MacArthur Fellow Vijay Iyer is a critically-acclaimed jazz pianist and composer who has produced over 20 albums and has collaborated with such musicians and ensembles as Steve Coleman, Wadada Leo Smith, Bang On A Can All-Stars, and Brooklyn Rider. A renowned music scholar, Iyer received an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in the cognitive science of music from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the arts at Harvard University. In April 2016, the Kimmel Center, Inc. will present the Philadelphia premiere of Holding It Down: The Veterans' Dreams Project, a co-creation by Iyer and librettist Mike Ladd, with Center support.
