92Y Announces The Knights as Ensemble-in-Residence, Beginning in 2021/22 Season

92Y has announced that Grammy-nominated chamber orchestra The Knights will be its Ensemble-in-Residence, starting with the 2021/22 season. The new relationship was unveiled during last night's star-studded "92Y Together" online event, which featured The Knights performing a new arrangement of Simple Gifts alongside Bernstein's Overture to Candide.

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The three-year collaboration will encompass concert performances, family events, outreach and education initiatives, and the development of new projects. Flexible in size and repertory, The Knights will perform in diverse contexts, from intimate chamber recitals to full-scale orchestral concerts. The Knights will be 92Y's first large ensemble in residence since the Y Chamber Symphony under Gerard Schwarz, 1977 to 1986.

Said Seth Pinsky, CEO of the 92nd Street Y, "We are delighted to launch this exciting relationship with The Knights, welcoming this world-class ensemble as the 92nd Street Y's official Ensemble-in-Residence. Our collaboration will start during the 2021/22 Season, expanding our robust commitment to classical music performance and education. For more than 146 years, we have celebrated foundational works and presented new creations. Classical music legends Andrés Segovia, Lang Lang, Joshua Bell, Emanuel Ax, Benjamin Grosvenor, Yo-Yo Ma and Angela Hewitt have all called our stage home. Now, despite the uncertainty looming over the cultural landscape, we feel it is more important than ever to imagine a more vibrant future and to continue to invest in the performing arts generally, and classical music specifically, at the 92nd Street Y."

"I am thrilled to announce this new collaboration with The Knights," said Hanna Arie-Gaifman, Director of the 92nd Steet Y's Tisch Center for the Arts. "Over the past few months, the 92nd Street Y has been on the cutting edge of concert presenting, reaching audiences in new ways during these strange times. Once we can return to our Kaufmann Concert Hall, we will continue to innovate through this long-term, holistic relationship, which encompasses not only a wide variety of programs for our audiences, but also significant educational opportunities for students of all ages. The artistic excellence and wide-ranging vision of The Knights has impressed me greatly over the years, and I am overjoyed that we can formalize a relationship that will allow us to explore the many facets of our mutual interests together."

Said Colin Jacobsen, who co-founded The Knights and shares the role of Artistic Director with brother Eric Jacobsen, "As we experience the collective trauma of the moment we're in, we know that our world, our country, and our beloved city New York will need to go through an extensive healing process. We believe music can be a powerful catalyst for that healing, and The Knights can't wait to be with everyone at the 92nd Street Y in person, able to share once again in the communal experience of live concert music." Eric Jacobsen said, "Building a home for the future of classical music has been a consistent goal for Colin, myself, and The Knights. With a new stage, a new partner and a new rich collaborative spirit, the 92nd Street Y and The Knights are going to create a new way of sharing concerts and creating imaginative and artistically vital moments. We are committed to building on the deep relationships with our New York partner schools and organizations, as well as embracing the collaborators of the 92nd Street Y. In these times of uncertainty, identifying like-minded organizations and fostering the creativity that builds on what the arts can give to New York is both essential and beautiful."

Further details on the new collaboration will be announced later this year.

The Knights are a Grammy-nominated collection of adventurous musicians, dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music. Having performed and recorded with such renowned soloists as Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, and Gil Shaham, and appeared in venues including Vienna's Musikverein and New York's Carnegie Hall, recent highlights include a thrilling performance as part of the opening season of the new Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and an appearance as the first American orchestra-in-residence at the Festival du Paques in Aix-en-Provence, performing multiple concerts throughout the city, including programs with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violinist Renaud Capucon. The Knights recently presented a fully-staged version of Leonard Bernstein's Candide in honor of his 100th birthday at both the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Ravinia Festival, and premiered The Head and the Load with international artist William Kentridge at London's Tate Modern and New York's Park Avenue Armory. The Knights evolved out of friendly late-night chamber music sessions at the home of violinist/composer Colin Jacobsen and conductor/cellist Eric Jacobsen. Since the orchestra's incorporation in 2007, the brothers have served as its artistic directors.