Gabriel Kahane’s Orchestral Programs
Singer, composer, and storyteller Gabriel Kahane unveils a bold quartet of programs that reimagine the concert hall as a space for intimate conversation, cultural inquiry, and musical communion, with programs featuring Heirloom with his father, pianist and conductor Jeffrey Kahane and If love will not swing wide the gates…written for clarinetist, Anthony McGill.
Fifty for the Future
Developed by Kronos Quartet and the Kronos Performing Arts Association, Fifty for the Future is a trailblazing library of 50 commissioned works for string quartet by composers from around the world. Designed as both artistic statements and teaching tools, these pieces reflect 21st-century techniques, styles, and global perspectives. All scores, parts, recordings, and learning materials are available for free online, and the initiative is used by students, educators, and ensembles in over 100 countries. It exemplifies Kronos’ lifelong commitment to education, access, and the continual reinvention of the string quartet repertoire.
Ariel Quartet & Orion Weiss
The Ariel Quartet got to know the brilliant young pianist Orion Weiss when they studied together as teenagers at the Perlman Music Program. They’re all now in their mid-30s, their careers have blossomed, and they’ve continued to collaborate regularly. In addition to offering the standard piano quintets from Dvorak, Brahms, and Schumann, they offer rarely heard masterpieces by Bloch, Korngold, and Dohnányi.
Evolving World of Kronos
For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has challenged and reimagined what a string quartet can be. Founded at a time when the form was largely centered on long-established, Western European traditions, Kronos has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the string quartet into a living art form.
In line with Kronos’s ethos of presenting varied and compelling programs, the Quartet will create a tailor-made concert experience for the presenter, drawing from today’s most pressing issues: Responding to War, Civil Rights, & Climate Change.
Glorious Mahalia!
This Kronos Quartet program explores iconic activist voices of America from the 20th century and beyond. Kronos pays homage to the beloved voice of Mahalia Jackson and her vital friendships with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and oral historian/activist Studs Terkel. A daughter of Jim Crow Louisiana and the Great Migration, Jackson was a woman of deep faith, whose key role in historic moments in the fight for civil rights lays the groundwork for two major works on this program — Zachary J. Watkins’s Peace Be Till, featuring the recorded voice of Dr. King’s lawyer and speechwriter Clarence B. Jones, and Stacy Garrop’s Glorious Mahalia, featuring a recorded interview between Jackson and Terkel.
Letters to America
What would America look like if we heard from the women whose stories have too often gone untold?
Letters to America is a multi-movement work for soprano and orchestra that offers a fresh, emotionally charged perspective on the American narrative. Created by composer Brittany J. Green and soprano Karen Slack, the project explores the country's founding principles and historic documents through the lens of personal letters and texts gathered from women today. The result is a moving musical journey that speaks to our shared history and the power of individual voice.
Drawing on sources ranging from the Declaration of Independence to contemporary legal decisions, Letters to America invites audiences to reflect on how the American story has been written—and who has been asked to carry it forward.
Developed in partnership with the American Composers Orchestra, the work offers performance and engagement opportunities tailored to orchestras and communities across the country.
Cantus & Imani Winds
Cantus Vocal Ensemble and Imani Winds come together in a powerful joint concert centered around the theme of Ancestry, celebrating the rich, diverse heritages of both ensembles. Through a blend of captivating story and song, the concert explores the deeply rooted connections to culture, history, and identity. Cantus, known for their lush, expressive vocals, pairs with Imani Winds, a dynamic ensemble celebrated for their vibrant sound, to bring to life a repertoire that spans centuries and continents. Each piece highlights the unique traditions and stories of their individual backgrounds, weaving together a musical tapestry that honors the past while embracing the shared humanity of the present. The program will include a commissioned work for Cantus and Imani Winds.
Revolutionary Angels
At the convergence of two significant anniversaries in the 26-27 season, America’s 250th (2026) and the 200th of Beethoven’s death (2027), Revolutionary Angels is a concert cycle that celebrates the works of pioneering individuals who have successfully overcome adversity to model for our time Lincoln’s vision of becoming “Better Angels of Our Nature”.
Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price Recital
Karen Slack stands at the forefront of classical music, bringing powerful narratives to the concert stage through her artistry, advocacy, and collaborations. Fresh off her Grammy win for Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price, Slack continues to shape the future of vocal music with projects that illuminate overlooked histories and celebrate resilience, identity, and artistic expression.
Her award-winning album with pianist Michelle Cann has unearthed a treasure trove of Florence Price’s unpublished songs, amplifying the voice of a pioneering composer. In November 2026, the duo will take this repertoire on tour, pairing Price’s works with pieces by Ravel and Schubert in a recital program that bridges past and present. This tour represents Slack’s commitment to honoring Black composers while championing the timeless beauty of classical song.
Wanting Memories
Why is it that we can recall the lyrics and melody of a song from our childhood, but we struggle to find our keys in the morning, or find ourselves unable to remember peoples’ names? Time and age can cause organized memories to gradually become a maze of fragments, but music often remains the one thing that helps us to remember who we are. As our memories fade, and life is transfigured for everyone around us, is music the final conduit for our memories, and the final connection to our past? In Wanting Memories, Cantus explores the unique and enduring relationship between music and memory in all of our lives. Through selections that include timeless tunes like "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", and anchored by Ysaÿe M. Barnwell’s "Wanting Memories", this performance traverses the realms of nostalgia and family, loss and love, grief, laughter, fear and hope.
Trio Afiori
Fleur Barron, Anthony McGill and Gloria Chien are excited to offer a program on the theme of “Heritage”, featuring works composed or arranged expressly for their trio. One centerpiece is “Gulistan”, a joyful and poignant 20-minute cycle by Iranian-American composer Kian Ravaei (b.1999), based on Azerbaijani, Persian, American and English folk music. Another is a new arrangement of Brahms op.91 by Ravaei – heard for the first time with clarinet! Other major voices on the program include Florence Price, in a selection of 4 songs for trio, and arrangements of Nina Simone songs – a musical idol for all three performers -- showcasing the trio’s versatility across diverse styles. Rounding out the program are commissions by Valerie Coleman (b.1970) exploring connections between the Harlem Renaissance and France, Gabriel Kahane (b.1981), and a dramaturgical piece by Alex Ho (b.1997).
The Nu Deco Experience
The Nu Deco Experience is a groundbreaking program designed to bring the innovative spirit of Miami's Nu Deco Ensemble to symphony orchestras across the country. This unique initiative features members of our acclaimed rhythm section alongside our production team, collaborating directly with orchestras to create a transformative musical experience.The Nu Deco Experience showcases Maestro Jacomo Bairos leading a program of signature Nu Deco repertoire, renowned for its genre-blending artistry and vibrant energy, while also amplifying the host orchestra to new sonic heights, replicating the electrifying atmosphere of Nu Deco's Miami performances and fostering a shared sense of creativity and excitement that redefines the concert experience.
Gabriel’s Guide to the 48 States
Gabriel's Guide to the 48 States is a musical journey through America, blending Gabriel Kahane's music with historical texts from the 1930s American Guide Series. This 40-minute song cycle takes audiences on a road trip from Southern California to New York City.
Note to a Friend | Attacca Quartet & Theo Bleckmann
In this 60-minute chamber opera, commissioned by the Japan Society, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang combines and reimagines three texts by iconic Japanese novelist Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The result is a stunning and haunting monodrama, note to a friend, addressing our eternal human fascinations with death, love, family and suicide.
Photo credit: Lynne Harty
Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, Titus Underwood, & Andrew Brady | Jasmine Barnes Commission
A new kind of commission project - at its core will be the musical commission of a new Concertante - a 15-20 min concerto for four brilliant and trailblazing principals of major US orchestras + chamber orchestra: Titus Underwood, Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, and Andrew Brady. The work will be written by Jasmine Barnes and is meant to be a dynamic new addition to the repertoire, celebrating these unique artists and tailored to their artistry.
Miró Quartet & Karen Slack | Tamar-kali Commission
New work by acclaimed concert and film composer Tamar-kali (Mudbound) will feature soprano Karen Slack and the Miró Quartet, setting texts centered in the inspirational poetry of women of the Harlem Renaissance. Tamar-kali hopes to pay homage to the music and poetry of that time, bringing to the fore her own unique voice as a contemporary composer whose work is grounded across contemporary pop, classical and film music genres.
Photo credit: Matt Murphy
Miró Quartet & Isidore String Quartet
The Miró and Isidore Quartets will be touring together for a limited period in the 2025/26 season. The program will close with Mendelssohn’s iconic Octet to celebrate the 200th anniversary of when the work was composed the autumn of 1825.
Photo credit: Jiyang Chen
Ariel Quartet with Alisa Weilerstein
As part of its 20th anniversary season, the Ariel Quartet teams up with Alisa Weilerstein — the superstar cellist and their longtime friend and collaborator. The program will include a new cello quintet they are commissioning from the rising young composer Joseph Hallman, who has previously written works for Weilerstein.
Letters to a Young Poet
Celebrating the poet Rainer Maria Rilke and composer Maurice Ravel, this new project features the Parker Quartet in a staged performance with actors.
Attacca Quartet & Caroline Shaw
The Attacca Quartet presents a special collaboration with the composer Caroline Shaw.