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Artist WebsiteBIOGRAPHY
The City of Tomorrow is a new breed of the wind quintet — boldly innovative, theatrically adventurous, and committed to reimagining the possibilities of chamber music in the 21st century. Known for their “ferocious ensemble precision” and “exhilarating performances,” the ensemble brings together five outstanding musicians united by a passion for contemporary music and a belief that art can — and should — engage with the most pressing issues of our time.
Winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and recognized across North America for their visionary programming, The City of Tomorrow specializes in works that push the boundaries of the wind quintet instrumentation. From immersive electroacoustic experiences to works confronting climate change and social justice, their repertoire is as intellectually engaging as it is sonically captivating.
Their U.S. tours have included concerts at Trinity Wall Street, Spectrum, and IN\TER/SECT, (co-presented by Bryant Park and Chamber Music America) as well as the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Series in Chicago, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Michigan, and Red Note New Music Festival in Illinois. The quintet’s work has been supported by residencies at the Banff Center for the Arts & Creativity and the Avaloch Farm Music Institute. As an ensemble, they have given residencies at Berklee College of Music, Indiana University, Tufts, and Yale, among others.
Equally at home in concert halls, experimental venues, and site-specific environments, The City of Tomorrow invites audiences to join them on a journey into the future of classical music—where tradition meets innovation, and where bold ideas find their voice through wind and breath.
PROGRAMS
Those Places Real and Imaginary
Brad Balliett – Tanbark Ridge
inti figgis-vizueta – New Cosmologies
Nina Shekhar – Tikka
Roscoe Mitchell – Cutouts
Eve Beglarian – I will not be sad in this world (for alto flute and fixed media)
John Teske – Topographies
Step into a world where poetry and music merge, creating an immersive journey through soundscapes of places both real and imagined. Featuring music by Brad Balliett, inti figgis-vizueta, Nina Shekhar, Roscoe Mitchell, and John Teske, audiences can expect to hear bird calls, cloud formations, spinning constellations, and, of course, “a vaporous landscape, the valleys all flooded with the dolorous chords of unwritten songs.” (Billy Collins, The City of Tomorrow)
The City of Tomorrow: A Town Hall
Ken Topham – Connectome 4a: 40,000 flies running the arms of my soul, singing...
Nina Shekhar – Tikka
Brad Balliett – Tanbark Ridge
György Kurtág – Wind Quintet, Op. 2
George Lewis – Faculty of Sensing
At the heart of this program lies the tension, resilience, and connection that emerge when people come together to live, work, and coexist. Featuring bold and dynamic works by Ken Topham, George Lewis, György Kurtág, Brad Balliett, Nina Shekhar, and Jess Meyer, the music navigates moments of struggle and surrender, grief and celebration. In a unique, interactive twist, audience members are invited to “step up to the mic” town hall-style, lending their voices to poetry selections that weave into the performance. This is more than a concert: it’s a communal experience where music and words collide, resonate, and spark dialogue.
Radiance
Pauline Oliveros – Welcoming the Light
Luciano Berio – riccorenze
Stephen Lias – Particle Accelerator, mvt. 3
Kevin Kay – Quiver
J.S. Bach, arr. Rechtman – Concerto #2 "After Vivaldi" BWV 593, mvt 3. Allegro
Julia Wolf – Seven Star Shoes
Reena Esmail – The Light is the Same
The City of Tomorrow tracks the arc of Apollo; from the warm radiance of dawn through the frenzied heat of midday to the sweet release of dusk. Featuring some of the ensemble’s most popular works, notably Luciano Berio’s captivating riccorenze, as well as dynamic lighting cues, staging, and spoken elements, this program celebrates the rhythm of seasons and light.
ENGAGEMENT
Individual Instrument Master Classes
All members of The City of Tomorrow are experienced and enthusiastic instrumental master class teachers. They often discuss auxiliary instruments like the piccolo, bass clarinet and Eb clarinet, English horn, and contrabassoon, and love to talk about extended techniques and how to practice them. They are just as comfortable with traditional repertoire (Bach, Brahms, etc.) as with contemporary music.
Chamber Music Master Classes
The City of Tomorrow love working with young chamber music groups as they navigate how to rehearse and perform together. This isn’t limited to wind quintets, either — they have coached string quartets, percussion ensembles, and saxophone quartets, too. Good rehearsal skills and good communication are universal! The City of Tomorrow has given chamber music master classes at Boston Conservatory, Indiana University, the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, and many others.
Composer Workshops
One of the quintet's passions is working with developing composers. They read works-in-progress and offer feedback with respect to notation and feasibility, as well as alternative ways of using our instruments creatively. They have been an ensemble-in-residence for many years with the Vermont College of Fine Art’s low-residency MFA program in composition, and have given composition and orchestration workshops at Tufts, the Longy School of Music, for the Cascadia Composers in Portland, Oregon, and others.
Creating Narrative Programming
Members of the City of Tomorrow give a talk about engineering concert programs with symbolism and narrative. They have found this type of programming is more artistically satisfying, both for them as performers and for their audiences. This kind of programming workshop can apply to anything from community concerts to degree recitals to concert series, from students to professionals.
Entrepreneurial Skills Without Selling Out
The ensemble's career talk and Q&A emphasizes ways to develop a performing and teaching career that nurtures the artist while staying as protected as possible from the negative aspects of our field. They discuss financial planning, staying artistically diversified, being a good colleague and supporting each other through the early stages of a music career.
Successful Job Hunting in Higher Education
All five members have held a wide range of positions in higher education, and in this talk they share how to best prepare application materials, how to interview well, planning a campus visit recital, choosing references, and how to build your CV over time. They also talk about what these jobs are like, their pros and cons, what the future holds, and how best to keep these positions for the long term.