Vijay Iyer
Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway,” Vijay Iyer has carved out a unique path as an influential, prolific, shape-shifting presence in twenty-first-century music. A composer and pianist active across multiple musical communities, Iyer has created a consistently innovative, emotionally resonant body of work over the last twenty-five years, earning him a place as one of the leading music-makers of his generation.
Oregon Symphony
Adventurous programming. Inspiring collaborations. Bridging art forms. Connecting lives. Sparking conversation. Every day, and with each exhilarating performance, the Oregon Symphony is moving music forward.
Vijay Iyer
Through the Amplifying Voices program, the Oregon Symphony, Boise Phil, Fresno Philharmonic, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, and London Philharmonic Orchestra are proud to be collaborating with composer Vijay Iyer.
Co-commissioners: Oregon Symphony (lead), Boise Phil, Fresno Philharmonic, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, and London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Upcoming performances:
- October 1, 2022 – Vijay Iyer’s Human Archipelago, cellist Inbal Segev and the London Philharmonic Orchestra (world premiere) – London, England
- January 14-16, 2023 – Vijay Iyer’s Human Archipelago, cellist Inbal Segev and the Oregon Symphony (U.S. premiere) – Salem & Portland, OR
- February 25, 2023 – Vijay Iyer’s Human Archipelago, cellist Inbal Segev and the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra – Palos Heights, IL
Composer Statement for his commissioned piece, Human Archipelago:
Human Archipelago uses the concerto format to stage a series of precarious encounters among the soloist, the orchestra, and the “travelers,” a group of performers who play only by ear. The first movement, “Scenes in Free Fall,” sets a single melody in a series of unstable environments; the next, “Xenia,” imagines a blessed visit from strangers; and the last, “To be one of many,” builds a fugue-like collective polyphony before giving way to a coda where the soloist and travelers unite.
This piece was born of our evolving relationship to two urgent, entangled global phenomena: climate change and mass migration. It is my hope that the music might offer an opportunity to reflect on our ethical responsibilities to our fellow human beings in the present and future — indeed to rethink our very notion of “us.”
I am grateful to Inbal Segev for initiating this project and believing in my work; to Teju Cole and Peter Sellars, who helped me feel my way through the ideas; and to all of the performers for embodying the music with virtuosity and grace.
Human Archipelago was commissioned by the London Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Boise Philharmonic, the Illinois Philharmonic, and Inbal Segev.
Bio:
Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway,” Vijay Iyer has carved out a unique path as an influential, prolific, shape-shifting presence in twenty-first-century music. A composer and pianist active across multiple musical communities, Iyer has created a consistently innovative, emotionally resonant body of work over the last twenty-five years, earning him a place as one of the leading music-makers of his generation. He received a MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, a Grammy nomination, the Alpert Award in the Arts, and two German “Echo” awards, and was voted Downbeat Magazine’s Jazz Artist of the Year four times in the last decade. He has been praised by Pitchfork as “one of the best in the world at what he does,” by the Los Angeles Weekly as “a boundless and deeply important young star,” and by Minnesota Public Radio as “an American treasure.” A longtime New Yorker, Iyer lives in central Harlem with his wife and daughter. He teaches at Harvard University in the Department of Music and the Department of African and African American Studies. He is a Steinway artist.
Related Content
New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices Expands to Include Over 45 Orchestras in the US and Beyond
Announcing Two Additional Composers to be Co-Commissioned: Katherine Balch – New York Philharmonic & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Clarice Assad – The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Amplifying Voices will present 13 Orchestral Premieres During the 2022-23 Concert Season in London, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Houston, Atlanta, & More Already Participating Composers are Valerie Coleman, Juan Pablo... Read more »
New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices Program Announces First Premieres
New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices program, which fosters collaboration toward racial and gender equity in new orchestral music, has over thirty orchestras from across the United States signed up to premiere new works co-commissioned from nine of today’s leading composers: Valerie Coleman, Juan Pablo Contreras, Vijay Iyer, Tania León, Jessie Montgomery, Brian Raphael Nabors, Nina Shekhar, Tyshawn Sorey, and Shelley Washington. Each of the composer’s pieces will be performed by a minimum of four orchestras.
Amplifying Voices unites 30+ orchestras to address inequities in classical music
New York, NY (updated March 30, 2021) – New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices program, launched in January 2020 to promote marginalized voices in orchestral music, is growing to include at least 35 orchestras, which are working together to shift the canon for future generations. This increasing momentum, made possible by new funding from the Sorel... Read more »
Vijay Iyer’s “Human Archipelago” (London Philharmonic Orchestra) – World Premiere
London
Vijay Iyer’s “Human Archipelago” (Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra)
Palos Heights, IL
Voices of the New 2023 Winter Festival: SONGS TO THE UNKNOWN
Roulette Intermedium, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn NY, 11217
