to celebrate the unique sound, resonance and physicality synonymous with Kodō. Guided by three words that underpin the Kodō mission — living, learning, creating — the visceral sound of Kodō’s taiko drumming explores the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, forging new directions for a vibrant living art form.

Venue and Ticket Information

Full Series packages are on sale now. Choose Your Own Series packages will go on sale May 30. Single tickets go on sale July 31.

Subscribers save 20 percent on regular single ticket prices when purchasing a Full Series package. Regular prices for Full Series subscriptions to the Dance Series begin at $207; the Piano Series at $191; the Chamber Music Series at $191; and the Crossroads Series at $207.

Discounted subscriptions are available for UW Students for just $50 per series in seating zones 2 and 3. Two free youth subscriptions are available with every adult subscription purchased in seating zones 2 and 3 to the Piano or Chamber Music Series, ages 5–17 only.

Subscriber benefits include priority seating, free ticket exchanges (upgrade charges may apply), 10% off additional single ticket purchases, pre-sale access for special events, and the option to purchase pre-paid parking passes.

Season tickets may be purchased online and through the ArtsUW Ticket Office:

Online: meanycenter.org
Phone: (206) 543-4880
In Person: ArtsUW Ticket Office, 1313 NE 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98105

Meany Center also offers a variety of lectures, master classes, workshops, pre-and post-show conversations, free campus concerts and community events in tandem with visiting artist engagements. These events for the 2024–25 Season will be added at a later date. Check back on our website for updates throughout the season.

ABOUT MEANY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Meany Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Washington fosters innovative performances that advance public engagement, cultural exchange, creative research and learning through the arts. Meany Center provides opportunities for diverse artists, community, students and faculty to connect in the discovery and exploration of the boundless power of the arts to create positive change in the world.

Artists, programs and schedules are subject to change.