Hancher

If you’re in the mood for adventuresome jazz, the Thirsty Ear label offers plenty of options to quench your cravings—and one of the tastiest is cellist Tomeka Reid’s hard grooving quartet. Featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson (one of the hottest players to emerge in recent years), the quartet offers up a menu of musical flavors.

In this new English translation, SITI Company invites us to Thebes where Dionysus—god of wine, ritual madness, fertility, and theater (and in this production imagined as a rock star)—is opposed by King Pentheus. SITI Company’s famed co-artistic director Anne Bogart will be on hand for a post-performance conversation.

For the first time in 20 years, Sankai Juku, Japan’s internationally renowned butoh dance troupe, returns to Hancher. Butoh, which has been called Japan’s most startling cultural export, is enthralling, surprising, and often deeply moving. Utsushi is the perfect introduction to the work of Sankai Juku.

An ensemble of 13 exceptional musicians—including David Finckel on cello and David Shifrin on clarinet—celebrate the intrepid (and diverse) American spirit in a performance highlighting two pairs of composers who helped shape classical music in the twentieth century.

Chick Corea’s 2014 triple-disc set, Trilogy, added a live masterwork to the venerated pianist’s discography. Featuring bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade, the recording was a triumph. Now, Corea, McBride, and Blade are bringing the music from Trilogy back to live audiences.

In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson's RENT continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world.

The Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet returns with a concert featuring music by American composers and guitar virtuosos. Front and center: a new work by Pat Metheny written for LAGQ.

Hair & Other Stories investigates issues of body image, race, gender identity, economic inequity, and more. Urban Bush Women—a contemporary dance company committed to pushing the boundaries of storytelling through spoken word, movement, and singing—enacts the everyday pursuit of the extraordinary.

The numbers alone are impressive: six Tonys, two Grammys, and an Emmy. And the honors are remarkable: a spot on Time’s 100 most influential people list and a National Medal of the Arts. Supported by her trio, Audra McDonald will share her luminous soprano in an unmissable performance.

Van Jones is the founder of Dream Corps, a justice incubator with an overarching goal to close prison doors and open doors of opportunity. A Yale-educated attorney, author of three New York Times nonfiction bestsellers, and a CNN contributor, Jones worked as an adviser to the Obama White House.