Hancher

“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.

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.

Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh bridges cultures, musical styles, and ideas. The CityBand quartet includes guitar, bass, and percussion and explores jazz, classical music, and traditional music of Syria.

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.

Intricately carved and masterfully manipulated, the marionettes of Joseph Cashore bring to life crystalline moments of melancholy and joy. Cashore’s craft captivates children and adults alike. In the intimate space of Strauss Hall, small audiences will encounter big delights.

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.

Storm Large—a musical chameleon with rock bonafides—delivers her own unique take on the American songbook. Building a fan base from her appearance on the televised singing competition “Rock Star: Supernova,” Large has conquered a variety of artistic avenues.

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 incomparable Emerson String Quartet return to Hancher for the first time since 2008. In forty years of music-making, the quartet has set an unsurpassed standard whether performing classic or contemporary work.

Cirque Éloize, that most inventive of circus troupes, returns to Iowa City with a new work co-commissioned by Hancher. Hotel features the perfect blend of the company’s exceptional circus skills and distinctive sensibility.