Northrop and Liquid Music Present
Kate Wallich & Perfume Genius: “The Lesson”
Thursday, April 1, 7 p.m.
2026-27 Northrop Season
Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) and choreographer Kate Wallich return to Minneapolis with an uncompromising new collaboration that reshapes the possibilities of role-playing in music and dance, blurring and expanding the boundaries between the two. Combining Perfume Genius’ experimental pop with Wallich’s sharp choreographic lens, “The Lesson” is a raw, visceral performance work inspired by the notorious novel by Austrian Elfriede Jelinek, “The Piano Teacher.” The piece, a Northrop Centennial Commission, was developed in part during a creative residency at Northrop in May 2024 and weaves together new and existing music by Perfume Genius, with forthcoming releases arriving via Matador Records ahead of the presentation.
“The Lesson” examines what happens when desire has nowhere to go — researching what, exactly, we are rehearsing when we practice “good behavior.” The work moves through repression, longing, authority and submission in unstable scenes where roles shift, and the unsaid becomes manically physical.
Longtime admirers know that Perfume Genius has spoken about his love of “The Piano Teacher.” Its intense, clinical bleakness and its capacity to be both unsettlingly comic and tragic echo through the landscape of “The Lesson.”
Building on their acclaimed 2019 performance collaboration “The Sun Still Burns Here,” Hadreas and Wallich are joined by Hadreas’ husband and musical partner Alan Wyffels and longtime collaborator Tate Justus.
“The Lesson” was commissioned by Seattle Theatre Group, Liquid Music | Northrop and REDCAT.
“The Lesson” is sponsored by Blue Fox Arts.
Top image: Kate Wallich & Perfume Genius: “The Lesson.” Photo © Alexandra Kacha.
Related Links, Quotes & Reviews
- Kate Wallich website
- Perfume Genius website
- About “The Piano Teacher”
- Learn more about Liquid Music
“This might be how the music of Perfume Genius is meant to be experienced.” — Pitchfork
“An otherworldly collaboration.” — The Stranger
“[Wallich's work is] particularly hypnotic … has the power of a cryptic ritual.” — The Seattle Times
“Mike Hadreas, the artist better known as Perfume Genius, has always been a physically expressive performer, and he’s made dance a crucial part of his generally stunning live shows and videos. And now he’s about to make it a focus.” — Stereogum
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Acknowledgments
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
The Kate Wallich & Perfume Genius: "The Lesson" presentation is sponsored by Blue Fox Arts.
About the Liquid Music | Northrop Series
Expand your idea of how music flows through contemporary dance, film and beyond. The Liquid Music | Northrop Series brings boundary-pushing works to the Northrop stage. Immerse yourself in these dynamic performances from exceptional collaborations.
