GatherNYC Unveils Expanded 2025–2026 Season With 31 Sunday Concerts At Museum Of Arts And Design

GatherNYC will launch its most ambitious season to date, expanding to 31 concerts for its 2025–2026 season at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), located at 2 Columbus Circle. For the first time, the chamber music series will offer weekly Sunday morning performances at 11 a.m. in The Theater at MAD, from October 26, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Coffee and pastries will be served beginning at 10:30 a.m., and admission for children under 12 remains free.

Founded in 2018 by cellist Laura Metcalf and guitarist Rupert Boyd, GatherNYC presents one-hour concerts that combine live chamber music with spoken word performances and a moment of shared silence. Designed to evoke the sense of community and reflection often found in a spiritual gathering, the series creates what its founders describe as “a space where the religion is music, and all are welcome.”

The 2025–2026 season opens on October 26 with a performance by Metcalf and Boyd’s duo, Boyd Meets Girl, joined by New York Philharmonic violinist Audrey Wright and clarinetist Jo-Ann Sternberg. Subsequent concerts feature a wide range of artists including cellist Matt Haimovitz, harpist Bridget Kibbey, guitarist Yasmin Williams, and the GRAMMY-winning Catalyst Quartet. Highlights also include appearances by The Westerlies, The Knights, Inbal Segev, and the Renaissance String Quartet.

Spoken word artists, many of whom are winners of The Moth StorySLAM, will continue to appear midway through each concert. The gatherings also include a brief “celebration of silence,” a moment that Metcalf describes as “a centering ritual that changes the way the audience listens to music and each other.”

“Offering 31 concerts is a major milestone for GatherNYC,” said Metcalf and Boyd. “We’re proud to create a space where world-class artists and audiences can connect every week through music, storytelling, and community.”

All concerts take place Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Museum of Arts and Design’s Theater, with programs ranging from solo performances to chamber ensembles, cross-genre collaborations, and family concerts. The season Will Close May 31, 2026, with a finale featuring members of the New York Philharmonic alongside Boyd Meets Girl performing Aaron Jay Kernis’ 100 Greatest Dance Hits.