Texas Performing Arts Announces 2016-17 Essential Series

Texas Performing Arts continues to present world-class performances to The University of Texas at Austin and Central Texas audiences with the unveiling of the 2016/17 Essential Series.

Highlights of the 2016/17 Essential Series include the return of of National Theatre of Scotland presenting the vampire myth Let The Right One In; dance favorites Grupo Corpo and Black Grace; jazz pioneer Jack DeJohnette; and a celebration of the music of Johannes Brahms featuring the Miró Quartet and special guests; along with many more essential performances. The season also features Texas Theatre and Dance's production of Lost Girl, a new play exploring Wendy Darling's life after Peter Pan.

Brand new this season, Texas Performing Arts now offers three, four, and five (or more) show packages, with the option to include a Broadway performance and more substantial subscriber ticket discounts than ever before. Subscriber tickets start as low as $25. To subscribe to the 2016/17 Essential Series, visit texasperformingarts.org or call 512.471.4454.

A tax-deductible Texas Inner Circle membership offers access to the best seats in the house, parking, an exclusive members-only lounge, opportunities to purchase tickets before the public, and other unique benefits. It also provides financial support for student tickets and educational programs. For more information, visit texasperformingarts.org/support or call 512.232.8567.

2016/17 ESSENTIAL SERIES

Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble

Kevin Noe, Executive Artistic Director

September 9, 2016 | McCullough Theatre

The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble performs the Texas premiere of Off Leash, a new piece by Butler School of Music Professor of Composition and Director of Electronic Studies Russell Pinkston.

Mike Daisey
The Story of the Gun

Created and performed by Mike Daisey

September 14 & 15, 2016 | McCullough Theatre

Award-winning storyteller-monologist Mike Daisey returns to the McCullough stage with his most provocative subject yet: America's relationship with guns.

Roomful of Teeth

New Music for New Voices

and Texas Choral Consort and Orchestra

Brent Baldwin, Conductor

Mozart Requium Undead

Conceived and created by Golden Hornet Project with Texas Choral Consort

Artistic Directors Peter Stopschinski, Graham Reynolds, and Brent Baldwin

Featuring Convergence Vocal Ensemble

With music by Petra Haden, Glenn Kotche, Kate Moore, Adrian Quesada, Graham Reynolds, Todd Reynolds, Caroline Shaw, Justin Sherburn, DJ Spooky, and Peter Stopschinski

September 16, 2016 | Bass Concert Hall

This vocal-infused double bill features Grammy Award-winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth and an encore performance of Mozart Requiem Undead performed by the Texas Choral Consort and Orchestra along with Austin-based vocal ensemble Convergence.

Kronos Quartet

With special guest Rhiannon Giddens * September 23 performance only

September 20 & 23, 2016 | McCullough Theatre

Kronos Quartet make their TPA return with a week-long campus residency performing two distinct programs over two evenings, including a featured guest performance and newly-composed work by Rhiannon Giddens, best known as the lead singer, violinist, banjo player, and a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops!

Grupo Corpo

October 6, 2016 | Bass Concert Hall

With its seductive movement, adventurous music, vibrant costuming, sets, and lighting, Grupo Corpo reflects the diversity and rich color of Brazil. This world-renowned dance company brings its incomparable mix of ballet and contemporary Afro-Brazilian movement back to the Bass Concert Hall stage with new works by Rodrigo Pederneiras.

Ensemble Basiani

November 4, 2016 | McCullough Theatre

Ensemble Basiani provides a unique opportunity to hear masterworks from a noble choral tradition presented by the artists who know them best. Created in 2000 under the blessing of the Patriarch of Georgia, Ensemble Basiani protects and performs the rich heritage of Georgian folk song and chant by researching and reviving music from past recordings, studying songs directly with famous singers, and working extensively with world-renowned ethnomusicologists.

Love and Duty

A Celebration of the Music of Brahms

Featuring Miró Quartet

with Special GuestsMartin Beaver, violin, Clive Greensmith, cello, David Shifrin, clarinet,

Anton Nel, piano, David Small, baritone, Kelly Kuo, piano

November 9 & 11, 2016 | McCullough Theatre

Love and Duty marks the launch of a semester-long celebration of the music of Johannes Brahms, curated by Miró Quartet. In addition to the programs in McCullough Theatre, the project features additional chamber music concerts by Butler School of Music faculty and students, plus a major string quartet seminar.

Texas Theatre & Dance presents

Lost Girl

November 9 - 20, 2016 | Oscar G. Brockett Theatre

What became of Wendy Darling in the years following her adventures with Peter Pan in Neverland? An exploration of love, loss, identity, and magic, Lost Girl continues the story of J.M. Barrie's beloved character-the girl who had to grow up.

Spectrum Dance Theater + Donald Byrd

Rambunctious: A Festival of American Composers and Dance

with The Aeolus Quartet

November 17 & 18, 2016 | McCullough Theatre

Under the artistic leadership of Donald Byrd, Spectrum Dance Theater has become the preeminent modern dance company of the Pacific Northwest. This season Spectrum returns to showcase its boundary-pushing style with selections from its major work Rambunctious, set to American string quartet repertoire performed live by the New York-based Aeolus Quartet, who spent two years as the Butler School of Music's (BSOM) first graduate string-quartet-in-residence. The program will feature the world premiere of a newly-commissioned quartet by BSOM composer Yevgeniy Sharlat.

National Theatre of Scotland

With Marla Rubin Productions and Bill Kenwright present

Let The Right One In

A stage adaptation by Jack Thorne

Based on the novel and film by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Directed by John Tiffany

January 18 - 29, 2017 | McCullough Theatre

The National Theatre of Scotland returns to Austin with a truly rare piece of theatre which explores how far people will go for revenge, for hate, and ultimately for love, with Let The Right One In. Theatermania calls the piece "Extraordinarily imaginative...the play contains one of the single scariest moments ever seen onstage. Yet at its heart, Let The Right One In is a stirring love story."

Jack DeJohnette Trio

Jack DeJohnette, drums

Ravi Coltrane, sax

Matthew Garrison, bass

February 3, 2017 | McCullough Theatre

In a career that spans five decades and includes collaborations with some of the most iconic figures in modern jazz, National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and Grammy Award-winner Jack DeJohnette has established an unchallenged reputation as one of the greatest drummers in the history of the genre. Joining DeJohnette for this evening of improvisation and original compositions are saxophonist Ravi Coltrane (son of John Coltrane) and bassist Matthew Garrison.

Malpaso Dance Company

Osnel Delgado, Artistic Director

February 9, 2017 | Bass Concert Hall

From Havana, Cuba, Malpaso brings Cuban contemporary dance into the 21st Century by collaborating with top international choreographers and nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography.

The University of Texas Wind Ensemble

Jerry Junkin, Conductor

Adam Schoenberg's Symphony No. 2

March 5, 2017 | Bass Concert Hall

The University of Texas Wind Ensemble performs the world premiere of renowned composer Adam Schoenberg's Symphony No. 2.

The Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert

featuring Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville

with Composer Benoît Charest

March 8 & 9, 2017 | McCullough Theatre

Enjoy an evening on the exciting streets of 1920s Paris and Le Jazz Hot with a screening of this much beloved animated film as composer Benoît Charest leads the eight-piece Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville in a live performance of his original score for the film, including the Oscar-nominated tune "Belleville Rendez-vous."

Aquila Theatre

The Trojan War: Warrior Chorus

March 22 & 23, 2017 | McCullough Theatre

Known for creating bold reinterpretations of classical plays for contemporary audiences, British-American Aquila Theatre has teamed up with United States combat veterans/actors of the Warrior Chorus for this unique theatrical experience where the classic myths of ancient Greece and Rome are set against the compelling narratives of modern war.

The Trojan War: Our Warrior Chorus uses epic moments from Homer's Iliad and scenes from other Greek drama and poetry to propel a thrilling chronicle of men and women at war, told by Aquila Theatre alongside members of the Warrior Chorus, created by a national program that brings together men and women who served in the United States military and trains them in the performing arts and humanities. The Austin performance follows a ten-week Warrior Chorus training program with veterans at The University of Texas in the fall of 2016.

Black Grace

Neil Ieremia, Choreographer

March 23, 2017 | Bass Concert Hall

Under the direction of choreographer Neil Ieremia for over two decades, Black Grace performs with distinct dynamism sparked by Pacific Island and M?ori heritage. Their work is highly physical, rich in the storytelling traditions of the South Pacific and expressed with raw finesse, unique beauty, and power. Mr. Ieremia draws from his Samoan and New Zealand roots to create innovative dance works that reach across social, cultural, and generational barriers.

Mnozil Brass

April 7, 2017 | Bass Concert Hall

Seamlessly blending technical virtuosity and comedic brilliance, Mnozil Brass has become an international sensation. With over 130 performances a year, the group has sold out houses worldwide. Austria's Mnozil Brass are often likened to Monty Python, combining offbeat humor, physical comedy, and serious chops for an evening of original compositions, classical favorites, jazz standards, and popular hits. It's no wonder that Mnozil Brass have garnered millions of YouTube views and their fans travel countless miles to hear them play.

The University of Texas Jazz Orchestra

Jeff Helmer, director

with special guest Cyrus Chestnut, piano

April 8, 2017 | Bates Recital Hall

Hot on the heels of his 2015 McCullough Theatre performance with Turtle Island String Quartet, jazz pianist extraordinaire Cyrus Chestnut joins the UT Jazz Orchestra as part of the Butler School of Music's annual Longhorn Jazz Festival.