Hermitage Sunsets: Piano in the Key of Vijay
The Hermitage Artist Retreat’s popular series, “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens,” continues into its fifth anniversary as part of the Hermitage’s 2024-2025 season. The outdoor series — a celebrated collaboration between the Hermitage and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens — features performances and explorations of works-in-progress by Hermitage artists-in-residence and alumni. “Hermitage Sunsets @ Selby Gardens” events are currently scheduled to take place at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus in Osprey. Registration for all events is $5.00 per person and free to Selby Gardens Members. Registration is required at HermitageArtistRetreat.org.
There isn’t much Hermitage Greenfield Prize Winner Vijay Iyer hasn’t done in the world of music. A Grammy Award-nominated artist, he has performed at the world’s most iconic venues, composed works premiered by leading institutions such as the London Philharmonic, and collaborated with other musicians and ensembles similarly admired for their innovative approach, like Hermitage Fellow Claire Chase and the International Contemporary Ensemble. It is no surprise that The New York Times described him as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker, and multicultural gateway.” This prolific composer and performer continues to inspire musicians and audiences alike with daring fusions of musical styles from across the world and his virtuosic skills at the piano. Hear selections of Vijay’s vast catalogue of work — performed on the piano by the artist himself — and gain new insights into his creative process as he returns to the Hermitage through the Ruby E. Crosby Alumni Music Initiative.
Vijay Iyer
Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway,” Hermitage Fellow and composer-pianist Vijay Iyer has earned a place as one of the leading music-makers of his generation. Beyond his recognition as a Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner in the discipline of music, his honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, three Grammy Award nominations, and the Alpert Award in the Arts. His newest albums are Defiant Life (ECM, 2025), his second suite of duets with visionary composer-trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith; Compassion (ECM, 2024), featuring his acclaimed trio with drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh; Trouble(BMOP/sound, 2024), a composer portrait album comprising three of his orchestral works, including the titular violin concerto performed by Jennifer Koh; and Love in Exile (Verve, 2023), his Grammy Award-nominated collaboration with Arooj Aftab and Shahzad Ismaily. He teaches at Harvard University.