Music at the Forefront

Music at the Forefront 2026-2027

A showcase for exceptional performers of contemporary music

Duo Tesserae at Bryan Recital Hall on Monday, October 24, 2026, 8 p.m.

Formed in 2025, Duo Tesserae brings together violinist Alwyn Tomas Westbrooke and pianist Michiko Saiki, two specialists in contemporary music whose collaboration began in 2018. Since then, they have worked together continuously in a variety of chamber ensembles before founding this duo.

Praised for their precision, clarity, and color, Westbrooke and Saiki are dedicated to exploring sonic language of music today. They work closely with both emerging and established composers, often highlighting hitherto undiscovered voices, and creating performances that illuminate new perspectives in sound.

Departure Duo at Bryan Recital Hall on Tuesday, March 23, 2027, 8 p.m.

Known for their “inestimable chemistry” with “both intimacy and power” (Take Effect), Departure Duo creates “performances [that] are so secure, so colorful, so full of personality” that “the results are magical” (The Arts Fuse). As “virtuosic performers of undeniable gifts” (Fanfare), soprano Nina Guo and double bassist Edward Kass “simply draw the listener in” (The Arts Fuse) with their “phenomenal musicianship [and] humor” (Which Sinfonia).

Committed to performing and commissioning repertoire for their high+low combination, Departure Duo has premiered dozens of new works resulting from in-depth collaborations, including commissions from Katherine Balch, Sarah Gibson, and Mikhail Johnson. In demand internationally, Departure Duo has sold out performances at Spoleto Festival USA, with recent highlights including Constellation’s Frequency Series (Chicago), Sequence at km28 (Berlin), and Yellow Barn, and more.

Departure Duo has been in residence at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Brandeis University, UC Santa Barbara, and more, with upcoming residencies at Stanford University and Northwestern University.

In addition to performing, Departure Duo has cataloged over 170 pieces as part of their “30x’30” project with the goal of finding 30 hours of soprano and double bass repertoire by 2030. 

Zodiac Trio at Bryan Recital Hall on Tuesday, April 6, 2027, 8 p.m.

One of today’s premiere clarinet-violin-piano ensembles, the Zodiac Trio is known for presenting masterpieces for their unconventional instrumentation alongside hidden gems, arrangements, and the occasional duo/solo in a concert experience marked with a special gusto, virtuosity and energy.

The Zodiac Trio’s story begins in New York in 2006 when three young musicians from the Manhattan School of Music decided to join forces in an unconventional ensemble, and spearhead a career dedicated to the clarinet-violin-piano instrumentation. The Zodiac Trio was officially launched with a concert at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City and presented to the classical music listeners by WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase. Understanding that extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts, one year after its founding the newly-minted Zodiac Trio decided to move to Paris to attend the Paris Conservatory under the guidance of the Ysaye Quartet and their unique chamber music program – becoming the first American group and first ensemble with an wind instrument to be accepted to the program.  Their formative years in Paris was laced with victories on the international chamber music circuit with prizes from the Cziffra Foundation, the FNAPEC Chamber Music Competition, the International Carlo Saliva Competition, the International Chamber Music Competition Duchi D’Acquaviva, the International Chamber Music Competition Val Tidone, as well as the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition, among others. In 2008, the London-based MUSO magazine took notice and shone light on the ensemble in a two-page feature.

Today the Zodiac Trio enjoys an international concert schedule that consistently spans three continents and is recognized by many to be one of the foremost clarinet-violin-piano ensembles performing today.  Since its formation, the Zodiac Trio has managed to achieve a level of recognition on the international chamber music stage, rarely bestowed upon an ensemble of such untraditional instrumentation.  The Zodiac Trio’s extensive touring schedule has brought it to many premiere international venues such as Ottawa Chamberfest,  Festival Radio France Montpellier, International Colmar Festival, Beijing Performing Arts Center, Izumi Hall in Japan and Lincoln Center in New York.  The trio’s live performances have been broadcast by France 3 Television, Radio Classique, Beijing’s CCTV News, Canada’s CBC Radio and Television, NBC, New York’s WXQR and WNYC, Chicago’s WFMT, Boston’s WGBH, Italy’s RAI and Radio France in Paris.