MoCo native drummer Allison Miller, who is a three-time Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, will be performing at the Strathmore Music Center on February 10th. The show, In Our Veins, is described as a multisensory experience that combines original jazz music with tap dance and video projections, all inspired by five great American rivers. Addition details below courtesy of Strathmore:
“This February, Strathmore presents Allison Miller’s Rivers in Our Veins on the Music Center stage for an immersive multimedia performance, Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8pm. The evening will include a Pre-Concert Discussion with local riverkeepers from the Anacostia Watershed Society, Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN), and Groundwork Anacostia River DC exploring the complex social and ecological factors that affect our region’s waterways, environmental sustainability and justice.
Drummer, composer, and educator Allison Miller created Rivers in Our Veins as an exploration of the cultural and ecological life of rivers. She combines original jazz music with tap dance by Claudia Rahardjanoto and Luke Hickley, modern dance by Maleek Washington and improvisational video projections by Todd Winkler inspired by the sights, sounds, and movements of five U.S. rivers, including the Potomac and James.
Between the rhythmic elements inherent in tap and her dynamic movements, Rahardjanoto serves as a bridge between the aural and visual impacts of the piece. Rahardjanoto is both a dancer and a musician, blending into the performance as an additional member of the band. At the same time, Winkler improvises with imagery as his instrument. His projected natural sets shift in reaction to the band’s improvisational interplay and Claudia’s rhythmic vibrations, captured live via a feed connecting Rahardjanoto’s tap floor with his video equipment. What results is a balanced, multimedia experience that unifies the senses and fully immerses the audience into the wonders of these great American waterways.
“[This] stunning and deep work . . . continues the conversation many of us are having about where we come from, where we are, and what we are going to do about where we are going,” says Toshi Reagon, longtime bandmate, friend, and collaborator of Miller. Reagon will be returning to Strathmore this spring for an encore performance of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower Opera.
Miller’s time with Strathmore will include a residency with students and artists from the DMV area on January 24, including interviews with river experts Dennis Chestnut, Chris Williams, and Nancy Stoner, as well as an Artist in Residence workshop at AMP. She will also conduct a music workshop at her alma mater, Sherwood High School, February 8 in Olney, MD.”
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Growing up in Silver Spring and Olney, MD, Allison Miller is a three-time Jazz Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and has been the rhythmic force behind such artists as Sara Bareilles, Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Toshi Reagon, and more.
Tap dancer Claudia Rahardjanoto has performed globally, solo and with award-winning tap dance company Dorrance Dance, who performed at the Music Center at Strathmore this past November. Luke Hickey is a NYC based tap dancer, choreographer, and educator named by Dance Magazine among their “25 to Watch” in 2020. Maleek Washington started his professional career with Strathmore educational partner CityDance Ensemble and has since performed and taught both nationally and internationally.
Video artist Todd Winkler, Director of the PhD program in Multimedia and Electronic Music Experiments at Brown University, has received international attention at festivals and venues both nationally and internationally. Miller’s band Boom Tic Boom features Carmen Staaf on piano; Jenny Scheinman on violin; Ben Goldberg on clarinet; Jason Palmer on cornet; and Todd Sickafoose on bass, tony-Award winning orchestrator and music producer of Anais Mitchell’s Hadestown.
This program is part of a multi-year examination of the environment through artistic expression and is made possible, in part, through the generous support Kathleen Knepper.
Commissioned by Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.
ABOUT STRATHMORE
Strathmore is a multidimensional, creative anchor in the community, where everyone can connect with the arts, and artists can explore their full potential.
It presents hundreds of performances, visual arts, and education programs, annually, for diverse audiences on its Montgomery County Maryland campus and in the community.
All of Strathmore’s facilities are Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ accredited.
For further information or tickets, call (301) 581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.
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