Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith: 'Defiant Life'

John Knowles Paine Concert Hall
3 Oxford St.
Cambridge
Thu., May 7, 2026, 7 p.m.



Composer-pianist Vijay Iyer and composer-trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith perform their duo creations, developed over 20 years of collaboration.

Two of creative music’s most heralded luminaries, each feted with prizes and critical accolades from across the globe, composer-pianist Vijay Iyer and composer-trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith construct powerful, uncategorizable duets full of subtle emotion, mystery, and spiritual intensity. Their music reveals the improvisational magic of the duo, the expressive individuality of the participants, and the ways that they can – as Smith says – “merge as a single wave, or a single voice.”

This event is part of ArtsThursdays, a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA).

Photo by @ogata_photo

Gazette Classification: Concerts, Music
Organization/Sponsor: Harvard University Department of Music
Cost: Free
Ticket Web Link: www.eventbrite.com…
Harvard Key Required: No
More info: www.eventbrite.com…