ensemble132
It all started when…
ensemble132 is an East Coast-based chamber music collective of the country’s most outstanding young artists. United by their talent, depth of artistry, and collaboration on imaginative and innovative projects, the group presents annual concert tours featuring their own exciting, original transcriptions of classical masterworks, paired with staples of the traditional chamber music repertoire. Valuing versatility and flexibility, ensemble132 presents a new combination of artists for each tour, creating a fresh and uniquely energized experience with every concert.
Renowned musicians have praised ensemble132's forward-thinking approach to concert design as "truly fantastic" (Gary Louie, saxophonist) and "witty, intelligent, and creative . . . a first-class performance with high energy and a fresh approach to music that is second to none" (Herbert Greenberg, violinist).
Harnessing its active process of re-interpretation through arrangement, ensemble132 seeks to open new avenues for dialogue between the composer, performer, and audience. Alongside its concert programs, ensemble132 values community engagement, presenting deconstructions of the arranging process to empower audience engagement with performances.
The artists of ensemble132 are globally active performers: prizewinners at such major competitions as the Paganini Competition in Genoa, the Menuhin Competition, the Primrose International Viola Competition, Vendome Prize, and the International Beethoven Competition Vienna, and featured at such festivals as the Marlboro Music Festival, Vernier, and Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. They also perform for groups such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players…, Indianapolis Symphony, and Borromeo String Quartet.
Programming highlights for the 2020-2021 season include a dazzling virtuoso piano-quartet transcription of Schumann's Carnaval, as well as new small-ensemble versions of Stravinsky's Petrouchka suite and Beethoven's venerable Triple Concerto. ensemble132 takes its name and inspiration from Beethoven's String Quartet Op. 132, a groundbreaking masterpiece which embodies the group’s mission to forever reimagine the chamber music experience.
