Daniele Sahr

Melissa Smey, Executive Director of Columbia University’s Miller Theater, in conversation with Daniele Sahr

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Executive Director of Columbia University’s Miller Theater Melissa Smey talks to Daniele Sahr

Melissa Smey, Executive Director of Miller Theater © Adrienne Stortz

Melissa Smey, the Executive Director of Miller Theater at Columbia University, brings her collaborative spirit and production expertise to putting on some of the best music series in New York City. It might take listeners a few extra subway stops to make it uptown, but the artistic excellence they will find cannot be overstated. I got to speak to Melissa Smey in this 26th season of their signature series, ‘Composer Portraits’, about the curatorial process and her take on what makes contemporary music welcoming to audiences.

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Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra share riveting and informative lesser-known works

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United StatesUnited States Various – ‘Forging an American Musical Identity’: Anna Thompson (soprano), J’Nai Bridges (mezzo-soprano), Freddie Ballentine (tenor), Alan Williams (bass), Bard Festival Chorale (chorus director: James Bagwell), American Symphony Orchestra / Leon Botstein (conductor). Carnegie Hall, New York, 30.1.2026. (DS)

J’Nai Bridges (mezzo-soprano) and American Symphony Orchestra with Leon Botstein (conductor) © Matt Dine

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Creative design and collaborative artistry make Prototype’s Precipice a triumph of small-production opera

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United StatesUnited States Prototype Festival 2026 [2] – Rima Fand, Precipice: Bass string quintet, piano & mandolin / Mila Henry (music director). La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York, 9.1.2026. (DS)

Daisy Press and Alison Tolan-Mee in Precipice © Maria Baranova

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