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Acclaimed violinist Miranda Cuckson and pianist Blair McMillen join us for a late Sunday afternoon that weaves worlds together. Playing a selection by composers Eleonor Alberga, Lili Boulanger, Ross Lee Finney, Beethoven, and Prokofiev, the duo invites audiences on a sonic journey. Hailed by New York Times as “brilliant artists,” the two have received rave reviews for their performances and recordings. The Guardian said their “playing is frank and urgent, with powerfully stripped-back quiet passages and gritted-teeth ecstatic climaxes.” Come hear what all the raves are about!
Cuckson and McMillen’s musical partnership spans well over a decade. As a duo, they have played many recitals of music both old and new, including recently at San Francisco Performances, the Isabella Gardner Museum, and Detroit Institute of Art. They have given numerous world-premiere performances, and have recorded recent violin-piano music by composers Harold Meltzer, Michael Hersch, Jason Eckardt, Donald Martino, and Elliott Carter, to name a few. Their 2016 ECM release of music by Béla Bartók, Witold Lutoslawski, and Alfred Schnittke, was highly critically-acclaimed. Active as performers and pedagogues, they serve on the faculty at Mannes at The New School in New York City.
This program has been generously supported by the SHS Foundation, in honor of its treasurer, Sara Throne.
Welcome back Johnnie Cruise Mercer! Join us for a moving evening as Mercer presents his one act dance theater work, Mercies of a Butterfly. A movement allegory on “weathering the storm,” the work follows a recently born spirit as they contend with weight, build strength to run, and eventually learn how to fly! With Mercer’s Black movement history at the center of the work’s structure, the dancer/choreographer/director publicly leans into his epic memory in order to share the goodness of letting go.
The solo performance involves close collaboration alongside a creative team of long-time collaborators and peers including music producer Young Denzel, film/video artist Torian Ugworji, horn player Robert McSweeney, drummer Jean Charlot, and fashion designer Pierre Rashad.
This performance has been programmed as part of our Fall Exhibition, Here & There: The First Churchennial. More information can be found by visiting our exhibition page here.