The Guardian in London asserts, “There’s just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history, and Steve Reich is one of them.”

Reich, whom the New Yorker called “the most original musical thinker of our time,” celebrates his 80th birthday in 2016; the year also marks the 40th anniversary of the premiere of Music for 18 Musicians, considered by many to be his greatest composition. Two of Chicago’s world-class ensembles, Eighth Blackbird and Third Coast Percussion (recent “Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance” Grammy winners) team up to perform this seminal piece. Reich’s Sextet rounds out the program.