Life & Liberty: Marie Rader Series announces Full 26|27 Season featuring Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Performers

The Marie Rader Series’ 2026-27 “Life & Liberty” season invites audiences to reflect on America’s 250th anniversary with an emphasis on singular, award-winning African American musicians, choreographers and storytellers.  

The Series’ 19th season, which kicked off in July with a performance from the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Players, continues in October with Sounds Like America, featuring renowned pianist and thought leader Lara Downes in live musical conversation with Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning singer, multi-instrumentalist, and cultural historian Rhiannon Giddens. 

To prepare for the October 30 program, Lara will visit a variety of Rowan classrooms throughout the month, inviting students from across the University to take part in The Declaration Project, a national archive which Downes produced to help everyday Americans find common ground and shared purpose in imagining the possibilities of the American future.

“Lara and Rhiannon -- two powerhouse women in music who are forging their own paths -- serve as inspiring examples for our audience, cutting through outdated and limiting views of what artists with classical training can be and should do, and courageously following their intuition,” said Debbie Shapiro, Marie Rader Series artistic director. “To me, this is what optimism for the future of the arts looks like. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to share it with the extended Rowan community this year.”

This season -- which also boasts a performance by Grammy Award-winning jazz artists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap -- complements the nationwide commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Through a range of programs for multi-generational audiences, it offers a year-long invitation to reflect on our shared histories and how they can help lead us toward envisioning a shared future.

For more information on all Marie Rader Series programming visit go.rowan.edu/marieraderseries. 

Life & Liberty: The 26|27 Marie Rader Series Season Lineup 

Friday, October 30 - Sounds Like America with Lara Downes & Rhiannon Giddens

In a musical conversation developed for her NPR series, America in Pursuit, Lara Downes presents a unique program of live music and conversation with Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning Rhiannon Giddens, reflecting on the roots and routes of American music, and the crossroads where traditions come together. Exploring our nation’s story through its music, Downes and Giddens share iconic songs from Amazing Grace to Paul Simon's American Tune, tracing our history and celebrating our shared hopes and struggles. This program, which also includes multimedia work produced via Downes' national initiative, The Declaration Project, invites audiences to find common ground and shared purpose in imagining the possibilities of the American future. 

For more information visit go.rowan.edu/america.

Sunday, January 31 - Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap 

Effortless…spontaneous…inimitable…this is the convergence of two of jazz’s most legendary forces of nature. When Grammy Award-winning Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap take the stage, an incomparable experience awaits. With a vast repertoire spanning the greatest periods and genres in American music, the duo craft masterful performances and deliver captivating storytelling.

Drawing from the canons of luminary composers such as Ellington, Porter, Sondheim, Legrand, Simon and others, their virtuosic interpretations traverse the musical spectrum, from intimate ballads to soulful grooves, delivered with daring expression borne of their musical chemistry. 

For more information visit go.rowan.edu/deedee.

February 20 & 21 - Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater

Well-known for painting rich tapestries of political, social and economic history through movement, Rennie Harris weaves a vibrant blend of street and tap dance styles to highlight unique forms from across the United States, including Jitting (Detroit), Footwork (Chicago) and GQ (Philadelphia). American Street Dancer features a live hip-hop orchestra with a DJ, bucket players and beatboxers, as well as an impressive line-up of acclaimed artists such as House of Jit, Creation Global, Akim Funk Buddha, DJ Razor Ramon, Ayodele Casel and his company, Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater.  Appropriate for all ages, and tickets are FREE for children 12 and under.

For more information visit go.rowan.edu/RHPM.

March 14 - The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats
a Childsplay Production

The Snowy Day celebrates the magic and boundless possibilities of the first snowfall! Follow Peter and his friends as they romp and play, starting snowball fights and making snow angels in this imaginative musical play about the childhood joys and challenges of growing up. Using innovative shadow puppetry, Keats’ treasured characters come to life in this humorous and fun adaptation of Whistle for Willie, Goggles!, A Letter to Amy, and The Snowy Day. Appropriate for all ages, and tickets are FREE for children 12 and under.

For more information visit go.rowan.edu/snowyday.

About the Series

The Marie Rader Series brings world-class artists to campus for public performances, masterclasses, visits with community groups and more. With great concessions, free tickets for Rowan students, discounts for Rowan employees and alumni, accessible seating and FREE PARKING, the Marie Rader Series invites YOU to find your next uplifting performing arts experience right here at Rowan! Learn more: go.rowan.edu/marieraderseries.