Vijay Iyer

Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, systems builder, rhapsode, historical thinker and multicultural portal,” Iyer has carved a unique path as an influential, prolific and changing presence in the 21st century. A composer and pianist active in multiple musical communities, Iyer has created a consistently innovative and emotionally resonant body of work over the past twenty-five years, earning a place as one of the leading music creators of his generation. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performer Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, a Grammy nomination, the Alpert Award in the Arts, and two German Echo Awards, along with which she has received more honors and citations such as being "a limitless and profoundly important young star" according to Los Angeles Weekly.

Iyer's musical language draws on the rhythmic traditions of South Asia and West Africa, the African-American creative musical movement of the 1960s and '70s, and the lineage of composers and pianists from Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk to Alice Coltrane and Geri Allen. He has released twenty-five albums of his music, most recently Love In Exile (Verve Records, 2023). Iyer is an active composer for classical ensembles and soloists. He recently served as composer-in-residence at London's Wigmore Hall, musical director of the Ojai Music Festival, and artist-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A tireless collaborator, he has written Big Band music for Arturo O'Farrill and Darcy James Argue, remixed classic recordings by Talvin Singh and Meredith Monk, and joined forces with legendary musicians Henry Threadgill, Reggie Workman, Zakir Hussain and L. Subramanian. Also developed interdisciplinary work with Teju Cole, Carrie Mae Weems, Mike Ladd, Prashant Bhargava and Karole Armitage. A longtime New Yorker, Iyer lives in central Harlem with his wife and daughter. He is a professor at Harvard University, with a joint appointment in the Department of Music and the Department of African and African American Studies. He is a Steinway artist.