A residency by Ensemble Échappé

Two concerts and an opera premiere over four evenings

Two concerts and an opera premiere performed over four evenings by a group of soloists bent on renovating the new-music experience in the 21st century, starting at the Italian Academy.

February 19 at 7:30 PM: Convergences
Concert featuring soprano Lucy Dhegrae
Christopher Trapani: Convergence Lines
Isabel Mundry: Dufay Bearbeitungen
Elliott Carter: Tempo e tempi

March 4 at 7:30 PM: The Truth Is Curved
Concert
Tania León: One Mo’ Time
John Glover: new song cycle with vocalist Blythe Gaissart based on Dana Spiotta’s novel Eat The Document
Caterina di Cecca: La verità ricurva
Luciano Berio: Folk Songs

April 29 and 30 at 7:30 PM: Being Ariodante
Ensemble Échappé’s premiere performances of a fully-staged new opera by Juilliard composer Jonathan Dawe, creator of three previous operas premiered at the Italian Academy: Cracked Orlando, featuring countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (2010), Cosí faran tutti (or They’ll All Do It) (2012), and Nero and the Fall of Lehman Brothers (2016). Being Ariodante (2019) is for countertenor, soprano, mezzo, tenor, instrumental ensemble, and a dancer proficient in American Sign Language. This tragic tale of young adults is set in Glasgow in the present day. The music and text (in both English and Italian) are by Jonathan Dawe.

Based in New York City, Ensemble Échappé [EÉ] is a versatile group of soloists dedicated to presenting an eclectic spectrum of 20th and 21st century music. Undefined by genre or style, EÉ is a sinfonietta of 20 core members distinguished not only as exceptional instrumentalists, but as visionaries, sculpting the future of new music. The musicians of EÉ are bound together by the desire to explore diverse sonic palettes. Co-Directors Benjamin Grow and Nina C. Young believe in promoting a dialogue between performers and living composers, while also showcasing the masterworks of the American and European canons. EÉ has premiered and performed works by a wide array of composers including Andy Akiho, the Brothers Balliett, Lisa Bielawa, Jonathan Dawe, Jason Eckardt, Beat Furrer, Selim Goncu, Michael Hersch, Takuma Itoh, Aaron Holloway-Nahum, Tonia Ko, Fred Lerdahl, Andrew Norman, Kevin Puts, Kaija Saariaho, Sean Shepherd, Tina Tallon, Zeynep Toraman, and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. Échappé is cultivating a dedication to collaborations with vocal artists pursuing contemporary and experimental music.

Ensemble Échappé

Artistic Directors

Benjamin Grow
Nina C. Young

Conductor

Benjamin Grow

Musicians

Isabel Lepanto Gleicher, flute
Lauren Williams, oboe
Vasko Dukovski, clarinet
Brad Balliett, bassoon
Eric Reed, horn
Sam Jones, trumpet
Felix Del Tredici, trombone
Samuel Budish, percussion
Mike Truesdell, percussion
Emily Levin, harp
Ashley Jackson, harp
Conor Hanick, piano
Han Chen, piano
Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin
Karen Kim, violin
Michelle Ross, violin
Jessica Meyer, viola
Jay Campbell, cello
Caleb van der Swaagh, cello
Doug Balliett, bass

Advisory Board

Fred Lerdahl
Jeffrey Milarsky
Steven Stucky (in memory)

Director of Development

Louis Chiappetta

Operations Manager

Mike Truesdell

From the Italian Academy at Columbia University.