About Ayano Kataoka

Kataoka is a professor of percussion at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a performer with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She gave the world premiere of Smith’s “Eternity” in 2022. She is known for infusing her performances with remarkable physical energy. Her dynamic yet controlled technique is well suited to the theatrical and improvisational aspects of Smith’s work as well as his colorful, atonal, and rhythmically complex musical language.

Kataoka performs and gives master classes around the world. She has played with cellist Yo-Yo Ma; premiered compositions by George Crumb, Paul Lansky, Alejandro Viñao, James Wood, and Lukas Ligeti; and has been featured at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center. A native of Japan, Kataoka began studying the marimba at age 5 and percussion at 15. She holds degrees from Tokyo University of the Arts and the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University, and an Artist Diploma from Yale School of Music.

Composer Stuart Saunders

Composer Stuart Saunders Smith of Sharon, Vermont, has created a diverse and unusual body of musical and literary compositions. Many of his works are theatrical, asking the performers to speak, sing, act, and perform pantomime in addition to playing their instruments. His music is recorded on O.O. Discs, Capstone Records, New World, and on labels in Austria, France, and Germany. Of his approach to musical composition, Smith has said, “I never use pre-compositional engineering plans… I want a music which can contradict itself and go off on tangents. I am not interested in consistency… I am in search of magic, and like a magic trick, I want my hand to turn into a bird that flies away!”

“We are so fortunate to live in a region overflowing with world-class artistic talent,” said BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld. “It’s a joy and a privilege for us to present artists of the caliber of Ayano Kataoka and Stuart Saunders Smith, especially surrounded by the breathtaking artwork of Aurora Robson.”

About Brattleboro Museum & Art Center

Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is free, courtesy of M&T Bank. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org.

BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.