The University of Iowa

Music

UI Symphony Orchestra and Choirs

William LaRue Jones and the UI Symphony Orchestra open a dramatic program on the new Hancher stage with the world premiere of alumnus composer Ching-Chu Hu’s The Phoenix. In a spectacle for the eyes and ears, the UISO will perform Mahler’s monumental “Resurrection” Symphony, an epic musical journey that explores the themes of life and death. Joined by UI School of Music alumni Michèle Crider and Ann Cravero, university choirs, and hundreds of student and alumni musicians, this will be a concert you won’t soon forget.

Fred Hersch Trio

Fred Hersch’s acclaimed trio will take to the Club Hancher stage for four concerts, each sure to highlight the chops and creativity that led Downbeat to call the pianist “one of the small handful of brilliant musicians of his generation.”

Andrew Bird

In collaboration with the festival and SCOPE Productions, Hancher will present singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird. “Here I am with my most unguarded, direct, relatable album to date,” Bird says of his latest record, Are You Serious. “Go easy on me.”

Las Cafeteras

In 2015, Club Hancher audiences were treated to stirring performances by Las Cafeteras, the East LA band steeped in music, community activism, and the connection between the two. The band returns for a mainstage performance.

Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma believes musicians are seekers of truth “in a way that gives meaning and sustenance to individuals and communities. That’s art for life’s sake.” Ma will enchant a Hancher audience for the first time since 2000, performing solo cello pieces.

MAMMA MIA!

MAMMA MIA! is the ultimate feel-good show that has audiences coming back again and again. Now it's your turn to have the time of your life at this smash-hit musical.

Tanya Tagaq

Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq will perform a live accompaniment to the silent movie Nanook of the North, a film rife with stereotypes of native people in Northern Quebec. Tagaq’s haunting vocal expression is unnerving, exquisite, and authentic.