Ekmeles is a vocal ensemble dedicated to the performance of new and rarely-heard works, and gems of the historical avant garde. They have a special focus on microtonal works, and have been praised for their “extraordinary sense of pitch” by the New York Times. They are the recipients of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation’s 2023 Ensemble Prize, the first American group to receive the honor.
Description
January 17 2026, Ekmeles will give two world premieres: a new work by director Jeffrey Gavett, a just intonation work based on the attributes of the saints; and a new work by South African composer Andile Khumalo on text by Zimbabwean poet Tsitsi Ella Jaji.
Also featured on the program is a US premiere by Sinan Samanli, üc anayasa for four voices and oud, featuring Ian Power. The work evocatively sets fragments in Turkish and Greek by Cemal Süreya and Plato.
The final two works on the program will soon be recorded for their inclusion on Ekmeles's third studio album. Katherine Balch's forgetting, for six voices and toy ratchets, sets texts by Katie Ford in a skittering elusive style, blending voice and percussion. Wolfgang von Schweinitz's Plainsound Motet for Ekmeles 'DADA NONO & REJOICE' is a masterpiece of microtonal polyphony, reconciling the horizontal world of melody with the vertical world of just intonation harmony. Schweinitz sets his own text, moving freely between phonemes selected for purely sonic effect, and the invocation of aesthetic forebears.
Date & Time
Sat, Jan 17, 2026 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue Details
Church of St Luke and St Matthew
520 Clinton AvenueKings County, New York 11238
