Miller Theatre at Columbia University, New York City announces 2026-27 season.

Friday, May 15, 2026

Miller Theatre has announced a premiere-filled 2026-27 season—a mix of new music, early music, and jazz, as well as the free programs Morningside Lights and Pop-Up Concerts. Press release attached.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts announces

The 2026-27 Season

“A hotbed of musical exploration.”
— THE NEW YORKER

* Subscriptions on sale now *
* Single tickets on sale: Monday, July 13 at 12 Noon *

Miller Theatre, under the exuberant leadership of Executive Director Melissa Smey, announces a premiere-filled 2026-27 season—an invigorating mix of new music, early music, and jazz, as well as the free programs Morningside Lights and Pop-Up Concerts.

Since 2009, Smey has been known for the integrity of her curating with an authentically warm, informal vibe. Under her guidance, Miller’s consistently engaging offerings have not only recalibrated the gender imbalance in classical music, but have had a “transformative impact on musical culture in New York City,” exerting an “oversize influence on tastes and trends” (The New York Times). Miller often gives listeners their first major encounter with lesser-known composers who are thereafter programmed by the bigger organizations.

Smey has commissioned over 60 major works, and five more will be premiered across the 2026-27 season: three on the covetable Composer Portraits series (by Clara Iannotta, Sam Pluta, and Katherine Young) and two on the world-class Early Music series (Stile Antico presents a new piece by Christopher Cerrone, and The Tallis Scholars premiere one by Matthew Martin). It’s remarkable that Miller has found a way to commission composers even on Early Music, a substantial series that explores the rich history of medieval and Renaissance polyphony. Another premiere on Composer Portraits is the concert version of Suzanne Farrin’s new opera Macabéa, an electro-sonic experience that examines the cultural, psychological, and spiritual manifestations of poverty and power, based on Clarice Lispector’s final novel.

This spirit of discovery extends to the fabulous Bach series as well, with highlights that include Simone Dinnerstein juxtaposing Bach’s Inventions and Sinfonias with works by jazz pianist-composers profoundly influenced by the master: Brad Mehldau and Keith Jarrett. “Miller Theater’s most important offerings are its contemporary Composer Portraits, but in a way, Bach is a stealth addition: as the only composer of any era with an annual series of his own at the hall, he could be seen as the subject of an expansive, multiseason Portrait,” wrote The New York Times.

Composer-performers are also the focus of Miller’s Jazz series. Two of the four concerts feature trios of brilliant experimental jazz minds: Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, and Ingrid Laubrock, and Craig Taborn, Tomeka Reid, and Ches Smith.

While the cost of everything goes up, two of Miller’s most popular series remain absolutely free (and the top price of a ticket to a Composer Portrait is still $30): Morningside Lights and Pop-Up Concerts are people-gathering programs that Melissa Smey created early in her tenure, and both turn 15 this season. Pop-Ups are free, short, and intense 6PM concerts where the audience sits on stage, just inches from the city’s most brilliant new music virtuosos. Announced throughout the year, these “cocktail hour” performances of experimental music “feel closer to a loft party than a formal concert” (ODEA). The magnificent large-scale Morningside Lights began in 2012 as a small neighborhood lantern procession and has grown into a beloved annual tradition of collective creativity. It brings the people of Morningside Heights together for a beautiful illuminated outdoor procession featuring dozens of handmade lanterns built during free workshops. (This fall, Miller also unveils a Morningside Lights exhibition in the lobby, on display throughout the year.)

In the words of Melissa:
“Miller Theatre’s 2026–27 season is driven by a spirit of discovery, pairing immersive concerts of living composers with fresh and contemporary perspectives on the canon. Audiences will have the rare opportunity to encounter artists who are actively shaping the field, often at pivotal moments before they gain wider recognition. This season also celebrates the 15th anniversary of two programs that are very close to my heart, Pop-Up Concerts and Morningside Lights. Both bring the community onto Miller’s stage through free concerts and workshops that make the arts accessible to all—up close in real time.”

The 2026-27 Season

COMPOSER PORTRAITS

Each composer to attend their Portrait and engage in an onstage conversation Single tickets from $20
Series tickets from $64 for all four concerts, or from $48 for three concerts

“There are few series as satisfying as the Miller Theatre’s signature dives into one composer.” — THE NEW YORK TIMES

Composer Portraits are deep-dive immersions into a single living composer’s work, often with world premieres commissioned by Miller Theatre. The series has been repeatedly hailed as “utterly indispensable,” “covetable,” “essential,” “endlessly important,” and “invaluable” by The New York Times and The New Yorker, among others. After 27 years, it continues to reward curious listeners with meaty, thought-provoking concerts.

(Miller Theatre commissions original portrait photography to go with each Composer Portrait concert, furthering its efforts to place creators front and center. Below are the 2026-27 portraits.)

Thursday, October 29, 2026, 7:30PM
Suzanne Farrin (b. 1976)
Miller audiences will be among the first to experience the Concert Premiere of Macabéa, a powerful new 75-minute opera by Suzanne Farrin. Inspired by Clarice Lispector’s final novel, The Hour of the Star, the deeply moving work confronts the forces of poverty and power with striking emotional intensity. Performed by the Talea Ensemble, this special presentation offers an exclusive preview before the opera’s full premiere in Brazil in 2028.
Opera by Suzanne Farrin
Libretto by Sergio Chejfec
Based on The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector
ARTISTS
Charlotte Mundy, soprano
Christopher Herbert, baritone
Talea Ensemble
Eduardo Leandro, conductor
Commissioned by the Talea Ensemble with funding from Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation. Early conceptual phase support provided by American Opera Projects. The development of Macabéa received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Composers: Discovery Grants program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation

Thursday, February 4, 2027, 7:30PM
Sam Pluta (b. 1979)
Sam Pluta, a Guggenheim Fellow, is a composer, sound artist, and electronics performer whose work explores the visceral interplay between live musicians and reactive computerized sound. He joins Yarn/Wire for a dynamic program of his music, including a new work commissioned by Miller Theatre.
PROGRAM
new work (2027), world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
Seven Systems (2015)
Tile Mosaic (after Chagall) (2010)
ARTISTS
Sam Pluta, electronics
Yarn/Wire

Thursday, March 25, 2027, 7:30PM
Katherine Young (b. 1980)
Katherine Young is a bassoonist and composer whose electroacoustic music explores curious timbres, expressive noises, and kinetic structures. Recognized with awards, fellowships, and commissions from organizations including the Guggenheim Foundation and the Fromm Music Foundation, she performs with her longtime collaborators, Wet Ink Ensemble, in a program spanning six years of boundary-pushing work.
PROGRAM
new work (2027), world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
Improvised Composition (2027)
Into this dark forest you have already turned (2025)
Some choose exposed edges, others damp grooves (2022)
Mycorrhiza III (with Alejandro): Quiet Places (2021)
ARTISTS
Katherine Young, bassoon
Wet Ink Ensemble

Thursday, April 8, 2027, 7:30PM
Clara Iannotta (b. 1983)
“I am particularly interested in music as an existential, physical experience—music should be seen as well as heard,” says Italian composer Clara Iannotta, recipient of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Composers’ Prize and the Hindemith Foundation Prize. International Contemporary Ensemble brings her richly tactile sound world to life in this concert, featuring a world premiere commissioned by Miller Theatre.
PROGRAM
new work (2027), world premiere, Miller Theatre commission
echo from afar (ii) (2022)
dead wasps in the jam-jar (iii) (2017-18)
ARTIST
International Contemporary Ensemble

JAZZ

Single tickets from $25
Series tickets from $92 for all four concerts

Saturday, October 3, 2026, 7:30PM
Alfredo Rodríguez Trio
The charismatic, Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist and composer Alfredo Rodríguez returns to Miller for the first time since 2019. His electrifying performances, with audiences literally dancing in the aisles, blend jazz, classical virtuosity, and Afro-Cuban rhythms into a singular, high-energy sound.
ARTISTS
Alfredo Rodríguez, piano
Han Beyli, bass
Armando Lopez, percussion

Saturday, November 7, 2026, 7:30PM
Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, and Ingrid Laubrock
Pianist Kris Davis, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey are all award-winning musicians, acclaimed composers, and formidable figures in experimental jazz. Together, they form a trio of striking cohesion and depth—where, as JazzTimes observes, “lines and musical sympathies converge beautifully.”
ARTISTS
Kris Davis, piano
Ingrid Laubrock, saxophone
Tyshawn Sorey, drums

Saturday, December 5, 2026, 7:30PM
Anthony Hervey Septet
Trumpeter and composer Anthony Hervey, a leading voice in jazz and protégé of Wynton Marsalis, returns to the Miller stage with his Septet. Blending the complexities of jazz with influences ranging from ragtime to R&B, Hervey’s music is both rooted and forward-looking.
ARTISTS
Anthony Hervey, trumpet
Jillian Grace, vocals
Langston Hughes II, alto saxophone
Ben Sherman, tenor saxophone
Tyler Bullock, piano
Jonathon Muir-Cotton, bass
Tyson Jackson, drums

Saturday, February 6, 2027, 7:30PM
Craig Taborn Dream Archives Trio
A 2025 MacArthur Fellow, the Brooklyn-based composer and pianist Craig Taborn is “a singular figure among improvisers of his generation” (DownBeat). For this concert, he collaborates with two equally inventive bandleaders, cellist Tomeka Reid and drummer Ches Smith, for a performance not to be missed.
ARTISTS
Craig Taborn, piano
Tomeka Reid, cello
Ches Smith, drums

EARLY MUSIC

Single tickets from $30
Series tickets from $144 for all five concerts

All concerts take place at Church of St. Mary the Virgin
145 West 46th Street, New York, NY

“Columbia University’s performance hub advocates just as vigorously for early music as it does for contemporary work.”
— THE NEW YORKER

Thursday, October 15, 2026, 7:30PM
Stile Antico
Polyphonic Postcards
The flourishing cities of Renaissance Europe were centers of extraordinary cultural activity. The acclaimed vocal ensemble Stile Antico returns with a program offering vivid snapshots of the music, politics, and culture at the height of this period, alongside a new work by Christopher Cerrone, written specifically for this concert.
Program:
Christopher Cerrone new work (2026), world premiere, commissioned by Miller Theatre
Felice Anerio Christus factus est
Manuel Cardoso Lamentations a 6
Ludwig Daser Fratres, sobrii estote
Pedro de Escobar Pasame por Dios
Andrea Gabrieli Ecco Vinegia bella
Francisco Guerrero Ave virgo sanctissima
Niño Dios d’amor herido
Clément Janequin Les cris de Paris
Orlande de Lassus Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
Alonso Lobo O quam suavis est
Claudio Merulo Vergine Madre, figlia del tuo figlio
Claudio Monteverdi Adoramus te Christe
Pierre Moulu Mater floreat
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Tu es Petrus
João Lourenço Rebelo Panis angelicus
Ludwig Senfl Das Geläut zu Speyer
Claudin de Sermisy Tant que vivray
Philippe Verdelot Trist’Amarilli mia
ARTIST
Stile Antico

Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:30PM
The Gesualdo Six
Fading
The award-winning Gesualdo Six returns with a program inspired by the ancient service of Compline, which marks the close of the day and the onset of night. This contemplative concert pairs Renaissance polyphony by masters including Thomas Tallis, Carlo Gesualdo, and John Sheppard with contemporary reflections by Sarah Rimkus, Joanna Marsh, and Gerda Blok-Wilson.
Program:
Hildegard von Bingen O ecclesia oculi tui
Gerda Blok-Wilson O Little Rose, Oh Dark Rose (2018)
Carlo Gesualdo Asciugate i begli occhi
Heinrich Isaac Illumina faciem tuam
Alonso Lobo Versa est in luctum
Luca Marenzio Potrò viver io più se senza luce
Joanna Marsh Fading (2015)
Donna McKevitt Lumen (Nunc Dimittis) (2020)
Owain Park Phos Hilaron (2015)
Josef Rheinberger Abendlied (1855)
Sarah Rimkus My heart is like a singing bird
Jonathan Seers Look down, O Lord
John Sheppard In pace in idipsum
Thomas Tallis Te lucis ante terminum
Thomas Weelkes When David Heard
ARTISTS
The Gesualdo Six
Owain Park, director

Thursday, December 3, 2026, 7:30PM
The Tallis Scholars
Hail Mary
The esteemed Tallis Scholars return for their annual holiday appearance with a concert celebrating music in praise of the Virgin Mary. From beloved settings of Ave Maria and Salve regina to a world premiere commission, the luminous program is framed by two versions of the Magnificat, Mary’s enduring message of hope.
Program:
Matthew Martin Gaude gloriosa (2026), world premiere, Miller Theatre co-commission
Orlande de Lassus Alma redemptoris
Michael Praetorius Magnificat
Josquin des Prez Ave Maria
Heinrich Schütz Magnificat
John Sutton Salve Regina
Thomas Tallis Sancte Deus
Philippe Verdelot Beata es/Ave Maria
ARTISTS
The Tallis Scholars
Peter Phillips, director

Thursday, February 11, 2027, 7:30PM
Quince Ensemble
Cantus ad Fontem: The Sound of Water
In their series debut, the acclaimed Quince Ensemble steps out of their usual contemporary programming to perform medieval and Renaissance works centered on texts about water. Through music by composers including Machaut, Palestrina, and Sheppard, the illustrative program traces connections between earth and sky, body and spirit.
Program:
Anonymous Asperges me
Par grant soif, Cyprus Codex
Jacquet de Berchem Consumandomi vo
Séverin Cornet Ite caldi sospir
Orlande de Lassus Come lume di notte
Guillaume de Machaut Lay de la Fontaine
Clay Mettens Excerpt from Flowers of the Sky (2026), world premiere
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Deh, or foss’io col vago della luna
John Sheppard Audivi vocem de caelo
John Taverner Hodie nobis caelorum Rex
Christopher Tye Sub tuam protectionem
ARTISTS
Quince Ensemble
with guest vocalist Tracy Cowart

Thursday, March 4, 2027, 7:30PM
Cappella Pratensis and Piffaro
A Mass for Manila
The Dutch vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis and the American Renaissance wind band Piffaro unite for an international collaboration. As was customary in the Renaissance, the singers of Cappella Pratensis gather around a single large manuscript placed on an ornate wooden music stand. Together they perform Francisco Guerrero’s Missa Sancta et immaculata, a program evoking the Immaculate Conception, to which the 16th-century cathedral in Manila was dedicated.
Program:
Francisco Guerrero Missa Sancta et immaculata
ARTISTS
Cappella Pratensis
Tim Braithwaite, artistic director
Piffaro, The Renaissance Band
Priscilla Herreid, artistic director

BACH

Simone Dinnerstein performs Bach at Miller; photo by Rob Davidson for Miller Theatre
Single tickets from $30
Series tickets from $72 for all three concerts

“Although the Miller Theater at Columbia University is indelibly tied to contemporary composers and early music, the voluminous canon of Johann Sebastian Bach has long formed a third pillar of that institution’s programming.”
— THE NEW YORK TIMES

Thursday, September 24, 2026, 7:00PM*
Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh—“a masterly Bach interpreter” (The New York Times)—returns with a rare and ambitious undertaking: performing J.S. Bach’s complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin in a single program. This landmark performance offers a complete journey through one of the violin repertoire’s defining masterpieces.
Program:
J.S. Bach Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001
Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002
Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, BWV 1003
Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004
Sonata No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005
Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006
ARTIST
Jennifer Koh, violin
* Please note the earlier start time. This program will last approximately 3 hours, with one 30-minute intermission.

Thursday, October 8, 2026, 7:30PM
Goldberg Variations for String Trio
Photo credit (L to R): Jay Campbell by Rob Davidson for Miller Theatre,
Geneva Lewis by Matthew Holler, Emma Wernig courtesy of the artist
LISTEN
Three of today’s most compelling string players—violinist Geneva Lewis, violist Emma Wernig, and cellist Jay Campbell—join forces to perform Dmitri Sitkovetsky’s landmark string trio arrangement of Bach’s beloved Goldberg Variations. In this virtuosic chamber setting, Bach’s architecture becomes a living conversation in the hands of these three exceptional musicians.
Program:
J.S. Bach Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1741) arr. Dmitry Sitkovetsky (1985)
ARTISTS
Geneva Lewis, violin
Emma Wernig, viola
Jay Campbell, cello

Thursday, November 5, 2026, 7:30PM
Bach Inventions and Sinfonias
The celebrated pianist Simone Dinnerstein, a longtime Miller collaborator, returns to explore an unexpected kinship between Bach’s Fifteen Inventions and Fifteen Sinfonias and works by renowned jazz pianists Brad Mehldau and Keith Jarrett—both profoundly influenced by Bach.
Program:
Brad Mehldau Suite for Piano
Keith Jarrett Encore from Tokyo, trans. Uwe Karcher
J.S. Bach Fifteen Inventions, BWV 772-786
J.S. Bach Fifteen Sinfonias, BWV 787-801
ARTIST
Simone Dinnerstein, piano

FREE PROGRAMMING TURNS 15
A remarkable gift in this time of shrinking affordability and funding:
Two uniquely uplifting series deepen the connection with Miller’s community and welcome newcomers into the fold.

POP-UP CONCERTS
“Miller Theatre’s Pop-Up Concerts are a wonderfully informal way to experience bracing contemporary music.” — THE NEW YORK TIMES
Miller Theatre’s early-evening, hour-long Pop-Up Concerts—free, informal, and fun—bring the audience right onto the stage, inches from virtuoso performers who share not only their music but the stories behind it. The unique setting “feels closer to a loft party than a formal concert” (ODEA). One loyal audience member calls it “the greatest hour of culture in New York.”
Onstage seating is first-come, first-served. Monthly Pop-Up Concerts are announced throughout the season.
Check http://www.millertheatre.com for dates and times (typically announced a month or two in advance), and join the Miller Theatre email list for updates and concert announcements.

MORNINGSIDE LIGHTS XV
http://www.morningside-lights.com
Saturday, September 19, 2026 (workshops start Saturday, Sept 12)
15th Annual Morningside Lights: “A Common Thread”
Concept and Direction by Processional Arts Workshop
Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, artistic directors
Mornngside Lights is co-produced with the Arts Initiative at Columbia University
“It is hard not to be drawn by the magic of Morningside Lights. More than an annual parade, it is a love letter—a tribute to our community. “ — BWOG
Morningside Lights returns this fall, illuminating the night in a procession of awe-inspiring handmade lanterns floating through Morningside Park to Columbia’s campus.
This unique neighborhood tradition includes a week of free community arts workshops leading up to the procession. This year’s theme, “A Common Thread,” explores the visual patterns and motifs that surround us—in textiles, domestic adornments, architecture, and engineered spaces. Workshop participants will create and combine luminous patterned panels into lanterns inspired by the geometry of American quilts. A winding red line forms a visual line that links each design throughout the final procession—a common thread that connects the human fabric across our rich and varied differences.
More details will be announced soon. The public can learn more or sign up to help create lanterns at http://www.morningside-lights.com.

SEASON AT A GLANCE

Saturday, September 19, 2026 (workshops start Saturday, Sept 12)
15th Annual Morningside Lights

Thursday, September 24, 2026, 7:00PM
Bach
Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Jennifer Koh, violin

Saturday, October 3, 2026, 7:30PM
Jazz
Alfredo Rodríguez Trio

Thursday, October 8, 2026, 7:30PM
Bach
Goldberg Variations for String Trio
Geneva Lewis, violin
Emma Wernig, viola
Jay Campbell, cello

Thursday, October 15, 2026, 7:30PM
Early Music
Stile Antico
Polyphonic Postcards

Thursday, October 29, 2026, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Suzanne Farrin
Macabéa
Charlotte Mundy, soprano
Christopher Herbert, baritone
Talea Ensemble
Eduardo Leandro, conductor

Thursday, November 5, 2026, 7:30PM
Bach
Bach Inventions and Sinfonias
Simone Dinnerstein, piano

Saturday, November 7, 2026, 7:30PM
Jazz
Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, and Ingrid Laubrock

Thursday, November 12, 2026, 7:30PM
Early Music
The Gesualdo Six
Fading

Thursday, December 3, 2026, 7:30PM
Early Music
The Tallis Scholars
Hail Mary

Saturday, December 5, 2026, 7:30PM
Jazz
Anthony Hervey Septet

Thursday, February 4, 2027, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Sam Pluta
Sam Pluta, electronics
Yarn/Wire

Saturday, February 6, 2027, 7:30PM
Jazz
Craig Taborn Dream Archives Trio

Thursday, February 11, 2027, 7:30PM
Early Music
Quince Ensemble
Cantus ad Fontem: The Sound of Water

Thursday, March 4, 2027, 7:30PM
Early Music
Cappella Pratensis and Piffaro
A Mass for Manila

Thursday, March 25, 2027, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Katherine Young
Katherine Young, bassoon
Wet Ink Ensemble

Thursday, April 8, 2027, 7:30PM
Composer Portraits
Clara Iannotta
International Contemporary Ensemble

Miller Theatre
http://www.millertheatre.com
One of New York City’s most vital music venues, Miller Theatre at Columbia University is a thriving home for contemporary and early music that serves audiences, composers, and musicians. Founded in 1988, Miller’s mission is to develop new audiences; foster enthusiasm for the arts by pioneering new programming approaches; educate the public by presenting specialized programs to a broad audience; discover diverse repertoire and commission new works; and share the University’s intellectual riches with the public. Led by Executive Director Melissa Smey, Miller Theatre sparks engagement and personal connections to music through distinctive live performances and is deeply committed to fostering collaborative relationships with the composers and musicians who make this possible.

Leadership support for Miller Theatre’s programming is provided by The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Howard Gilman Foundation; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation; and Howard and Sarah D. Solomon Foundation.

Support for contemporary music programming is provided by
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the Amphion Foundation.