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This program has been generously supported by the SHS Foundation in honor of its Treasurer, Sara Throne; and; Steve Pesner in honor of Michèle Pesner
We are thrilled to start the year with a dance project of historic proportions: on January 24th, we will present the first look at a new solo being created for the Martha Graham Dance Company – to be performed by none other than Lloyd Knight, acclaimed lead dancer of the Company. Based on archival materials assembled over many years, the performance takes inspiration from a work choreographed by Martha herself in 1938. After its creation at The Church, the new solo will become a centerpiece of the Company’s repertory for 2026 – its 100th season.
The Premiere Showing will offer audience members a first look at the choreography and music created during a one-week residency at The Church. This process brings together Lloyd Knight, composer-percussionist Stahv Danker, and choreographer Jamar Roberts for an intense collaboration with roots in the Graham legacy.
Inspired by the materials from Martha Graham Dance Company archives, Roberts will create the new solo in five days as Danker composes the music. These materials include a one-minute silent film of a man dancing a solo thought to be from Graham’s 1938 American Document, as well as poetry from that work, and some of the original musical score. Graham’s choreography was never recorded and is considered to be lost. Roberts is not charged with recreating Graham’s work, but rather, to create something completely contemporary inspired by the past.
This performance is part of the exhibition programming of Martha Graham: Collaborations, on view January 18 – March 22. The exhibition explores the 100-year history of the company through the lens of its myriad artistic collaborations – thereby breaking down the completed work of a choreographed piece into the many creative practices it encompasses.
Fully immerse yourself into the world of American Master, Martha Graham, as we present a screening of the full-length documentary Martha Graham: The Dancer Revealed followed by a Q&A with the film’s executive producer Susan Lacy led by Sheri L. Pasquarella, The Church’s Executive Director.
Produced for PBS’s “American Masters” series, the hour-long film is a definitive documentary on the life and work of Martha Graham. It traces Martha Graham’s career from her early days with Denishawn Company and follows her through the formation of her own troupe. Directed by Catherine Tatge and narrated by Claire Bloom, the film documents Graham’s emergence as one of the most important figures in twentieth-century dance, as echoed by the set pieces, costumes, photos, and more of the exhibition. Join us for a unique experience to take in the film, whilst being surrounded by the history it documents.
This program has been supported in part by Steve Pesner, in honor of Michèle Pesner and the Friends of the Fund for Music at The Church
Bentornati Roberto Scarcella Perino and Baron Fenwick! The multifaceted Italian composer and rising star pianist return to The Church with a new collection of original compositions. Explore love through the lens of gratitude and creative inspiration as Scarcella Perino presents a second set of dedication pieces, including a world premiere of Perino’s Piano Sonata No. 6.
For those of you who joined us last May, you will remember the beauty in the musicality of Scarcella Perino’s work and the magnificence in Fenwick’s virtuosity. Join us for an evening of warmth and beautiful music.
An educator and musicologist, Scarcella Perino has explored a wide territory of musical composition, performing worldwide. Operas, piano concertos, movie scores, ballets, chamber music, and choral compositions are all part of his outstanding repertoire.
Scarcella Perino’s music is in good hands as it is performed by young virtuosic pianist and Juilliard doctoral student, Baron Fenwick. Fenwick’s playing, described as “elegant, lush, and far more mature than would be expected for a young man his age,” is reason to keep your eyes and ears on this rising star.
Clarice Jensen, a cutting-edge contemporary Classical artist comes to The Church to perform from her latest album – called by NPR the “best classical album of 2025.”
Known for performing on cello with effects pedals, Jensen will present music from In holiday clothing, out of the great darkness, her most recent and fourth full-length album, released in October 2025. She draws abstract inspiration from Bach’s Suites and places the rich sonority of the cello at the fore, while carefully treating and layering the timbres to create a “kaleidoscopic, surging cathedral of sound,” according to NPR’s Tom Huizenga.