Musicians of Ensemble Connect Kick Off Third Year of Celebrated Fellowship Program

MUSICIANS OF ENSEMBLE CONNECT KICK OFF THIRD YEAR

OF CELEBRATED FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Ensemble Connect’s 2022–2023 Season Features

Concerts at Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School,

Plus Residencies and Performances at

Skidmore College, Schools,

and Community Venues Throughout New York City

 

Up Close Concert Series Returns in 2023,

Featuring Innovative Performances

with Dynamic Guest Artists

 

Additional Highlight of this Season Includes

World Premiere by Michi Wiancko, Commissioned by Carnegie Hall

 

 

(NEW YORK, NY; September 21, 2022) Entering its 16th season, Ensemble Connect continues its celebrated fellowship program with its eight distinguished fellows taking part in concerts at Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School, as well as residencies and performances at Skidmore College, and in schools and community venues throughout New York City.

 

 

Photo: Fadi Kheir

Highlights of Ensemble Connect’s 2022–2023 season include three performances in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, including the New York premiere of a new work by Michi Wiancko (commissioned by Carnegie Hall), which will receive its world premiere by the group on February 17 at Skidmore College; the return of Ensemble Connect Up Close—the Weill Music Room concert series curated collaboratively by the fellows and guest artists; and two performances at Juilliard’s Paul Hall. Over the course of the season, Ensemble Connect will present a number of works by living composers, including Eleanor Alberga, Philippe Hersant, Paquito D'Rivera, Kevin Puts, Jennifer Higdon, Michi Wiancko, and Valerie Coleman. The season concludes with Ensemble Connect’s partner school festival performance at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at The Juilliard School on May 23, 2023—the first culminating event to take place with partner school students since 2018 due to COVID-19. This season marks the third and final year of the fellowship for the current cohort of Ensemble Connect musicians, with their appointments extended for an extra year in light of the pandemic.

 

From October 18–21, Ensemble Connect continues its biannual residency at Skidmore College by connecting with the students and Saratoga Springs community. During the residency, fellows engage with Skidmore College students as well as students in local elementary, middle, and high schools, offering master classes, lessons, class demonstrations, and interactive performances. The residency culminates with a performance in Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, on Friday, October 21 at 7:00 p.m., which will be livestreamed for audiences everywhere. In this first Ensemble Connect performance of the 2022–2023 season, the fellows perform Martinu’s Quartet for Clarinet, Horn, Cello, and Side/Snare Drum, H. 139; C. Schumann’s Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17; Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 2; and J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, which will also feature students from Skidmore College. Ensemble Connect will return to Skidmore College for a second residency this season from February 14–17, 2023.

 

Ensemble Connect presents the fourth season of its popular Up Close series in the Weill Music Room in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing. This series of “exquisite chamber performances” (I Care If You Listen) explores different approaches to presenting classical music by experimenting with concert formats, audience engagement, and multimedia to activate the performance space in exciting new ways. The two Up Close concerts this season will be on Monday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. More details on the repertoire and guest artists, who will collaborate with the Ensemble Connect fellows to design the program, will be announced later this season.

 

In addition to their performances this season, Ensemble Connect will continue their partnerships with 14 New York City public schools, with the eight Ensemble Connect fellows and six program alumni each working alongside a New York City instrumental music teacher. The musicians bring their expert musicianship—as well as their professional performer’s perspective and creative approaches—to band, keyboard, and string programs across four New York City boroughs.

 

Ensemble Connect presents approximately 60 interactive performances in schools this season. Fellows and alumni develop these programs to explore a musical piece or concept and incorporate listening activities and audience participation. Ensemble Connect will also partner with community venues in New York City in the spring bringing interactive performances to incarcerated populations, senior community centers, homeless shelters, and for organizations supporting people with disabilities.

 

Over the course of their fellowship, Ensemble Connect fellows participate in professional development sessions aimed at ensuring they have the skills they need to succeed in all areas of the program and to shape purposeful, personally rewarding career paths that redefine the role of the 21st-century musician.

Fellows meet weekly to learn from artists, composers, and industry professionals in the fields of performance, teaching artistry and music education, arts management, entrepreneurship, and others to gain new skills and experiment with new approaches to music performance and education while building a strong community within the ensemble. Ensemble Connect alums also play an important role in leading professional development workshops.

 

Ensemble Connect is an inspirational collective of young professional musicians created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. The program prepares the exceptionally talented musicians for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, leadership, and entrepreneurship. It offers them top-quality performance opportunities, partnerships with New York City public schools, and rigorous professional development. Applications for the 2025 fellowship are now open through December 1, 2022. For more information, please visit Carnegie Hall’s website.  

 

Ensemble Connect 2020–2023 Fellows & Partnerships

 

Laura Andrade, Cello (Austin, Texas)

Education: Eastman School of Music / The Juilliard School

Partnered with NYC Public School: City College Academy of the Arts, Manhattan

 

Amir Farsi, Flute (Fremont, California)

Education: Peabody Conservatory / Yale School of Music

Partnered with NYC Public School: PS 234Q The School of Performing Arts and Technology, Queens

 

Nik Hooks, Bassoon (Merritt Island, Florida)

Education: Walnut Hill School for the Arts / New England Conservatory / The Colburn School

Partnered with NYC Public School: PS 63 Old South, Queens

 

Joanne Kang, Piano (Sydney, Australia)

Education: Manhattan School of Music

Partnered with NYC Public School: Edward R. Murrow High School, Brooklyn

 

Halam Kim, Viola (Port Washington, New York)

Education: New England Conservatory / The Juilliard School / Eastman School of Music / University of Rochester (Psychology)

Partnered with NYC Public School: PS/IS 226 Alfred De B. Mason, Brooklyn

 

Rubén Rengel, Violin (Caracas, Venezuela)

Education: Cleveland Institute of Music / Rice University / Manhattan School of Music

Partnered with NYC Public School: Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, The Bronx

 

Cort Roberts, Horn (Loveland, Colorado)

Education: University of Colorado Boulder / The Juilliard School / Stony Brook University

Partnered with NYC Public School: PS 200 Benson School, Brooklyn

 

Yasmina Spiegelberg, Clarinet (Bavois, Switzerland)

Education: University of Southern California / Norwegian State Music Academy / Conservatory of Amsterdam / Music Academy of Lausanne

Partnered with NYC Public School: Fort Hamilton High School, Brooklyn

 

Ensemble Connect 2022–2023 Concert Season

Performances: During the 2022–2023 season, Ensemble Connect presents nine concerts at a number of venues, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Weill Music Room; The Juilliard School’s Paul Hall; and at Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall.

2022–2023 concert highlights include:

 

• Friday, October 21 at Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center – Ensemble Connect returns to Skidmore College for its biannual residency, presenting a concert that features Martinu’s Quartet for Clarinet, Horn, Cello, and Snare Drum, H. 139, C. Schumann’s Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17, Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 2, and J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.

 

• Monday, October 24 at Weill Recital Hall – Ensemble Connect kicks off its concert series at Carnegie Hall in 2022–2023 by reprising their program from the week before at Skidmore College’s Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall.

 

• Tuesday, November 29 at The Juilliard School’s Paul Hall – Ensemble Connect returns to Juilliard to perform Paquito D’Rivera’s “Aires Tropicales: 3. Habanera; 4. Vals Venezolano”, Philippe Hersant’s “Osterlied,” Villa-Lobos’s Ciranda das sete notas, W325, and Vaughan Williams’s Quintet in D Major.

• Thursday, January 12 at The Juilliard School’s Paul Hall – Ensemble Connect performs Mendelssohn’s Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49, Kevin Puts’s Seven Seascapes, and Françaix’s Octet.

 

• Friday, February 17 at Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center – In Ensemble Connect’s second residency at Skidmore College this season, they present the world premiere of a new work by Michi Wiancko, Jennifer Higdon’s Dark Wood, Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat Major, K. 452, and Schumann’s Piano Quintet.

 

• Tuesday, February 21 at Weill Recital Hall – Ensemble Connect brings its program from Skidmore College to New York City, presenting the NY Premiere of a new work by Michi Wiancko.

 

• Monday, March 27 at Weill Music Room – Ensemble Connect’s innovative Up Close series returns to the Hall’s Resnick Education Wing.

 

• Tuesday, April 18 at Weill Recital Hall – Ensemble Connect presents the third and final concert in Weill Recital Hall of the season, featuring Valerie Coleman’s Rubispheres, Dvorák’s Terzetto, J. Strauss Jr.’s Kaiser Waltz (arr. Schoenberg), and Dohnányi’s Sextet in C Major, Op. 37.

 

• Monday, May 8 at Weill Music Room – Ensemble Connect performs its second Up Close concert this season. Details on repertoire and guest artists to be announced.

 

Special Projects

 

The Connected Musician: In 2021, Carnegie Hall launched The Connected Musician—an interactive, self-paced video series for collegiate and early professional instrumental performers. Powered by Ensemble Connect and featuring content from musicians taking part in the prestigious fellowship program, program alumni, and leaders in the field, The Connected Musician is intended to expand on musicians’ toolkits, inviting them to consider new ways to engage with audiences using a plethora of digital resources hosted on its YouTube playlist and at carnegiehall.org/TheConnectedMusician.

 

The Connected Musician translates Ensemble Connect’s core tenets to the digital space with an experiential lab approach that invites users to participate by submitting their own work for feedback from Ensemble Connect, while also highlighting work by current fellows. With the goal of broadening Ensemble Connect’s training to an ever-expanding like-minded global community, The Connected Musician resources are offered free to musicians looking for careers beyond traditional performance, and who are interested in engaging with audiences of all kinds in new and exciting ways.

 

The first learning module—“Create a Musical Snapshot”—offers bite-sized videos about how musicians can develop a creative introduction to a piece of music by developing their Teaching Artist toolkit. The second series highlights different paths to feeling inspired and finding purposeful careers in music, as Ensemble Connect alums share insights and advice from their own personal journeys, exploring themes of collaboration, meaningful musical moments, building community, finding balance, and staying inspired. Additional content will be released this season, including an educational series that leads viewers in the process of creating an interactive performance.

 

Alumni Activities: Throughout the 15 years since Ensemble Connect was established, Carnegie Hall has maintained close relationships with the program’s alumni. As the reputation of this group has grown, demand for work by the 135 alumni has developed as well. In 2011, Decoda—an ensemble exclusively made up of Ensemble Connect alumni—was formed and later named an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall.

 

Additionally, alumni perform with current fellows in Ensemble Connect, lead professional development sessions, serve as advisors for current fellows, and participate in the Weill Music Institute’s education and social impact programs to bring live music to people throughout New York City. Ensemble Connect’s alumni currently perform in more than 100 performing ensembles in the US and around the world. They have created non-profit organizations including Notes with a Purpose in Las Vegas, Musicambia in New York and beyond, New Docta International Music Festival in Argentina, Scrag Mountain Music in Vermont, and VotesART. Many alumni also hold faculty and guest artist teaching positions at US universities and colleges. Alumni have gone on to perform, teach, and engage with communities in 53 countries around the world. To find out more about the impact of Ensemble Connect worldwide and to learn about alumni projects, follow this link.

 

Ensemble Connect

Ensemble Connect is made up of extraordinary professional classical musicians residing in the US who take part in a two-year fellowship program created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. The program prepares fellows for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership by offering top-quality performance opportunities, intensive professional development, and partnerships throughout the fellowship with New York City public schools.

 

On the concert stage and in schools and communities, Ensemble Connect has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for the quality of the concerts, the fresh and open-minded approach to programming, and the ability to actively engage any audience.

 

Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and passionate advocates of music throughout the community, the forward-looking musicians of Ensemble Connect are redefining what it means to be a musician in the 21st century.

 

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Ensemble Connect is a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.

 

Lead funding has been provided by Marina Kellen French and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, Max H. Gluck Foundation, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Hearst Foundations, The Kovner Foundation, Phyllis and Charles Rosenthal, The Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, Beatrice Santo Domingo, and Hope and Robert F. Smith.

Global Ambassadors: Michael ByungJu Kim and Kyung Ah Park, Hope and Robert F. Smith, and Maggie and Richard Tsai.

Additional support has been provided by the Alphadyne Foundation, Arnow Family Fund, the Mercedes T. Bass Charitable Corporation, Ronald E. Blaylock and Petra Pope, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, E.H.A. Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony B. Evnin and the A.E. Charitable Foundation, Barbara G. Fleischman, Clive and Anya Gillinson, Marc Haas Foundation, Stella and Robert Jones, Martha and Robert Lipp, Leslie and Tom Maheras, Andrew J. Martin-Weber, Lauren and Ezra Merkin, Beth and Joshua Nash, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Susan and Elihu Rose Foundation, Melanie and Jean E. Salata, The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon, Joyce and George Wein Foundation, Inc., Linda Wachner, David S. Winter, and Judy Francis Zankel.

Public support is provided by the New York City Department of Education.

Ensemble Connect is also supported, in part, by endowment grants from The Kovner Foundation and the Estate of Eleanor Doblin Unger.

 

Ticket Information for Carnegie Hall Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. For the most up-to-date health and safety protocols, please visit carnegiehall.org/SafetyChecklist. For more information on discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Ticket Information for The Juilliard School’s Paul Hall Tickets for Ensemble Connect’s concerts at Juilliard’s Paul Hall can be purchased online and at the Juilliard Box Office. Juilliard remains committed to the highest standards of health and safety for students, faculty, staff, and guests. Audiences are required to wear masks while in performance venues at Juilliard and Lincoln Center. The Juilliard Box Office may be reached at 212-769-7406 or via email at boxoffice@juilliard.edu. Ticket Information for Skidmore College’s Arthur Zankel Music Center Tickets: $15 for general public, $8 for non-Skidmore College students & seniors, and $5 for Skidmore College community members (students/faculty/staff) For more information, please visit skidmore.edu/zankel or call the college’s Department of Music at 518-580-5320.