Maya Beiser

Her poised and passionate cello playing is just one aspect of the haunting theatrical multimedia presentations Beiser dreams up; this concert’s title, “Almost Human,” celebrates her instrument’s incomparable capacity for near-vocal eloquence. In the evening’s 40-minute centerpiece, From a Far-Off Country, she’s come together with composer Eve Beglarian and video artist Shirin Neshat to set a text by surrealist poet Henri Michaux. The long, lush, meditative melodies Beiser spins out recall folk and religious song and dance traditions from the three Middle Eastern cultures the collaborators represent: Jewish/Israeli, Christian/Armenian, and Muslim/Iranian. Works by Michael Gordon, Tan Dun, and others complete the program. GAVIN BORCHERT