The legendary Twyla Tharp celebrates her 60th anniversary as a choreographer with a coast-to-coast diamond jubilee tour that includes two performances at the Harris Theater. Each performance features Tharp’s Diabelli Variations, set to Beethoven’s masterpiece of the same name, and a new work set to a reimagining of Philip Glass’s iconic Aguas daAmazônia, arranged and performed live by Chicago’s own Third Coast Percussion. Showcasing Tharp’s uncanny and witty use of music to create work of startling originality and beauty, the two dances once again ensure Tharp’s place as one of the great artists of our time.
Daring to take on the intensely demanding and demonically complex Diabelli Variations, Tharp makes visible the elegant humor and depth of Beethoven's layered genius. Each of the composition’s 33 variations is unique in mood and texture, and Tharp’s response — tender, teasing, transcendent, and cheeky — commands all of the performers’ technical prowess and energy as they shift effortlessly from ballet to jazz to modern, with unexpected bits of social and street dance added in for good measure.
Glass’s Aguas daAmazônia, which has been newly arranged by Third Coast Percussion in close collaboration with Tharp, will be performed by the ensemble on a unique collection of custom-designed percussion instruments. Chicago-based musician Constance Volk will perform live on flute alongside Third Coast Percussion.
This groundbreaking evening is sure to dazzle audiences with its stellar dancing and phenomenal musicianship.
“The choreographer Twyla Tharp has been a classicist, a modernist, a postmodernist — often at the same time — and maybe now and then a feminist and a Romantic, too. She also has a strong streak of the clown: tough, solemn-deadpan, with crazy timing, making a joke of how impossible things can be.” — The New York Times
Twyla Tharp Since graduating from Barnard College in 1963, Twyla Tharp has choreographed more than 160 works: 129 dances, 12 television specials, six Hollywood movies, four full-length ballets, four Broadway shows, and two figure skating routines. She has received one Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, 19 honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President’s Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize, and a 2008 Kennedy Center Honor. Her many grants include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and is an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In 1965, Tharp founded her dance company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her dances are known for creativity, wit, and technical precision coupled with a streetwise nonchalance. By combining different forms of movement – such as jazz, ballet, boxing, and inventions of her own making – Tharp’s work expands the boundaries of ballet and modern dance.
In addition to choreographing for her own company, she has created dances for The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, The Boston Ballet, The Mariinsky, Bolshoi Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Today, ballet and dance companies around the world continue to perform Tharp’s works.
Tharp’s work first appeared on Broadway in 1980 with When We Were Very Young, followed by her collaboration with musician David Byrne on The Catherine Wheel and later by Singin’ in the Rain. In 2002, Tharp’s dance musical Movin’ Out, set to the music and lyrics of Billy Joel, premiered. Tharp later worked with Bob Dylan’s music and lyrics in The Times They Are A-Changin’ and Come Fly Away, set to songs sung by Frank Sinatra.
In film, Tharp has collaborated with director Milos Forman on Hair, Ragtime, and Amadeus. She has also worked with Taylor Hackford on White Nights and James Brooks on I’ll Do Anything.
Her television credits include choreographing Sue’s Leg for the inaugural episode of PBS’ Dance in America in 1976, co-producing and directing Making Television Dance, and directing The Catherine Wheel for BBC Television. Tharp co-directed the television special Baryshnikov by Tharp.
In 1992, Tharp published her autobiography Push Comes to Shove. She went on to write The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use it for Life, followed by The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together. In 2019, her fourth book, Keep It Moving: Lessons for the Rest of Your Life, was published.
Today, Tharp continues to create.
Third Coast Percussion With nearly two decades of spellbinding performances to its name, Chicago-based quartet Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore) is the first percussion ensemble to win a Grammy Award. Also nominated for a Grammy as a composer collective, Third Coast Percussion (TCP) recasts the classical musical experience with a brilliantly varied sonic palette, crafting music to “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR). The ensemble celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2025, having blossomed from percussion students who met in 2005 at Northwestern University into a thriving non-profit organization. TCP’s 2023 album Between Breaths was nominated under Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
With their eclectic taste and approachable sensibility, TCP has been praised for the “rare power” (The Washington Post) and “inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune) of tours across the U.S. and four continents. The ensemble’s recordings include 17 feature albums and appearances on 14 additional releases, including its Grammy-winning recording of Steve Reich’s works for percussion. It has commissioned and premiered new works from such artists as Augusta Read Thomas, Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, David T. Little, Danny Elfman, and Jlin (whose TCP commission Perspective was a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist). Connecting with audiences through talks, play-alongs, educational programs, and mobile apps, TCP has also produced collaborative art alongside engineers, architects, and musicians of all genres. They collaborate with numerous Chicago-based civic and cultural institutions, teach thousands of students through educational partnerships, and maintain multi-year collaborations with Chicago-based composers. The quartet also serves as ensemble-in-residence at Denison University in Ohio.
Constance Volk Constance Volk is a musician, a painter, and an illustrator. She is a member of Ensemble Dal Niente, the Grossman Ensemble, and the Chicago Wind project. She has collaborated with Lookingglass Theatre, Alarm Will Sound, Eighth Blackbird, and Third Coast Percussion. She has exhibited paintings at Bridgeport Art Center, Zhou B Art Center, Miller Beach Arts and Creative District, and Rendezvous Arts. Her illustrations are featured with Density Seeds, an offshoot of the Density 2036 solo flute repertoire project. Volk is the creator of Connie’s Characters, a series of mix-and-match coloring books full of wacky weirdos. Her paintings, poster art, coloring books, and music can be found at constancevolk.com.
