As a dancer, choreographer, opera director and conductor, Mark Morris is a prolific creative mind whose work transcends mediums. In this conversation with Gigi Yellen-Kohn of Northwest Public Radio, Morris speaks to the vital role of music in his work and discusses his innovative collaborations both present and future, ranging from music to fashion to the visual arts.

Mark Morris has been hailed as the “the most prodigiously gifted choreographer of the post-Balanchine era” (Time). Since founding the Mark Morris Dance Group in 1980, Morris has created close to 150 works for the company, many widely considered masterpieces. He has been described as “an innovator and a conservative, a satirist and a romantic” (New Yorker) who “easily ranks among the top five living American choreographers… and has already carved a major place for himself in the history of modern dance” (The Denver Post).

Exploring an array of topics and themes, the 2015 Winter Graduate School Public Lectures reimagine the way we tell stories and create art, as well as how we define our communities and our place in the universe. From city planning to literature, extraterrestrial intelligence to dance, these lectures examine the issues of our day with an eye toward redefining our future.