Hancher Season 2018/2019

One of the nation’s—and the world’s—preeminent orchestras, The Philadelphia Orchestra boasts a legacy of impeccable and innovative music making. The ensemble’s debut performance in the new Hancher Auditorium will no doubt be unforgettable.

An amazing dining experience in the beautiful setting of the Stanley Café. Executive Chef Benjamin Smart directs the award-winning culinary teams at both Saint Burch Tavern—offering a new take on tavern and supper club fare—and Pullman Diner.

Jazz bassist and composer Rufus Reid’s big band project celebrates the life, art, and accomplishments of Elizabeth Catlett, the acclaimed sculptor, printmaker, and social activist. In 1940, Catlett was the first African American to receive an MFA from the University of Iowa.

The endlessly imaginative and energetically physical dance company Momix returns to Hancher to present Opus Cactus—a much-loved work grounded in the teeming life and landscape of the American southwest.

The nation’s leading producer of audio theater will present a radio theater-style performance of Robert Harling’s classic play Steel Magnolias. A diverse cast will take us inside Truvy’s beauty shop in a small Southern town where six women find their lives intertwined.

Adored around the globe, the Soweto Gospel Choir brings beautiful, joyous music to audiences everywhere. Sporting colorful costumes from their South African home, the members of the choir blend their voices to create one unimaginably stirring sound.

“Soul crosses all cultural and linguistic barriers,” says Alsarah, whose astounding vocals were central to The Nile Project, which Hancher presented in 2015. Now, she returns with her new band to perform music she calls East African retro-pop.

The Canadian Brass, a favorite of Hancher Audiences since 1979, returns for the first time in more than two decades. Led by co-founding member Chuck Daellenbach on tuba, the quintet will bring the sparkle of the holidays to the stage.

A superstar of stage and screen, Kristin Chenoweth will help us ring in the new year with a concert for the ages. From Wicked to Glee, Chenoweth captivates audiences with her matchless voice. This is a New Year’s celebration you won’t want to miss as we pull out all the stops to welcome 2019.

Some folks say music is a universal tongue, but just in case, Banda Magda sings in six languages. From samba to French chanson, from Greek folk tunes to Afro-Peruvian lando, Banda Magda offers you a whirlwind tour of music from every corner of the globe.

They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony Award®-winning true-life musical phenomenon, JERSEY BOYS.

In We Shall Overcome, vocalist Damien Sneed weaves jazz, classical, Broadway, gospel, and spirituals together with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches to exemplify a living musical tradition that continues to inspire, uplift, and challenge us.

Danú returns just in time to get you ready for the most Irish of holidays. The band offers virtuosic performances of traditional music from the Emerald Isle, capturing a sound cherished far beyond the borders of the musicians’ native land.

In this enchanting play performed by Ireland’s Theatre Lovett, a sensitive musical prodigy leaves her quiet sanctuary for the noise of the big city as she tries to recover her magical, musical hat. The young people in your life will love the music, characters, and encouragement to follow their dreams.

Asere means “friendship”—and once you’ve been to this party, you’ll consider these spectacular musicians and dancers friends for life. Weaving the tapestry of Cuban music and dance with contemporary thread, the Havana Cuba All-Stars bring energy, joy, and, yes, a spirit of friendship to the stage.

Of African-Caribbean descent and born in Québec, Kaia Kater has immersed herself in Canadian folk music as well as the music of Appalachia. With superb banjo skills, a jazz inflected voice, and a gift for song craft, she respects tradition while pushing forward.

A young boy overindulges at a Viennese pastry shop and falls into a delirious dream, filled with sugary heroes who come to his rescue. A dollop of delightful whimsy for the entire family, featuring costumes and sets from the mind of pop surrealist visionary Mark Ryden.

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a world-renowned presidential historian, public speaker, and Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times #1 best-selling author. Her seventh book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, was published in September 2018 to critical acclaim and became an instant New York Times bestseller.