The Celebrity Series of Boston has announced the line-up for the 3^rd annual Stave Sessions, a unique music series that showcases the innovative, the experimental, and the collaborative approaches of emerging artists.   The 2017 Stave Sessions will take place March 21-24, 2017.

Stave Sessions highlight contemporary musicians often early in their careers who take diverse approaches to their music, integrating musical training and non-conforming styles to deliver performances that defy standard labels.   Shows take place at 160 Mass Ave., a unique and intimate venue located on the Berklee College of Music campus where floor-to-ceiling windows offer concertgoers an urban backdrop with views of the city and an upscale, cabaret vibe.

“At Celebrity Series of Boston, we look for ways to showcase and support emerging artists,” said Gary Dunning, President and Executive Director.  “Stave Sessions allows us to do this, bringing together artists who are doing unique work, often building on classical, conservatory training to create works that defy expectations.  Each show is an exceptional experience that you won’t want to miss.”

In the first two years, Stave Sessions artists included Roomful of Teeth, Brooklyn Rider, Gabriel Kahane, Kneebody + Daedelus, My Brightest Diamond, Sam Amidon and others.  Featured performances for the 2017 series include:

• yMusic Tuesday, March 21, 2017 

Comprised of six musicians (string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet), yMusic commission from and collaborate with many of the era’s most compelling creators of pop and classical music including Chris Thile, Nico Muhly, Ben Folds, José Gonzalez, and Andrew Norman, among many others.

• Melissa Aldana     Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Rising tenor sax star Melissa Aldana, the first woman to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone competition, makes no secret about being inspired by Sonny Rollins: like Sonny in the late 50s, she fronts a piano-less quintet featuring Philip Dizack on trumpet, Joel Ross on vibraphone, Pablo Menares on bass and Craig Weinrib on drums. But she’s coming into her own as an artist: her 2016 record “Back Home” was widely praised.

• Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society  Thursday, March 23, 2017

Darcy James Argue and his 18-piece big band have been celebrated for their “slashing fury and awesome full-ensemble precision” (The New York City Jazz Record) and “brilliant soundscapes” (Globe and Mail). The Society led the Big Band Category in DownBeat Magazine’s Critics Poll in 2015 and their recordings have earned GRAMMY and JUNO Award nominations. The set will include songs from the Society’s new recording, Real Enemies, among other selections.

•  TIGUE and Innov Gnawa, Friday, March 24, 2017

TIGUE is a percussion trio using members’ conservatory training and eclectic influences to create music that sits at the intersection of contemporary music and art rock. Innov Gnawa performs Moroccan gnawa music: hypnotic Islamic liturgical chants with plucked string and percussive instrumentation. Together, they explore traditional and modern approaches to trance.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the Saturday evening Stave Sessions performance by Blonde Redhead and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) has been cancelled. Ticket holders who purchased via the Celebrity Series will be contacted as to ticketing options. All other ticket holders should contact their place of purchase.

Doors for all sessions open at 7:30 p.m. Performances will begin at 8:30 p.m.  Tickets for each show are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.  $10  tickets are available in advance for students at the Berklee Performance Center Boxoffice and are $20 at the door. A week-long pass is available for the first 40 tickets for $50.  Prices are subject to change. Tickets are on sale now here.

Stave Sessions is sponsored by Susan and Michael Thonis, and Margaret Eagle and Eli Rapoport.  Additional support is provided by Carliss Baldwin and Randolph Hawthorne, Yukiko Ueno and Eran Egozy, Debra and Michael Raizman, and Marylen Sternweiler.

ABOUT CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON

Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. Over the course of its 78-year history, Celebrity Series has presented an array of the world’s greatest performing artists, including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arturo Toscanini, Ignace Paderewski, Artur Rubenstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Glenn Gould, Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Andrés Segovia, Kirsten Flagstad, Marian Anderson, Luciano Pavarotti, Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Martha Graham, Ballet Russe De Monte Carlo, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Mstislav Rostropovich, and the New York City Opera Company.

The Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers–from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more–to Boston’s major concert halls for 78 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience–on stages, in schools, at home– everywhere.

The Celebrity Series of Boston, Inc. receives generous support from Amy & Joshua Boger, Leslie & Howard Appleby, the Boston Cultural Council, The Boston Foundation, the Stephanie L. Brown Foundation, Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC, the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Deloitte LLP, Donna & Mike Egan, Foley & Lardner LLP, Gabor Garai & Susan Pravda, David & Harriet Griesinger, Zachary Haroutunian and the Garbis & Arminé Barsoumian Charitable Foundation, the Charles and Cerise Jacobs Charitable Foundation, Paul L. King, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Joseph McNay, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England Foundation for the Arts, Eleanor & Frank Pao, The Peabody Foundation, PTC, the Cynthia and John S. Reed Foundation, the Royal Little Family Foundation, the Stifler Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Henri A. Termeer, Michael and Susan Thonis, Tufts Health Plan, Sanjay & Sangeeta Verma, Nancy Richmond Winsten, Anonymous, and many others.