(Photo credit: Rob Davidson for Miller Theatre at Columbia University)

The vocal performances included in the 2023-24 season at Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts are listed below.

“John Zorn at 70” is a three-concert celebration for the composer’s birthday. Each performance in the series explores a different facet of Zorn’s canon. Soprano Barbara Hannigan will perform many of Zorn’s vocal and instrumental pieces in the final concert.

Performance Dates: September 21, October 19, & November 16, 2023

Brett Umlauf, Christiana Cole, and Hirona Amamiya take the stage in Kate Soper’s newly commissioned chamber opera “The Hunt.” The cast of three will accompany themselves on ukulele. The story is that of reclaiming a “well-worn medieval legend to interrogate the contemporary obsession with regulating and restricting female sexuality, the consequences for gender deviance, the value of beauty, and the price of safety—all while captivating the audience with music that beguiles, provokes, and ultimately triumphs.”Ashley Tata with Annie Holt as dramaturg.

Performance Dates: October 12 & 14, 2023

The Belgian ensemble Vox Luminis is returning to Miller Theatre’s Early Music Series. They will offer a program including works by J.S. Bach and Johann Pachelbel.

Performance Date: October 21, 2023

The Tallis Scholars make their annual New York City appearance with a refreshing holiday program titled “While Shepherds Watched.” The program will examine the Christmas story through the eyes of the shepherds who came to worship at the manager. The program includes Flemish composer Clemens non Papa’s popular mass “Pastores quidnam vidistis?” (“Shepherds, what did you see?”) and by other composers such as Tomàs Luis de Victoria, Pedro de Christo, and Peter Philips.

Performance Date: December 9, 2023

The International Contemporary Ensemble will perform “Oh, I See,” “Membran,” “Schlammflocke II,” and “Treibstoff” by German composer Carola Bauckholt.

Performance Date: February 8, 2024

Gesualdo Six and conductor Owain Park will present “Lux Aeterna,” a curated selection of works spanning from the Renaissance to the present day. The a cappella ensemble explores the musical responses to the themes of mourning, loss, and hope over centuries. Their repertoire includes compositions by Tavener, Byrd, Tallis, Purcell, and de Morales alongside contemporary works, including Joanna Marsh’s “I take thee” which was composed for the ensemble in 2020.

Performance Date: February 17, 2024

The Bach Series kicks off with Simone Dinnerstein leading Ensemble Baroklyn from the piano. They joined by vocal soloist mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano. The program is anchored by two Bach masterpieces, the “Brandenburg Concerto” No. 6 and the sacred cantata “Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust” (“Delightful repose, cherished pleasure of the soul)”.

Performance Date: March 28, 2024

British vocal ensemble Stile Antico returns to Miller Theatre to tell the story of Dante Alighieri’s “La Comedia” (“Divine Comedy”). The program consists of prayers and texts from the epic poem set to music. Featured composers include Gomber, Palestrina, Luzzaschi, Guerrero, Merulo, Morales, and Lusitano, amog others.

Performance Date: April 13, 2024