GatherNYC Continues Expanded 2025–2026 Season At The Museum Of Arts And Design
The concert series will present weekly Sunday morning performances at The Theater at MAD.
By: A.A. Cristi Dec. 17, 2025
GatherNYC will continue its expanded 2025–2026 season at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) at Columbus Circle, presenting weekly concerts every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. in The Theater at MAD. Founded in 2018 by cellist Laura Metcalf and guitarist Rupert Boyd, the series is presenting its largest lineup to date, with 31 concerts scheduled across the season.
For the first time, GatherNYC is holding concerts weekly, with each one-hour performance combining live classical music, spoken word, and a brief period of silence. Coffee and pastries are served beginning at 10:30 a.m., and admission is free for children under 12.
Each concert includes a spoken word segment at its midpoint, often featuring winners of The Moth StorySLAM, followed by a short period of silence before the music resumes. “It's an interesting moment of something completely different from the music, and it often connects with the audience,” Metcalf said in a previous interview with Strings magazine. “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 added, “We are thrilled to be offering 31 concerts throughout our expanded 2025-2026 season, by far our largest lineup yet. 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.”
UPCOMING CONCERTS
January 4
Mezzo-soprano Devony Smith and baritone Jesse Blumberg will appear with Boyd Meets Girl in a program featuring music by composers including Schubert, Missy Mazzoli, and Manuel de Falla.
January 11
Guitarist Yasmin Williams will present a solo program of original compositions, reflecting her distinctive approach to the instrument and drawing on folk, blues, classical, and Appalachian influences.
January 18
Ember, a newly formed ensemble featuring harpist Emily Levin, violinist Julia Choi, and cellist Christine Lamprea, will perform music from their debut album Birds of Paradise.
January 25
Violist and comedian Isabel Hagen will present a performance that combines classical viola with stand-up comedy.
2026 GATHERNYC SEASON SCHEDULE
February 1
Empire Wild, founded by cellists Mitchell Lyon and Ken Kubota, will perform alongside jazz pianist Addison Frei in a program blending pop, folk, jazz, and classical music.
February 8
Early music ensemble Sonnambula will present music for period instruments, featuring selections from their album Passing Fancy: Beauty in a Moment of Chaos.
February 15
Tallā Rouge will perform selections from Shapes in Collective Space, featuring works by inti figgis-vizueta, Kian Ravaei, Karl Mitze, and Leilehua Lanzilotti.
February 22
GatherNYC artistic directors Laura Metcalf and Rupert Boyd will perform as Boyd Meets Girl in a program of world premieres and selections from their upcoming album.
March 1
Exponential Ensemble, led by clarinetist Pascal Archer, will present works by living composers inspired by mathematics, science, and literacy.
March 8
Cellist Inbal Segev will present a solo program featuring her own compositions alongside works by Anna Clyne and Missy Mazzoli.
March 15
Palaver Strings will present The Apple of Their Eyes, a program exploring the African American experience in classical music through works by Black composers.
March 22
The Knights will return to GatherNYC with an interactive family concert titled Toy Bricks, created and hosted by cellist Caitlin Sullivan.
March 29
Violinist Miranda Cuckson, violist Jessica Meyer, and cellist Laura Metcalf will perform string trios by contemporary female composers.
April 5
Violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and harpsichordist David Belkovski will present a Baroque recital following their previous appearance with Twelfth Night.
April 12
Boyd Meets Girl and Friends will perform music by Clarice Assad and Osvaldo Golijov, featuring flute, guitar, and string quartet.
April 19
Bassist and composer Kebra-Seyoun Charles will make their GatherNYC debut with a new work titled Shango, alongside solo bass repertoire.
April 26
The Poeisis Quartet, winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, will perform as part of the Oberlin Commission Project.
May 3
Cellist Thomas Mesa and bandoneonist JP Jofre will present a program centered on tango and tango-inspired works.
May 10
Violinist and composer Curtis Stewart will present a preview of his project 24 American Caprices.
May 17
The GRAMMY Award-winning Catalyst Quartet will return to GatherNYC in a program focused on music by Black composers.
May 24
The Aeolus Quartet will make its GatherNYC debut with a program spanning Bach, Montgomery, Bacewicz, and Florence Price.
May 31
The season will conclude with a program featuring members of the New York Philharmonic performing with Boyd Meets Girl, centered on Aaron Jay Kernis’ 100 Greatest Dance Hits.
All performances take place at The Theater at MAD, located at 2 Columbus Circle in New York City. Tickets and additional information are available through GatherNYC.
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