String Quartet in D Major op.20 no.4 (28’) Franz Haydn (1732-1809) 1. Allegro di Molto 2. Un poco Adagio Affettuoso 3. Allegro alla zingarese 4. Presto scherzando Entre’acte (11’) Caroline Shaw (1982-) String Quartet F Major Op.59 no.1 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) 1. Allegro 2. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando 3. Adagio molto e mesto 4. “Thème Russe” Allegro Shanghai Quartet’s second engagement features notable classical compositions alongside a cutting-edge contemporary work. The world-class chamber ensemble performs a mysterious work…

Grand Band is a unique musical ensemble that includes six pianos arranged in a circle and played by “the finest, busiest pianists active in New York’s contemporary-classical scene” (The New York Times). The sextet engulfs the audience in the sonic intensity of four landmark contemporary works: the iconic and massive Gay Guerilla by cult underground figure Julius Eastman; the pulsating Sensitive Spot by Australian sound artist Kate Moore; and my lips from speaking, a riff on Aretha Franklin’s Think by Pulitzer-winning composer Julia Wolfe.

Boasting a “rich, pliant, full-bodied” style that transports audiences “to the heart of dance itself” (The New York Times), Richard Alston Dance Company returns to Peak Performances for its final American engagement before the company closes its doors after more than 25 years.

5 Performances at Montclair State University presented by the Department of Theatre & Dance.

Join conductor Thomas McCauley and the MSU Wind Symphony as they share the stage with conductor Bryan Stepneski and the Clifton High School Mustang Band for an exciting evening of music making.

Performing Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Katherine Balch’s Leaf Catalogue, and Beethoven’s Symphony No.4.

The startlingly refreshing work of composer/performer Kate Soper arrives with the world premiere of The Romance of the Rose. Performed by seven singers and a chamber ensemble and live electronics, this innovative work mixes medieval and contemporary allegory—along with shrieks, wails, and auto-tuned oration—to dramatize the ways in which love, sex, and music wreak havoc on our sense of self.

A dramatic musical examining the lives of passengers aboard the doomed ship presented by the College of the Arts at Montclair State University.