Music for 18 Musicians: Staged Variations tickets

Composer Steve Reich shattered musical boundaries, fusing classical technique with African drumming, jazz, and pop to pioneer minimal music. His Music for 18 Musicians made a massive impact when it premiered in 1976, inspiring generations of musicians in experimental, rock, and electronic music.

Marking its 50th anniversary and Reich's 90th birthday, conductor Alan Pierson stages this work in the vast Wade Thompson Drill Hall. Three generations unite — the original Steve Reich Ensemble, new-music group Alarm Will Sound, and rising talent from Manhattan School of Music — expanding it into a cycling, durational performance. Musicians encircle the audience, embodying the music's construction in an immersive cycle, with interludes from guest artists. The result is a ritual of communion, with contemplative, ecstatic resonance — hearing the music anew, from within.