The University of Iowa

Celebrating 50 Years: 1972–2022 – Hancher's Golden Anniversary – We All Rise

Past Season Events

Three individuals in black outfits surrounded by images of their band playing on a stage with colorful lights.
Music

Too Many Zooz

Friday, August 26, 2022
Music

Too Many Zooz

Friday, August 26, 2022
The members of Too Many Zooz call their music “brasshouse.” And the name is apt because Too Many Zooz is raucous, brassy, and more than able to bring the house down.

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A recent photo of gymnast Gabby Douglas
Lecture

An Evening with Gabby Douglas

Moderated by IPR's Charity Nebbe

Thursday, September 1, 2022
Lecture

An Evening with Gabby Douglas

Moderated by IPR's Charity Nebbe

Thursday, September 1, 2022
With three Olympic Gold medals and three World Championship medals under her belt, Gabby Douglas has been the most loved gymnast of this decade.

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Woodward and Bernstein's headshots, side by side
Lecture

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Lecture

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Theirs are perhaps the most famous names in American journalism. From their famed Watergate reporting for The Washington Post to their individual careers , Woodward and Bernstein are more than Pulitzer Prize winners. They are legends.

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Free
Authors Nabil Ayers and James Spooner and their respective books
Literature | Lecture

Nabil Ayers & James Spooner: Reading and Q&A

Moderated by UI professor Deborah Whaley

Friday, September 23, 2022
Literature | Lecture

Nabil Ayers & James Spooner: Reading and Q&A

Moderated by UI professor Deborah Whaley

Friday, September 23, 2022
Nabil Ayers is a music industry executive, writer, and musician as well as CEO of Beggars Group USA, one of the preeminent global music labels. James Spooner is a revered tattoo artist who just released The High Desert, a new coming-of-age graphic memoir.

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Leslie Odom Jr. wearing a burgundy top, sitting on a cream-colored couch
Music

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Saturday, September 24, 2022
Music

Leslie Odom, Jr.

Saturday, September 24, 2022
Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted, award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor. Odom most recently starred in the critically acclaimed Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami… in which he performed the songs of legendary singer Sam Cooke.

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Soweto Gospel Choir - rescheduled
Music

RESCHEDULED: Soweto Gospel Choir

HOPE: It's Been a Long Time Coming

Monday, October 10, 2022
Music

RESCHEDULED: Soweto Gospel Choir

HOPE: It's Been a Long Time Coming

Monday, October 10, 2022
A Hancher commission and world premiere. HOPE: It’s Been a Long Time Coming commemorates and celebrates South Africa’s Freedom Movement and the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

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Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, All Rise
Music

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

All Rise – Symphony No. 1 by Wynton Marsalis

Saturday, October 22, 2022
Music

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

All Rise – Symphony No. 1 by Wynton Marsalis

Saturday, October 22, 2022
All Rise, a monumental work by Wynton Marsalis, is the cornerstone of Hancher’s 50th anniversary season. It blends the sounds of jazz, blues, classical, and indigenous music from around the world to represent humanity’s enduring ascendance over time.

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A solo dancer is photographed in a leap
Dance

Dance Gala 2022

Friday–Saturday, November 11–12, 2022
Dance

Dance Gala 2022

Friday–Saturday, November 11–12, 2022
Dance Gala 2022 celebrates its return to the Hancher stage with groundbreaking choreography created by the University of Iowa Department of Dance faculty and the premiere of new work by FLOCK.

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A yellow to red gradient background frames several orphan children and the new york skyline for this Annie poster
Broadway

Annie

Monday–Wednesday, November 14–16, 2022
Broadway

Annie

Monday–Wednesday, November 14–16, 2022
Little Orphan Annie has reminded generations of theatergoers that sunshine is always right around the corner, and now the best-loved musical of all time is set to return in a new production—just as you remember it and just when we need it most.

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Mannheim Steamroller performing on stage while white strobe lights surround them
Music

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

by Chip Davis

Saturday, November 19, 2022
Music

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

by Chip Davis

Saturday, November 19, 2022
The bestselling Christmas artist of all time comes to Hancher Auditorium for the first time! Enjoy Mannheim Steamroller’s beloved renditions of your holiday favorites in a concert that is sure to be the perfect kickoff to your family’s holiday season.

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Cantus
Music

Cantus

Christmas With Cantus: Into the Light

Thursday, December 1, 2022
Music

Cantus

Christmas With Cantus: Into the Light

Thursday, December 1, 2022
Cantus has a simple but powerful vision: to give voice to shared human experiences. And what beautiful voices they bring to the task. In this holiday concert, the members of Cantus will wrap you in the joyous sounds of the season.

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A headshot of Patti LaBelle
Music

Patti LaBelle

Celebrate the Season with Patti LaBelle 

Friday, December 9, 2022
Music

Patti LaBelle

Celebrate the Season with Patti LaBelle 

Friday, December 9, 2022
She is known as the “Godmother of Soul” and her hitmaking career has spanned seven decades—and she’s coming to Hancher to help us ring in the holidays.

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Stomp dancers are pictured inside the letters of the word stomp
Broadway

STOMP

(created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas)

Saturday, January 21, 2023
Broadway

STOMP

(created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas)

Saturday, January 21, 2023
STOMP is explosive, provocative, sophisticated, and utterly unique while appealing to audiences of all ages. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises. See what all the noise is about.

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Added Show! Lake Street Dive

Lake Street Dive

Gather Round Sounds Tour

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Lake Street Dive

Gather Round Sounds Tour

Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Enjoy an easy going, semi-acoustic evening with Lake Street Dive. Come sing along as the band performs a revue of their 18-year catalog of songs. Join the band—including bassist and Iowa City native Bridget Kearney—in a relaxed, basement couch setting.

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Ricardo Muti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Music

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Riccardo Muti, Zell Music Director

Sunday, January 29, 2023
Music

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Riccardo Muti, Zell Music Director

Sunday, January 29, 2023
Consistently counted among the world’s greatest orchestras, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra thrills audiences at home and in great concert halls around the world. The CSO returns to Hancher for a concert of beloved music by Beethoven, Liadov, and Mussorgsky.

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Pilobolus, "Big Five-Oh!" A dancer looks at the camera upside-down, draped over the back of another dancer
Dance

Pilobolus

Big Five-Oh!

Saturday, February 4, 2023
Dance

Pilobolus

Big Five-Oh!

Saturday, February 4, 2023
Pilobolus—that feisty arts organism—is, like Hancher, celebrating 50 years! Turning its traditions sideway and bringing its past into the future, Pilobolus will perform a mix of signature works from the vintage and visionary to the fresh and electrifying.

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Kronos Quartet performs "At War with Ourselves – 400 Years of You" with narrator Nikky Finney and a choir, conducted by Valérie Sainte-Agathe.
Music

Kronos Quartet

At War With Ourselves –
400 Years of You

Saturday, February 11, 2023
Music

Kronos Quartet

At War With Ourselves –
400 Years of You

Saturday, February 11, 2023
A modern-day song cycle spun from the skin of history for string quartet, chorus, and narrator, At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You features a text by award-winning poet Nikky Finney inspired by her 2013 poem “The Battle of and for the Black Face Boy.”

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Dan + Claudia Zanes sit on the stoop of a brownstone home, sharing a laugh with three children
Music

Dan + Claudia Zanes

Let Love Be Your Guide

Saturday, February 18, 2023
Music

Dan + Claudia Zanes

Let Love Be Your Guide

Saturday, February 18, 2023
Grammy Award-winner (and longtime Hancher friend) Dan Zanes and Haitian-American jazz vocalist Claudia Zanes perform a mix of old and new songs from near and far in a style that has been called “all-ages social music.”

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Lecture

An Afternoon with Joy Reid

Sunday, February 19, 2023
Lecture

An Afternoon with Joy Reid

Sunday, February 19, 2023
Joy-Ann Reid is a political analyst at MSNBC and host of The ReidOut. She is a New York Times best-selling author, and also co-hosts a podcast: Reid This-Reid That with veteran TV journalist Jacque Reid.

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The musicians of Academy of St Martin in the Fields pose with their string intstruments in a modern, concrete space
Music

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Gary Hoffman, cello

Thursday, March 2, 2023
Music

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Gary Hoffman, cello

Thursday, March 2, 2023
One of the finest chamber orchestras in the world, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, is renowned for fresh, brilliant interpretations of musical masterworks. The orchestra will be joined by renowned cellist Gary Hoffman.

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Alexa Tarantino, dressed in a black and holding her saxophone, crouches on the pavement of a city intersection at nighttime
Music

Alexa Tarantino Quartet

Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Music

Alexa Tarantino Quartet

Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Alexa Tarantino was named one of the “Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019” by the JazzTimes Critics’ Poll and nominated as a “Rising Star–Alto Saxophone” by the DownBeat 2020 and 2021 Critics’ Poll.

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A black and white photo of singer Vuyo Sotashe, standing outdoors, smiling in a subtle way at the camera
Music

Vuyo Sotashe Group

Saturday, March 25, 2023
Music

Vuyo Sotashe Group

Saturday, March 25, 2023
South African jazz vocalist (now based in Harlem) Vuyo Sotashe was the first male singer ever to place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocal competition—and that’s just one of many honors he has collected.

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Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott stand back to back, laughing and smiling
Music

Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott

Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Music

Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott

Tuesday, March 28, 2023
One of the world’s most beloved musicians and his longtime collaborator come to Hancher for an unmissable concert. Yo-Yo Ma and world-renowned pianist Kathryn Stott have been collaborating since 1985, and their musical connection is simply unmatched.

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Lecture

James Carville and Mary Matalin

Moderated by IPR's Ben Kieffer

Saturday, April 1, 2023
Lecture

James Carville and Mary Matalin

Moderated by IPR's Ben Kieffer

Saturday, April 1, 2023
James “The Ragin’ Cajun” Carville is America’s best-known political consultant. Mary Matalin is one of the most celebrated and popular conservative voices in America. Matalin has held many roles, most recently assistant to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

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Added Show: Mission Creek Festival: Cat Power, Michelle Zauner, and Black Belt Eagle Scout

Cat Power (duo) | Michelle Zauner | Black Belt Eagle Scout

An evening of music and literature

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Cat Power (duo) | Michelle Zauner | Black Belt Eagle Scout

An evening of music and literature

Thursday, April 6, 2023
For Mission Creek’s opening day, Hancher will transform into a single-site festival venue and present a multidisciplinary program featuring Michelle Zauner (author of Crying in H Mart and Japanese Breakfast songwriter), Black Belt Eagle Scout, and legendary artist Cat Power.

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A portrait of Conor Hanick with inset photographs of Kier GoGwilt playing violin and Jay Campbell playing cello
Music

Conor Hanick, piano

with Keir GoGwilt, violin, and Jay Campbell, cello

Friday, April 14, 2023
Music

Conor Hanick, piano

with Keir GoGwilt, violin, and Jay Campbell, cello

Friday, April 14, 2023
Iowa City native Conor Hanick has been called the “soloist of choice for…thorny works” by The New York Times. Hancher welcomes Hanick home for a performance that will feature solo, duo, and trio works.

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The musicians of the Emerson String Quartet sit with their instruments
Music

Emerson String Quartet

Friday, April 21, 2023
Music

Emerson String Quartet

Friday, April 21, 2023
Undeniably one of the finest string quartets of the last four decades, the Emerson String Quartet has announced it will disband in 2023. Hancher is proud to once again present these incomparable musicians as part of their final tour.

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Dos Santos and Ratboys - Just added!
Music

Dos Santos and Ratboys

Saturday, April 22, 2023
Music

Dos Santos and Ratboys

Saturday, April 22, 2023
Performing everything from jazz-tinged psychedelia to dissonant cumbia, Dos Santos is at the forefront of a new era of Latinx alternative music. Ratboys is an American indie rock band from Chicago formed by Julia Steiner and Dave Sagan.

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Added Show! Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy

Damn Right Farewell

Friday, April 28, 2023

Buddy Guy

Damn Right Farewell

Friday, April 28, 2023
With special guest: Tom Hambridge. At age 86, Buddy Guy is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a living link to Chicago’s halcyon days of electric blues.

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Dancers from American Ballet Theatre dance in silhouette against a background with a giant zig-zag pattern
Dance

American Ballet Theatre

Saturday, May 6, 2023
Dance

American Ballet Theatre

Saturday, May 6, 2023
American Ballet Theatre returns to close Hancher’s 50th anniversary season with a mixed repertory program that is sure to thrill and delight everyone who experiences it.

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