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2025–26 Season Curatorial Statement
By Michelle Witt, Executive and Artistic Director
Meany Center’s values of excellence, innovation, connection and inspiration guide and shape every decision we make — from the artists we invite, to the programs we nurture, to the welcoming spaces we create for engagement and discovery. The 2025–26 Season is also rooted in the power of live artistic performance to bring us together, to heal and to transform. We are inspired by the creative voices that speak directly to our time, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and to the complexities of the world around us. This season is both a reflection and a response to a historical moment that asks for resilience, ethical engagement and a bold reimagining of what it means to belong.
Interconnectedness and Belonging
In a rare Seattle solo cello engagement, Yo-Yo Ma — UN Messenger of Peace — shares his exquisite artistry along with stories of hope, community and human connection through music. He uses music to bridge cultures and inspire action to help protect our planet. Broken Branches by Karim Sulayman and Sean Shibe is an arresting meditation on identity and cultural inheritance. Their program, weaving together Middle Eastern, Western classical and Sephardic musical traditions, speaks to the immigration journeys that have shaped both artists — inviting us into stories of exile, solidarity and the beauty of “in-between” spaces. Their collaboration models the empathy and porousness needed in our divided world.
Resilience and Healing
At the heart of this year’s performances are stories of strength in the face of significant challenges. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company’s Still/Here is a courageous meditation on loss, illness and perseverance, drawing from lived experiences and collective storytelling about the strength of the human spirit. Malian musician Mariam Doumbia brings a heartfelt tribute to her late husband and musical partner, Amadou Bagayoko, who passed away in April 2025. The program recognizes Amadou’s impact not only on world music but also as a champion for disability rights, especially through campaigning and fundraising for Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind, where the couple met.
Integration of Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives
Our season bridges traditions — musical, cultural and spiritual — that have often been considered separate. Shadow Cities by Ephrat Asherie Dance and Arturo O’Farrill brings together the kinetic energy of street dance and Afro-Latin jazz, exploring fluid, multifaceted identities and celebrating life “in between” boundaries. This spirit of fusion echoes across genres, from yMusic’s integration of pop and classical vocabularies to Mahani Teave’s blending of Western music with Rapa Nui Indigenous influences — artistry that models what it means to innovate without erasure.
Ethics and Responsibility
Our artists confront pressing questions about ethical stewardship and accountability in society. Gabriella Smith’s Aquatic Ecology harnesses field recordings of marine life to awaken a sense of environmental responsibility. The existential inquiries of Music for New Bodies, under the visionary direction of Peter Sellars with the American Modern Opera Company, explore the boundaries between art, science and activism. This season, art serves both as a mirror and a lens — reflecting our shared struggles and envisioning pathways toward renewal, justice and community engagement.
Creative Expression as a Catalyst for Change
Creative practice is more than an act of self-expression — it is a force for transformation. Pianist Min Kwon’s America/Beautiful music commissions show us America refracted through a prism of diverse voices, each variation expanding the meaning of nation and unity. The season sparks dialogue and celebrates difference as a source of artistic evolution, bringing together MOMIX’s surreal imagination emphasizing shifting identity and perspective, Mariachi Herencia de México’s celebration of a new generation of cultural pride, and Vijay Iyer’s classical, jazz and South Indian–influenced sonic cross-pollination.
Live Performance as Community Engagement
This Season also marks companies bringing live music to dance at Meany — exemplifying the vibrancy of artistic collaboration that is never the same twice. The Mark Morris Dance Group’s Dances to American Music — Soul of America provides another lens into our country’s musical journey. Through live music and inventive choreography, Morris and his dancers traverse genres and decades — painting a vividly layered portrait of national identity, nostalgia and hopeful renewal.
As we step into the 2025–26 Season, we do so with gratitude — for the artists who share their brilliance, for our communities who gather in these spaces, and for the profound gift of live performance. This year’s programs invite us to listen more deeply, to witness resilience and beauty, and to imagine new possibilities for connection and belonging. Together, we affirm that performance is not only an expression of artistry but also an act of community — where differences meet, hope is cultivated, and collective renewal takes root.