Performed on Sept. 23, 2022

Roughly translated, taiko means “big drums” — and that’s exactly what Taikoza brings. Drawing on Japan’s rich legacy of music and performance
to develop a highly visual experience with colorful costumes and dynamic motion, Taikoza created a new sound using ancestral taiko drums and
bamboo flutes. The group gives thunderous voice to traditional and new compositions through big drums, powerful rhythms and electrifying, room-thumping energy.

Formed in New York City by members of Ondekoza — the group that started the renaissance of taiko in Japan in the 1960s and introduced taiko to the world — Taikoza has performed in prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and House of Music, Osaka Festival Hall and Lincoln Center. The group has also toured extensively internationally and appeared on ESPN, NBC and The History Channel, as well as other networks. Taikoza CDs have been nominated five times for Best Asian Music by the Japan Foundation Awards.

Performed on Nov. 8, 2022

At a moment when musical streams cross with unprecedented frequency, it’s crucial to remember that New Orleans has been the point at which sounds and cultures from around the world converged, mingled and resurfaced, transformed by the Crescent City’s inimitable spirit and joie de vivre . Nowhere is that idea more vividly embodied than in the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a reminder that this history is vibrantly living music — a sonic continuum stretching back to the city’s Afro-Cuban roots, through common ancestry with the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and the Fire Music of Pharoah Sanders and John Coltrane; forward to cutting-edge artists with whom the PHJB has shared stages, including Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, Grateful Dead and modern giants like Arcade Fire and The Black Keys.

This fall, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band embarks on a pilgrimage of its own: a nationwide tour to celebrate the Hall’s 60th anniversary. The band’s mission remains focused on initiating audiences into the ineffable, almost religious experience of channeling their ancestors through the music and culture they’ve inherited from them.

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.