GatherNYC to Present 31-Concert Season at Jazzcultural

GatherNYC has announced its 2026–2027 season featuring 31 concerts, with performances held every Sunday at 11am from October 25, 2026 to May 30, 2027. After five years at the Museum of Arts and Design, GatherNYC is moving to Jazzcultural, a new listening room in the heart of Manhattan located at 349 West 46th St. The season opens on October 25 with a performance by Metcalf and Boyd's cello and guitar duo Boyd Meets Girl with violinist Doori Na and pianist Vanessa Perez, playing a festive program called Seasons. Coffee and pastries are served before each concert at 10:30am. Admission for children under 12 is free.

Guests at GatherNYC are served exquisite live classical music performed by New York's immensely talented artists, artisanal coffee and pastries, a taste of the spoken word, and a brief celebration of silence. The entire experience lasts one hour and evokes the community and spiritual nourishment of a religious service – but the religion is music, and all are welcome.

Spoken word artists perform briefly at the midpoint of each concert, many of them winners of The Moth StorySLAM events. “It's an interesting moment of something completely different from the music, and it often connects with the audience,” Metcalf told Strings magazine in a feature about the series. “Then we have a two-minute celebration of silence when we turn the lights down, centering ourselves in the center of the city. Then the lights come back on, and the music starts again out of the silence. We find that the listening and the feeling in the room changes after that.”

Metcalf and Boyd say, “We are thrilled to be offering 31 concerts throughout our 2026–2027 season, in our gorgeous new home venue, Jazzcultural. This exquisite, all-wood room designed for intimate listening is a perfect space for us. In these challenging times, we feel it's essential to provide our community with a gathering place each week where we can enjoy world-class artists together in an intimate, unique setting – complete with spoken word, silence, coffee and a communal, welcoming environment. We look forward to welcoming new and old friends week after week.”

GatherNYC 2026–2027 Schedule – All Concerts Held on Sundays at 11AM:

October 25, 2026: Boyd Meets Girl feat. Doori Na, violin and Vanessa Perez, piano – Seasons

To kick off the 31-concert season of weekly concerts, Artistic Directors Laura Metcalf (cello) and Rupert Boyd (guitar) are joined by acclaimed musicians Doori Na (violin) and Vanessa Perez (piano) for a festive concert celebrating the seasons. The eclectic program pairs beloved favorites by Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Gershwin with modern delights by Yaz Lancaster, Joe Hisaishi and more.

November 1: Rupert Boyd, guitar

GatherNYC Co-Artistic Director Rupert Boyd shares an exquisite and eclectic mix of music for guitar, ranging from J.S. Bach to Astor Piazzolla to The Beatles, and from his homeland of Australia to Andalusia, Spain. Described by Classical Guitar Magazine as “a player who deserves to be heard,” Boyd will give a concert not to be missed.

November 8: Trio Candesco

The newly formed Trio Candesco, made up of distinguished instrumental faculty of Princeton University (Sarah Shin, flute; Jessica Thompson, viola; Jacqueline Kerrod, harp), performs a beloved masterpiece by Debussy alongside lesser-known but brilliant works for this uniquely colorful instrumentation.

November 15: Arcis Saxophone Quartet

Coming to GatherNYC all the way from Munich, Germany, the Arcis Saxophone Quartet is an internationally acclaimed ensemble that has won most of the major European chamber music competitions and whose creativity knows no bounds. They have shared their unique concerts and repertoire all over the world, from Ecuador to Saudi Arabia to Berlin and Bavaria, in prestigious halls and non-traditional venues alike. They even founded their own in-house record label through which they have released two critically acclaimed albums.

November 22: Fire & Grace

Fire & Grace is a unique collaboration between guitarist William Coulter and violinist Edwin Huizinga. These virtuoso performers explore the musical landscape of classical, folk, and contemporary traditions from around the world. Fire & Grace's repertoire is vast, ranging from Bach to Vivaldi, tango to Celtic reels, traditional Bulgarian to American fiddle tunes and waltzes, all played with a sense of discovery and commitment to the elements of passion and virtuosity – fire and grace – found in these diverse traditions.

November 29: Horszowski Trio

The Horszowski Trio – violinist Jesse Mills, cellist Ole Akahoshi, and pianist Rieko Aizawa – brings a rare combination of virtuosity, warmth, and adventurous programming to the chamber-music stage. Named for legendary pianist Mieczysław Horszowski, who was Rieko Aizawa's teacher and mentor, the New York–based trio has earned international acclaim for performances that make both beloved classics and contemporary music come alive. Their repertoire spans Schubert, Schumann, Dvořák, Ravel, and Haydn as well as music by living composers, including works written especially for the ensemble. They have toured extensively in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, premiered new works by composers including Charles Wuorinen, and released acclaimed recordings – including the complete Schumann piano trios.

December 6: Jennifer Koh, violin and Andrius Zlabys, piano

GRAMMY Award–winning international violin soloist Jennifer Koh, world-renowned for her dazzling technique and intensely expressive performances, moves fearlessly between the great works of the violin repertoire and bold new music. Koh has commissioned and premiered more than 100 new works, collaborating with some of today's most exciting composers, and brings extraordinary curiosity, intensity, and imagination to everything she plays. For this recital, she joins acclaimed pianist Andrius Zlabys, a dynamic musical partner whose artistry and sensitivity make for an exciting collaboration.

December 13: Jeff Beal and The Overlook Quartet – New York Etudes

Five-time Emmy Award–winning composer Jeff Beal is a rare musical chameleon, equally at home in jazz, classical music, and the world of film and television. Best known for the haunting, atmospheric music of House of Cards, as well as scores for Monk, Rome, and Carnivàle, Beal brings the same rhythmic energy and cinematic imagination to his concert music. In this special performance, he joins GatherNYC regulars The Overlook Quartet for New York Etudes – a vivid, genre-crossing portrait of the city, where piano and strings meet in music shaped by jazz, improvisation, and the sounds of New York.

December 20: Timo Andres and Friends – Andres and Bacewicz

Internationally acclaimed pianist and composer Timo Andres brings his distinctive musical voice to the stage in an intimate program of his own solo piano works, followed by a performance of Grażyna Bacewicz's first piano quintet. He is joined by violinist Mari Lee, violist Celia Hatton, and cellist Laura Metcalf for this thrilling, under-the-radar masterpiece: a fiercely energetic, emotionally charged work that moves from driving rhythms and brilliant virtuosity to moments of startling beauty. This riveting and affecting piece is one that deserves to be heard live.

January 3, 2027: Duo Etrange

Duo Etrange – soprano Vanessa Croome and cellist Sahara von Hattenberger – creates an intimate, adventurous sound world where voice and cello meet in unexpected ways. Their programs embrace the experimental and the deeply expressive, bringing contemporary music to life with a spirit of curiosity and discovery. Featuring works by Kebra-Seyoun Charles and David T. Little alongside other surprises, this is a chance to hear two remarkable artists exploring just how much sound, color, and emotion can come from only two performers.

January 10: Edmar Castañeda

Harpist and composer Edmar Castañeda brings his one-of-a-kind sound to GatherNYC. A Colombian-born virtuoso who has collaborated with artists ranging from Wynton Marsalis and Béla Fleck to Sting and Hiromi, Castañeda has transformed the harp into a dazzling vehicle for jazz, Colombian folk traditions, and improvisation. A Latin GRAMMY nominee and performer and musical consultant for Disney's Encanto, he is known for playing bass, harmony, and melody simultaneously – a virtuosic approach that makes the harp sound like an entire ensemble.

January 17: Kittel & Co.

Led by GRAMMY-nominated violinist and composer Jeremy Kittel, Kittel & Co. brings together virtuosic string playing and a wildly imaginative blend of Celtic, bluegrass, folk, jazz, and classical music. Their debut album Whorls reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Classical chart and #1 on the Bluegrass chart, while Kittel's composition Chrysalis earned a 2019 GRAMMY nomination for Best Instrumental Composition. Kittel & Co. turn intricate arrangements, dazzling improvisation, and traditional string-band energy into something completely their own. As The Times (UK) put it, they bring “rarefied levels of collective virtuosity” and sound “thrillingly spontaneous.”

January 24: The Rhythm Method

Fierce, fearless, and virtuosic, The Rhythm Method is redefining what a string quartet can be. Praised by The New Yorker as “trailblazing” and by NewMusicBox for their “unapologetically stylistically omnivorous” artistry, this NYC-based ensemble blends composition, improvisation, vocalization, and theatricality into performances that are as adventurous as they are compelling. They have appeared at the Met Museum, Joe's Pub, Roulette, The Stone, and the Noguchi Museum, and performed internationally at the Lucerne Festival Forward. Much of their repertoire is composed by the quartet members themselves, in which tightly composed passages give way to spontaneous improvisation and all manner of extended string techniques.

January 31: Sterling Elliott, cello and Elliot Wuu, piano

Cellist Sterling Elliott brings to the stage a rare combination of extraordinary virtuosity, depth of expression, and joyous musicianship. A winner of the Sphinx Competition and recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, Elliott has quickly established himself as one of the most compelling young artists of his generation. His playing is distinguished by its richness of sound, emotional immediacy, and remarkable technical command. For this recital, Elliott is joined by pianist Elliot Wuu, an award-winning young artist.

February 7: The Overlook Quartet Album Release – Say It

The paradigm-shifting string quartet returns to GatherNYC to celebrate the release of their debut album, Say It, which features world-premiere recordings of works by Shelley Washington, Trevor Weston, Leila Adu, Carlos Simon and more. Known for their captivating performances that shine a spotlight on voices beyond the “standard” classical repertoire, The Overlook takes the audience on a journey through unexpected, surprising and beautiful musical terrain.

February 14: String Noise Duo + Nathan Schram, viola & composer

Composed of Conrad Harris and Pauline Kim Harris, two violinists who are integral to the New York contemporary music landscape, String Noise gives the world premiere of a set of violin duos written for them by multi-GRAMMY-winning violist and composer Nathan Schram, who will also share a solo performance on this concert.

February 21: PUBLIQuartet

The New York–based, GRAMMY-nominated PUBLIQuartet fuses classical strings with jazz, improvisation, hip-hop, rock, and global sounds – and has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to the Newport and Detroit Jazz Festivals. They won Chamber Music America's prestigious 2019 Visionary Award, their album What Is American earned a 2023 GRAMMY nomination, and their wildly inventive appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – improvising a live soundtrack to a presidential debate – racked up more than a million views. This is the group's first appearance on the GatherNYC series in five years.

February 28: Rebekah Heller, bassoon – Righteous Rage

Rebekah Heller's Righteous Rage turns the bassoon into an entire world of sound. Playing every bassoon herself through intricate multitracking, Heller creates a thrilling bassoon choir that ranges from Julius Eastman's ecstatic The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc and Steve Reich's hypnotic Grand Street Counterpoint – co-produced with Reich – to three newly commissioned works by Jessie Cox, Fay Victor, and Brittany J. Green. Fierce, immersive, and unexpectedly visceral, Righteous Rage is a love letter to an instrument never heard quite like this before.

March 7: Palaver Strings with Vuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall

GRAMMY-nominated Palaver Strings returns once again to the GatherNYC stage, this time joining forces with acclaimed South African jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and GRAMMY-nominated pianist and composer Chris Pattishall for Incwadi – a vibrant musical portrait of South Africa. Traditional songs in Zulu, Sepedi, and Xhosa meet South African choral and jazz repertoire and Sotashe's own music, all freshly arranged by Pattishall for voice, piano, and strings. The result is an exhilarating conversation between South African traditions, American jazz, and the intimacy of chamber music – music rich in memory, rhythm, and joy.

March 14: Merz Trio

Winner of the Naumburg, Fischoff, Concert Artists Guild, and Chesapeake competitions, Merz Trio has become known for turning chamber music into a fully immersive artistic experience. Their programs connect great works with poetry, theater, dance, and unexpected musical discoveries, while their own arrangements bring overlooked voices – from Lili Boulanger to Joséphine Baker – to the foreground.

March 21: Bergamot Quartet, Hardanger fiddles + James Moore, guitar

Bergamot Quartet brings the hypnotic sound of Norwegian Hardanger fiddles to GatherNYC, joined by James Moore on resonator guitar. Expect ringing overtones, earthy grooves, and virtuosic interplay as Scandinavian folk traditions meet the raw, resonant sound of American roots music. Music by Bach, Moore, and more.

March 28: Mikael Darmanie, piano

A prizewinner in multiple national and international competitions, pianist Mikael Darmanie brings extraordinary range and restless curiosity to the keyboard. Darmanie has performed at Carnegie Hall, Moscow Conservatory's Rachmaninov Hall, Merkin Hall, Lincoln Center, and many more. He is also a composer, conductor, DJ, and keyboardist for the genre-defying Warp Trio, moving fluidly among classical music, jazz, hip-hop, rock, and electronic music. His concert for GatherNYC will meld his signature “Lisztian pyrotechnics” (New York Classical Review) with creative, adventurous programming.

April 4: Devony Smith, mezzo-soprano + Danny Zelibor, piano – Yonder

Following their 2025 GRAMMY nomination for their debut album In This Short Life, Smith and Zelibor share their newest program Yonder, featuring the world premiere of a folk-inspired song cycle written for them by NYC-based composer Shanan Estreicher.

April 11: Karen Ouzounian + Lembit Beecher – Mayrig

Mayrig – “mother” in Armenian – is an intimate, immersive journey through memory, family, and the Armenian diaspora. Cellist and vocalist Karen Ouzounian and composer Lembit Beecher weave recordings of Ouzounian's mother and grandmother together with Armenian songs from her family's ancestral home in Anatolia, music from post-genocide Lebanon, Charles Aznavour, and vivid new works by Beecher, Layale Chaker, Nathalie Joachim, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, and Ouzounian herself. Blending cello, voice, piano, electronics, stories, and soundscapes, Mayrig transforms one family's history of migration and survival into a profoundly moving and universal musical experience.

April 18: WindSync

Founded at Rice University in 2009, WindSync launched their international career by winning both the Concert Artists Guild and Fischoff National Chamber Music competitions. They have since performed at Carnegie Hall, the Met, the Library of Congress, and Ravinia – and their 2024 album, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical chart. But WindSync is anything but conventional: they perform frequently from memory, commission and arrange much of their own repertoire, and bring a charismatic, personal stage presence that breaks down the distance between performers and audience and revolutionizes the art of the woodwind quintet.

April 25: Zodiac Trio

The Zodiac Trio – clarinet, violin, and piano – brings a rare combination to the concert stage, pairing virtuosic performances with adventurous programming that moves from beloved masterpieces to hidden gems, new commissions, and unexpected arrangements. The ensemble became the first North American group – and the first ensemble with a wind instrument – to enter the Ysaÿe Quartet's celebrated chamber music program at the Paris Conservatory. Nearly two decades later, their performances continue to combine dazzling technique, infectious energy, and the thrill of hearing familiar chamber music in an entirely new color palette.

May 2: Mike Block + Yacouba Sissoko

Cellist Mike Block, a GatherNYC fan favorite, returns to the series with an exciting new collaboration. Block will be joined by Malian kora player Yacouba Sissoko, known for mastering and modernizing the instrument, collaborating with the likes of Paul Simon, Lauryn Hill, and Harry Belafonte. The duo will perform music written by both of them, combining classical training with a global, genre-expansive sensibility.

May 9: Audrey Wright, violin – Luminous Being

What if you could see music? In Luminous Being, New York Philharmonic violinist Audrey Wright transforms the traditional solo recital into an immersive journey of sound and light. Performing music spanning the 12th through 21st centuries – including her own original works and arrangements – Wright wears a bespoke, sound-responsive light garment created by artist and technologist Geoff Robertson, transforming her playing into shifting colors, shapes, and patterns. Part recital, part installation, and part theater, Luminous Being is an intimate, mesmerizing experience that invites you to hear – and see – music in an entirely new way.

May 16: Terra String Quartet

The Terra String Quartet burst onto the scene by winning the 2022 Fischoff Grand Prize and Gold Medal, and has since taken top prizes at the Melbourne and Osaka International Chamber Music Competitions and the 2025 Bordeaux and Wigmore Hall International Quartet Competitions. The 2025 Naumburg Chamber Music Competition winners, Terra brings together four musicians from across the globe – graduates of Juilliard, Curtis, Harvard, and New England Conservatory – whose performances combine precision with passion, spontaneity, and humor. Their concerts are as much about storytelling and human connection as they are about extraordinary string playing.

May 23: The Overlook and Yoonah Kim, clarinet – Cookbook

The Overlook joins acclaimed clarinetist Yoonah Kim for Kenji Bunch's Cookbook – a vivid, genre-bending and whimsical work that draws on the rhythms, colors, and flavors of contemporary American life. The Overlook's 2026 recording is the world-premiere recording of the piece, making this a special opportunity to hear the work live. Kim, hailed by The New York Times for her “inexhaustible virtuosity,” was the first solo clarinetist in nearly 30 years to win the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and the first woman to win the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition.

May 30: Boyd Meets Girl – Present Tense Album Release

GatherNYC's Artistic Directors, cellist Laura Metcalf and guitarist Rupert Boyd, close out the season with a celebration of their third album, Present Tense. The album, which contains 14 works that have been written or arranged for or by the duo by composers including Caroline Shaw, Reinaldo Moya, Sergio Assad, Radiohead, Stevie Wonder and more, will be released in 2027 and is produced by the seven-time GRAMMY-winning producer Elaine Martone. Expect a festive concert featuring the duo's signature eclecticism, as well as a few surprises.