Ensemble
ACJW
Ensemble
ACJW is an inspirational collective of outstanding young professional musicians
from The Academy that has earned accolades from critics and audiences alike for
the quality of its performances, as well as its fresh and open-minded approach
to performance and programming. In a variety of venues, they have played a wide
range of music—from works written centuries ago to those completed days
before—with verve and total commitment to their art.
The group performs its own series at Carnegie Hall and regularly appears at The
Juilliard School’s Paul Hall. As part of a partnership with Skidmore College
that began in 2007, Ensemble ACJW gives master classes to university students
and performs for the Saratoga Springs community both in concert halls and in
informal settings around town.
All Ensemble ACJW members are alumni or current fellows of The Academy, a
two-year fellowship program created in 2007 by Carnegie Hall’s Executive and
Artistic Director Clive Gillinson and The Juilliard School’s President Joseph W. Polisi to support young professional
musicians develop their careers as top-quality performers, innovative
programmers, and dedicated teachers who are fully engaged with the communities
in which they live and work.
Fellows of the two-year Academy program—chosen for their musicianship, but also
for their leadership qualities and commitment to music education—come from some
of the best music schools in the country, including the Curtis Institute of
Music, Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Mannes College The New
School for Music, New England Conservatory, and Yale School of Music.
In addition to performance opportunities at the highest level, a robust program
of professional development is an essential part of The Academy. Fellows
partner with New York City public schools to share their artistry with—and
become central resources for—music classrooms in the five boroughs. In their
second year, the fellows take part in community work through the Weill Music
Institute’s Musical Connections program, in which they perform at multiple
nontraditional music venues across New York City. In past years, they
participated in community-based group projects, including a collaboration with
residents of a Bronx family apartment complex, a pen-pal program that paired
young students with professional musicians, and a performance of George Crumb’s
Voice of the Whale in the American
Museum of Natural History’s Millstein Hall of Ocean Life.
Exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and advocates for music throughout
the community, the fellows of The Academy that make up Ensemble ACJW are
redefining what it means to be a musician in the 21st century. Visit acjw.org
to learn more.