FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ciyadh Wells | Collage New Music | General Manager 
info@collagenewmusic.org

Collage New Music Announces 2025-2026 Season:
Mosaics of Home

Four themed concerts: September 28, November 2, March 1, April 26

Launch of commissioning project in collaboration with Eighth Blackbird
and Left Coast Chamber Ensemble

Featuring 9 world premieres of Collage-commissioned works with two programs conducted by Artistic Director Eric Nathan

Boston, MA – Collage New Music announces its 2025–2026 season—its 53rd and the second under Artistic Director Eric Nathan. The season expands on the theme of home introduced in the final concert of 2024–25, We Carry Our Homes Within Us, weaving it into a broader exploration from many perspectives, through the lenses of time, memory, and the rhythms of daily life.

“Home” is also reflected in this season through featuring New England composers, welcoming back both Tony Arnold (2025-25 Artistic Partner) and BSO Assistant Conductor Anna Handlerwho will conduct the world premiere of Nathan’s Missing Words, a major new commissioning project What is Home? created in collaboration with Eighth Blackbird and Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, the return of the Collage Composers Colloquium, and local partnerships and collaborations with Longy School of Music of Bard College, Shelter Music Boston, Project STEP, Goethe-Institut Boston and Korean Cultural Society of Boston.

The season opens with the world premiere of a Collage commission, with, by Nomi Epstein, daughter of Collage founder Frank Epstein, who grew up listening to Collage rehearsing in the basement of their home in Brookline.  Frank founded Collage in 1968 and his 52 years growing and leading Collage was celebrated last season. In addition, through the creation of the Frank B. Epstein Commissioning Fund, eight new works have been sponsored for world premieres this season by composers JaRon Brown, Eric Chasalow, Erin Gee, Gaston Gosselin, April Dawn Guthrie, Eric Nathan, Angélica Negrón, and Juri Seo.

“I am thrilled to continue the journey we began together last season through a deepened exploration of the role Collage can play in our community,” says Nathan. “This season weaves together threads both familiar and surprising into a tapestry that I hope invites us to engage with our world and local community.”

Collage welcomes Ann B. Teixeira in the role of Interim President of the Board of Trustees, succeeding Frank Epstein, beginning July 1, 2025. “I’m deeply honored and delighted to be engaged with Collage New Music and to carry forward the remarkable legacy Frank established,” says Teixeira.  “Over the past year, I’ve been continually inspired by the ensemble’s powerful performances and the vital role it plays in shaping Boston’s new music community. I look to the coming season with great anticipation and enthusiasm, excited by all the possibilities the future holds.”

Tickets and additional information are available on Collage’s website.

For media inquiries and interviews with Eric Nathan, please Ciyadh Wells, Collage New Music’s General Manager at info@collagenewmusic.org

September 28, 2025, at 3pm
Longy School of Music, Edward Pickman Hall (Cambridge, MA) 

Pre-Concert Talk at 2:00pm with Artistic Director Eric Nathan and composers

Eric Nathan, CONDUCTOR 


Catherine French, VIOLIN; Jason Fisher VIOLA; Jan Müller-Szeraws, CELLO;  Sarah Brady, FLUTE; Alexis Lanz, CLARINET; Donald Berman, PIANO; Craig McNutt, PERCUSSION

The season-opener invites audiences to explore composers’ evocative memories of place, centering on two locations: Los Angeles on the West Coast and Boston on the East Coast. Spanning both regions of the United States, the program reflects on the connection between place and memory. In light of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, it pays tribute to the composers who have called these cities home. The first half focuses on Los Angeles, while the second shifts to Boston.

Curtis K. Hughes: Vestibule III (2013)
Bass clarinet, marimba

Joan Huang-Kraft: A Flowing Brook in Yunnan (2020)
Solo piano

Sarah Gibson: I prefer living in color (2017)
Bass clarinet, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano

Christopher Cerrone: South Catalina (2014)
flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion

INTERMISSION

Curtis K. Hughes: Vestibule I (2013)
Flute, bass clarinet

Nina Young: Rising Tide (2015)
flute, clarinet (bass), percussion, piano (with 2 e-bows), violin, viola, cello

Nomi Epstein: with (2025) (World Premiere) Collage Commission
Flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello

Steven Stucky: Ad Parnassum (1998)
flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano

Curtis K. Hughes, Sarah Gibson, Christopher Cerrone, Nina Young, Nomi Epstein, Steven Stucky

November 2, 2025, at 3pm 
Longy School of Music, Edward Pickman Hall

Pre-Concert Talk at 2:00pm with Artistic Director Eric Nathan and composers

Jeffrey Means, CONDUCTOR
Tony Arnold, SOPRANO (2025-26 Artistic Partner)


Catherine French, VIOLIN; Noriko Futagami, VIOLA; Jan Müller-Szeraws, CELLO; Sarah Brady, FLUTE; Alexis Lanz, CLARINET; Christopher Oldfather, PIANO; Craig McNutt, PERCUSSION

This concert explores the theme of time and its impact on our concept of home. Through the passage of time, we witness how homes transform in the face of war, climate change, imagined realms, and cherished moments. The program also highlights the lineage of composers, tracing the relationships between teachers, students, and the enduring influence they have on one another.


György Ligeti: Poème Symphonique (1962)
100 Metronomes (courtesy of Rodney Lister)

Inga Chinilina: In den finsteren Zeiten (2022) 
soprano, alto flute, bass clarinet, perc, piano, violin

Anthony Cheung: Clocks for seeing (2023) 
Flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano (doubling synthesizer keyboard)

INTERMISSION

Gaston Gosselin (Julie I. Rohwein Collage Fellow): New Work (2026) (World Premiere) Collage Commission
Flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello

Eric Chasalow: Three Tastes of Home (2025) (World Premiere) Collage Commission
Soprano + Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, Percussion

Olivier Messiaen: "Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes" from Quatuor pour la fin du Temps
Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano

György Ligeti, Inga Chinilina, Anthony Cheung, Gaston Gosselin, Eric Chasalow, Olivier Messiaen

March 1st, 2026, at 3pm
Goethe-Institut Boston (Boston, MA)

Presented in partnership with Goethe-Institut Boston
Pre-Concert Talk at 2:00pm with Artistic Director Eric Nathan

Anna Handler, CONDUCTOR


Catherine French and Heather Braun, VIOLIN; Mary Ferrillo, VIOLA; Jan Müller-Szeraws, CELLO; Ian Saunders, DOUBLE BASS;  Sarah Brady, FLUTE; Alexis Lanz, CLARINET; Ron Haroutunian, BASSOON; Christopher Oldfather, PIANO, Andy Kozar and Chloe Swindler, TRUMPET; Hazel Dean Davis, HORN; William Lang, TROMBONE;
Angel Subero, BASS TROMBONE; Craig McNutt, PERCUSSION

Collage New Music presents the world premiere of Eric Nathan's complete Missing Words series. Inspired by Ben Schott’s witty and poignant book Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition, Nathan’s work brings to life the unique German words Schott invented to describe everyday human experiences for which English has no direct equivalent. Through six sections, each scored for a different ensemble and composed of shorter movements, Missing Words illuminates the humor, beauty, and complexity of life’s shared moments, from the comic to the deeply emotional.

Eric Nathan: Missing Words (2013-2021)


Missing Words I 
for clarinet, bassoon, horn, string quartet, double bass

Missing Words II 
for brass quintet

Missing Words III 
for violoncello and piano

INTERMISSION

Missing Words IV
for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, violoncello

Missing Words V
for violin, violoncello, piano

Missing Words VI 
for flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello

April 26, 2026, at 3pm
Longy School of Music, Edward Pickman Hall

Pre-Concert Talk at 2:00pm with Artistic Director Eric Nathan and composers

Eric Nathan, CONDUCTOR
Tony Arnold, SOPRANO


Catherine French, VIOLIN; Mary Ferrillo, VIOLA; Jan Müller-Szeraws, CELLO; Edwin Barker, DOUBLE BASS; Sarah Brady, FLUTE; Alexis Lanz, CLARINET; Christopher Oldfather, PIANO, Andy Kozar, TRUMPET; Pierre Bibault, GUITAR; Craig McNutt, PERCUSSION

Our season finale celebrates the rich mosaic of home in America, honoring the nation's 250th anniversary. At its heart is the world premiere of Mosaics of Home, a new work commissioned by Collage in collaboration with Eighth Blackbird (Chicago) and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble (San Francisco). This 40-minute composition, crafted by six composers of diverse backgrounds, explores the question, “What does home mean to you today?” Spanning the East and West Coasts, the piece reflects the multifaceted experiences that define the United States. Following this premiere, the work will be presented in Midwest and West Coast performances in 2026.

In preparation, Collage partners with Shelter Music Boston to perform a pre-premiere concert for homeless individuals in the city.

Christopher Trapani: Waterlines (2005/2012)
Soprano, Guitarist (steel-stringed guitar, electric guitar, Turkish fretless banjo), flute, clarinet, trumpet, percussion, viola (=stroh violin), cello, bass and electronics/amplification

INTERMISSION

What is Home? (World Premiere)Collage Co-Commissions with Eighth Blackbird and Left Coast Chamber Ensemble
Flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion

April Dawn Guthrie: New Work
JaRon Brown: New Work
Angélica Negrón: New Work
Juri Seo: New Work
Erin Gee: New Work
Eric Nathan: New Work

Christopher Trapani, April Dawn Guthrie, JaRon Brown, Angelica Negron, Juri Seo, Erin Gee, Eric Nathan

About Collage New Music

Praised by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as “among the finest artists of contemporary (or any other) music,” the musicians of Collage New Music include some of the most outstanding instrumentalists and singers skilled in the musical intricacies, technical virtuosity, and emotional depth that new music requires. The ensemble includes some of the East Coast’s finest musicians, including members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the area’s extraordinary freelance community. The initial ensemble consisted entirely of players from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and over the years players from the freelance community have entered the group.

Collage was founded by BSO percussionist Frank Epstein in 1968 who then served as its first Music Director for twenty years. Composer John Harbison then became Co-Music Director for a short period, followed by David Hoose who became Music Director and conductor for thirty-two years, retiring from the position at the end of the 2023-24 season. Starting with the 2024-25 season, Collage’s 52nd, composer Eric Nathan assumes the title of Artistic Director and David Hoose becomes Music Director Emeritus.

Collage’s five decades of compelling music-making have placed it as a leader among adventurous ensembles that nurture that vital intersection of composer, performer, and listener. The ensemble’s repertoire, both wide and deep, reaches from classical twentieth century works, to extraordinary less-known older works, and to marvelous, brand-new creations of American composers. Its diverse programs include solo repertoire, music for larger ensembles, theatrical works, fully-staged chamber operas, and music with extensive electronics.

The ensemble appears on the New World, Koch, and Albany labels, and its recording of John Harbison’s Mottetti di Montale was a 2005 Grammy Nominee for Best Performance by a Small Ensemble. Each season, Collage also hosts a Collage Fellow, an emerging composer-in-residence, and hosts its Collage Composers Colloquium, a day-long examination of young composers’ music.