Great Artists Series '26-'27: "Northern Lights in a Persian Sky" featuring Benedicte Maurseth, Hardanger fiddle with Constantinople
Tickets
(Washington University Box Office - 314-935-6543)
SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES
Subscription Renewals: On sale 3/29
New Subscriptions: On sale 5/18
Package 1: Full Concert Series $200 (This package includes the 10th Anniversary Celebration with pianist Yuja Wang)
Package 2: Five Concerts Subscription $150 (This package does not include the 10th Anniversary Celebration with pianist Yuja Wang)
SINGLE TICKETS (On sale 8/10)
$35-$40 General Admission
$32-$37 WashU Faculty/Staff
$15 Students/Youth
10th Anniversary Celebration with pianist Yuja Wang
$65-$95 General Admission
BEWARE OF SCAMS! Tickets purchased through the Washington University Box Office or online via AudienceView (also known as OvationTix) are the only approved tickets for this event. Purchases made through a third-party vendor such as StubHub, Ticketmaster, or MetroTix will NOT be valid for entry to the performance.
About
Nordic Lights brings together Constantinople and renowned Hardanger fiddle virtuoso Benedicte Maurseth in a collaboration inspired by the landscapes and traditions of Norway. Blending Nordic folk heritage with a cross-cultural “North–South” dialogue, the program explores the deep connection between music, nature, and human experience, creating immersive soundscapes that evoke fjords, glaciers, and centuries-old traditions. Featuring Maurseth alongside Kiya Tabassian (setar, voice) and Patrick Graham (percussion), the performance weaves together voices and instruments into a richly textured, transportive musical journey.
Biographies
Benedicte Maurseth
Benedicte Maurseth is a well-established and esteemed performer and composer on Norway’s music scene.
She has studied with Hardanger fiddle master Knut Hamre for close to thirty years and is an alumna of the Ole Bull Academy. Maurseth has toured extensively as a soloist and in collaboration with others, both in Norway and internationally. She works closely with many of the leading artists across genres and artistic expressions such as Jon Fosse, Anne Marit Jacobsen, Rolf Lislevand, Mats Eilertsen, Berit Opheim, Merilyn Crispell, and more.
Maurseth has written music for theater and film and other commissioned works for festivals and albums. The work Tidekverv, which was premiered in 2017, was awarded NOPA’s music prize, and her song Very Full, which was specially written for the TV series Loki (Marvel Studio), ranked high on the Billboard list. Maurseth also received many prestigious artist grants from the Norwegian state for cultivating her tradition and creative work. She has recorded albums for Grappa Musikkforlag (Hubro & Heilo) and ECM Records, and has also published books, articles and essays. Her book To be nothing. Conversations with Knut Hamre, Hardanger Fiddle Master, was published at Terra Nova Press / MIT Press fall 2019. Her latest album Hárr was awarded «Best Nordic album of the year», and received the prestigious Nordic Music Prize for 2022. In 2022 she also released the book Systerspel (Fiddlesisters) about the history of female fiddle players in Norway from 1700 until today.
Kiya Tabassian
Setar virtuoso and acclaimed composer, Kiya Tabassian, has carved out a privileged place on the international music scene with his ensemble Constantinople and as a soloist. With his celebrated cross-cultural musical encounters, he travels across the five continents to present his creations and his music on stages all over the world.
He has contributed to many eclectic projects as a composer, performer, and improviser. To cite a few, he has collaborated with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the CBC, and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. He has actively participated in the international project MediMuses from 2002 to 2005, as a member of a research group on the history and the repertoire of Mediterranean music, and acted as a contributor to several publishing and recording projects. He also intervened in the Atlas ensemble (Netherlands) since 2009 and contributed to the Atlas Academy as a tutor, a double project aimed at conjoining contemporary music and oral traditions.
In 2015, he established and directed the very first world music residency program at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity, and between 2017 and 2022, he acted as Associate Artist of the prestigious Rencontres musicales de Conques (France), where he participates at the annual program of the festival and also presented recent creations from Constantinople.
Kiya was a member of the Conseil des arts de Montréal for seven years, including as active chairman of the musical decision-making committee for three years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
He is the artistic director of the Centre des musiciens du monde, a music Centre he co-founded in Montreal, in 2017, as a space for creation, meetings, exchanges, and the transmission of knowledge between professional musicians and the public. For many years, the ensemble of his work has been supported by the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Canada Council for the Arts.
*Programs and artists are subject to change