Dal Niente

Ensemble Dal Niente is an American new music collective, established in 2004 and currently based in Chicago. Dal Niente plays music for large ensemble, as well as chamber and solo pieces, covering a broad repertoire of composers, from both emerging and established contemporary artists to a post-WWII avant-garde generation. Recent collaborations include Deerhoof and Marcos Balter. The ensemble gained acknowledgment in Europe after critically-acclaimed performances at Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt in 2010 and 2012. Dal Niente became the first-ever group (as opposed to a solo musician) to receive the prestigious Kranichstein Music Prize. Actively involved in education as well, Dal Niente participated in various composition workshops, master classes, discussions, and performances across the United States. Some of their notable academic residencies include Harvard University, Northwestern University, Stanford University, Indiana University, and Williams College. Dal Niente means "from nothing" in Italian and came as a tribute to Helmut Lachenmann's Dal Niente (Interieur III) and in retrospective – also as a reference to the group's story. Initially founded by a small-scale, almost obscure collective of Northwestern students, it has risen to fame as one of the most prominent contemporary ensembles in the USA. Conductor and Artistic Coordinator Michael Lewanski Ensemble Dal Niente Artists Austin Wulliman, MingHuan Xu, Tarn Travers – Violin Doyle Armbrust, Ammie Brod – Viola Chris Wild (5) – Cello Mark Buchner – Double Bass -- Amanda DeBoer, Carrie Henneman Shaw – Soprano Vocals -- Alejandro T. Acierto, Katie Schoepflin – Clarinet Emma Hospelhorn, Constance Volk – Flute Matthew Oliphant – Horn Andrew Nogal – Oboe -- Winston Choï, Mabel Kwan – Piano Greg Beyer, Peter Martin (33) – Percussion Jesse Langen – Guitar Ben Melsky – Harp