In the arts, see legendary opera star Kathleen Battle take the Meany stage, hear UW鈥檚 own faculty perform Beethoven and other iconic works, experience a breathtaking contemporary ballet where 鈥渦nparalleled versatility and virtuosity鈥� are on full display, and attend a 91探花Symphony performance.
Kathleen Battle: Underground Railroad 鈥� a spiritual journey
8:00 p.m., April 14聽|聽Meany Theater
Soprano Kathleen Battle鈥檚 luminous voice has been called 鈥溾�ithout qualification, one of the very few most beautiful in the world鈥� (The Washington Post). Yet what distinguishes her most is her almost magical ability to create an unwavering bond with her audience. Returning to Seattle for the first time in two decades, the legendary opera star takes the Meany stage to explore traditional spirituals and the writings of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. She is joined by acclaimed jazz pianist Joel A. Martin and local choirs The Sound of the Northwest and 91探花Chamber Singers.
Decolonizing Art and Land Relationships: A Conversation with Demian Din茅Yazhi麓and Guests
1:00 p.m., April 14聽| Henry Art Auditorium
How are Indigenous artists changing and subverting colonized narratives of relationships between art, land, and institutions? 2017 Brink Award Winner Demian Din茅Yazhi麓 invites Tania Willard and Sara Siestreem to discuss approaches within and outside of institutional spaces that are rooted in Indigenous cultures and experiences. The conversation, moderated by Miranda Belarde-Lewis, will consider ways in which colonization has problematized the way land art and environmental works are understood in the broader, white-dominant field of contemporary art and art history.
The Brink: Demian Din茅Yazhi麓
April 14 – September 9 |聽Henry Art Gallery
In this exhibition, transdisciplinary artist Demian Din茅Yazhi麓 (born 1983) presents new work that expands upon their ongoing engagement with the entangled relationships between the land, Native cultures, and colonial, capitalist economic and political systems.
A group of analog slide projectors form the core of the installation, casting images and text throughout the space聽to create a multi-layered narrative of Din茅Yazhi麓鈥檚聽home place on聽Din茅 Bik茅yah (Navajo Nation) in Arizona and New Mexico聽and its proximity聽to uranium mining industries and the popular US thoroughfare Route 66.聽 Stories of exploitation鈥攐f people and of natural resources鈥攁s well as survival, weave together alongside an overarching聽concern with the legislation of borders imposed by the reservation system, and the resulting effects on the ways bodies move and form relations across its bounds.
Faculty Recital: Craig Sheppard, piano; S忙unn Thorsteinsd贸ttir, cello
7:30 p.m.,聽April 16 |聽Meany Theater
Faculty colleagues Craig Sheppard, piano, and S忙unn Thorsteinsd贸ttir, cello, perform the Beethoven Cello Sonatas–Opus 5 #1 in F Major and Opus 102 #2 in D Major–and Rachmaninoff鈥檚 Cello Sonata Opus 19.
Faculty Recital: Michael Partington and Marc Teicholz, guitar
7:30 p.m.,聽April 16 | Brechemin Auditorium
91探花faculty guitarist Michael Partington聽 joins with duo partner Marc Teicholz of the San Francisco Conservatory for an evening of music composed or arranged for two guitars, including music by聽 Joseph Haydn, Mauro Giuliani, Francis Poulenc, Dusan Bogdanovic, and others.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
8:00 p.m., April 19 – 21 |聽Meany Theater
Celebrating its 40th year as one of the most original forces in contemporary dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has long been known for its exceptionally talented dancers and a diverse repertoire of adventurous choreography. This contemporary ballet company that 鈥渋s going to take your breath away鈥� (The Washington Post) is arguably at the top of its game. Their unparalleled versatility and virtuosity will be on full display as they perform works from choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, William Forsythe, Crystal Pite and Nacho Duato.
91探花Chamber Orchestra with Melia Watras, viola
7:30 p.m., April 20聽| Brechemin Auditorium
David Alexander Rahbee conducts members of the 91探花Symphony in a program of works by Britten, Wagner, and Wolf. With 91探花Strings Professor Melia Watras, viola.