Artist Series
Presenting internationally acclaimed
dance, music & theatre artists
The Artist Series seeks to encourage an aesthetic appreciation of diverse cultures as well as the artistic heritage of humankind.
Performances are often linked in ways that advance intellectual engagement through master classes, lectures or content of the artistic presentation. Please visit Arts, Lectures & Performances to view our most current listings, confirm dates and times and see a full list of upcoming performances, readings, lectures and discussions.
Tickets can be purchased online. Tickets can also be purchased in person or by phone by visiting the Box Office or calling 570-372-ARTS. Will call is available.
2024–25 Artist Series
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. | Degenstein Center Theater
Celebrating over 30 years of dance-making, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a rare Asian American female-created touring company that honors and advances the dynamic spirit of Chinese American cultural tradition. Nai-Ni Chen’s unique choreographic styles reflect the grace and splendor of the Chinese cultural traditions she studied in Taiwan and the dynamic spirit of modern and contemporary dance she acquired in New York. The Company’s contribution to the community has been honored by OCA, the leading national Asian American advocacy organization, New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of Commerce and the International Institute in Jersey City. The Company has toured extensively in the United States and at international festivals around the world and has been honored with over 20 awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. Prominent institutions — including the Lincoln Center Institute, the Joyce Theater, Dancing in the Streets, New Jersey Ballet, Ballet Met, Dancing Wheels and Baraka Sele at NJPAC — all have commissioned notable works.
2024–25 Artist Series
Michelle Cann & Imani Winds
April 22, 7:30 p.m. | Weber Auditorium
Lauded as “exquisite” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone, Michelle Cann has become one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation. She made her debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2021 and has performed concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal de São Paulo, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore and Cincinnati. A celebrated chamber musician, Cann has collaborated with leading artists, including the Catalyst, Dover and Juilliard string quartets, violinists Timothy and Nikki Chooi, and cellist Thomas Mesa.
She has appeared as co-host and collaborative pianist with NPR’s From the Top , collaborating with actor/conductor Damon Gupton, violinist Leila Josefowicz, and violinist and MacArthur Fellow Vijay Gupta. Michelle Cann s is represented by by Curtis Artist Management at the Curtis Institute of Music.
Imani Winds is the 2024 Grammy winner in the classical compendium category for Jeff Scott’s Passion for Bach and Coltrane , released on their recently formed record label, Imani Winds Media. Celebrating over a quarter century of music-making, the three-time Grammy-nominated ensemble has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The ensemble’s playlist embraces traditional chamber music repertoire and newly commissioned works from voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live. Twenty-six seasons of full-time touring has brought Imani Winds to virtually every major chamber music series, performing arts center and summer festival in the United States. They regularly perform in prominent venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center, and have a presence at festivals such as Chamber Music Northwest, Chautauqua Institution and Banff Centre. Their international presence includes concerts throughout Asia, Australia, Brazil, England, Europe and New Zealand. To date, one of Imani Winds’ most humbling recognitions is a permanent presence in the classical music section of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Imani Winds is represented by Arts Management Group, Inc.
Past Artist Series Events
Performed on April 16, 2024
The Grammy award–winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer has been hailed as “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker and is known around the world as “an orchestra of voices” for its wide-ranging repertoire and dazzling virtuosity. Founded in San Francisco in 1978 by singer and musicologist Louis Botto, Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, selling over one million recordings and performing thousands of live concerts to audiences around the world. Chanticleer’s repertoire is rooted in the renaissance and has continued to expand to include a wide range of classical, gospel, jazz and popular music, and a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements.
Performed on Oct. 3, 2023
Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music. The NEA Jazz Master, Grammy Award winner, and Tony Award nominee is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes, this celebrated ensemble is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics. After the Grammy-nominated Upward Spiral, on which guest vocalist Kurt Elling was seamlessly integrated into the group, the Quartet has followed up with the Grammy-nominated The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, its most emotionally wide- ranging and melody-driven collection to date. John Zeugner captured the impact of the Quartet in a live performance in a recent concert review, calling it “casually confident, professional, cerebral, and supercharged with energy. The Branford Marsalis Quartet … was all of those adjectives and more.”
Performed on Feb. 14, 2023
One of the largest symphonic orchestras in Munich, the Munich Symphony Orchestra has played an important role in Germany’s musical landscape for over 75 years. The orchestra’s open mind for innovation and its stylistic versatility and masterful work have enabled citizens to enjoy a great variety of concerts for decades. With musicians from 17 different nations, the adventurous ensemble presents varied programs in large venues, clubs, unusual locations and its own Bavaria Music Studios.
MSO’s repertoire ranges from baroque to classical and romantic while including movie soundtracks, modern classics, hip-hop and crossover. It has recorded more than 650 movie soundtracks, including Howard Shore’s Oscar-nominated soundtrack for The Silence of the Lambs . Munich Symphony Orchestra conceptualizes its concerts as a platform for shared experiences and spontaneous exchanges with the audience. It forges a connection between listeners and performers that extends beyond the concert hall, into the digital space.
Performed on March 9, 2023
Aquila Theatre’s striking new production of Shakespeare’s political thriller, Julius Caesar , bursts into life with complex characters and powerful contemporary parallels. The fall and rise of Rome’s ruling class takes us on a journey into a world of conspiracy and betrayal. Fresh from success on the battlefield, a triumphant Caesar returns to Rome a virtual dictator. Brutus, Cassius and like-minded senators decide his undemocratic power grab must be stopped.
One of the foremost producers of classical theater in the United States, Aquila visits 50–60 cities annually with a program of two plays, workshops and educational programming. The company has been awarded numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Councils for the Arts and Humanities and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Creativity at Susquehanna
