Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence
In 2013, the University of Chicago created a new program, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, that would provide a permanent home for world-class musicians at the University of Chicago. Named for University of Chicago President Emeritus Don Randel, the residency program enables deep engagement between exceptional visiting musical ensembles and UChicago faculty, students and staff, as well as the surrounding Hyde Park community.
Randel, a noted musicologist, served as president of the University of Chicago from 2000-2006, when he took over as president of the Mellon Foundation. Upon his retirement in 2013, the foundation awarded the grant for the Ensemble-in-Residence in recognition to Randel's sustained and inspired advocacy of the value of music in a liberal arts education, as well as his transformational leadership for the arts and humanities throughout his career in academia and philanthropy.
Past Ensembles
The GRAMMY Award-winning Pacifica Quartet, which had long been a resident ensemble of the Department of Music and UChicago Presents, became the first Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence. In addition to performances on the Contempo series and through UChicago Presents, the quartet presented workshops for students and visited classes, sharing their expertise with both undergraduate and graduate students. Pacifica served as the Don Michael Randel Ensemble in Residence for three years, following a fourteen-year tenure as a resident ensemble in the Department of Music.
Following Pacifica’s residency, eight other ensembles have been appointed as the Don Michael Randle Ensemble-in-Residence. These residencies have included a number of on- and off-campus engagements, including public performances, class visits, student composer workshops, panel discussions, collaborations with local artists and organizations, and coachings and workshops with students at the UChicago Laboratory School.
The crystalline voices of Trio Mediæval (comprising members Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth, and Torunn Østrem Ossum) have captivated audiences since the group was founded in Oslo in 1997. The GRAMMY-nominated trio’s core repertoire features sacred monophonic and polyphonic medieval music from England, Italy, and France; contemporary works written for the ensemble; and traditional Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic ballads and songs. The group’s fruitful relationship with the legendary ECM Records, collaborative spirit, and busy touring schedule has earned them worldwide renown. "Singing doesn't get more unnervingly beautiful," wrote Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle, who declared their San Francisco debut "among the musical highlights of the year." He added, "To hear the group's note-perfect counterpoint - as pristine and inviting as clean, white linens - is to be astonished at what the human voice is capable of."
inDANCE is a progressive dance company whose works spans a large choreographic trajectory of Bharatanatyam to global contemporary dance works to queer dance creations. It presents works that are a potent, distilled synthesis of artistic director Hari Krishnan’s Asian and western artistic personae. Probing the burdens and legacies of popular representations of “tradition,” inDANCE disrupts the familiar and evolves new meanings for the archaic, propelling the company on a trajectory that subverts normative political and social life-worlds. The company pioneers work that is unconventional and transgressive, producing eccentric, sensual, and virtuosic dance that confronts dominant discourses on global culture. inDANCE’s work is presented at prestigious international festivals and venues.
With a career spanning nearly three decades, the Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today and has established itself as the embodiment of the senior American quartet sound. The Quartet is known for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often daring repertory choices. Having served as quartet-in-residence at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music for the past decade, the Quartet also leads the Center for Advanced Quartet Studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School and was previously the quartet-in-residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Amjad Ali Khan is one of the undisputed masters of the music world. Since giving his first performance at the age of six, he has played for audiences worldwide, bringing a new and yet timeless interpretation to the repertoire while being widely credited with reinventing the technique of playing the sarod. Amjad Ali Khan’s passion for bringing the sarod to new audiences has seen him give numerous residencies and hold appointments as Visiting Professor at several universities. He is a Gold Medal Winner at the Global Music Awards for his outstanding contribution to the global music industry and excellence in the classical music sphere. Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, Maestro Khan's sons, join him throughout the residency. Both have emerged as esteemed artists, forging a unique artistic vision that comes from a great legacy.
The Quatuor Diotima is one of the most in-demand chamber ensembles in the world today; it was formed in 1996 by graduates of the Paris national conservatory (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris). They are recognized around the world for interdisciplinary collaborations that cast a new light on both masterpieces of the quartet canon and contemporary additions to the genre.
Spring 2020 brought the decision to delay the Residency engagement with Quatuor Diotima until 2021 due to Covid-19. As uncertainty and concerns rose, featuring ensembles with a relationship and proximity to Chicago was not just a practical choice, but an exciting opportunity for the University to support nearby chamber musicians through an immensely challenging year. Learn more about how the Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence was reimagined during the 2020—21 academic year.
- Described as “exceptional ambassadors for classical music” and “innovative programmers” Axiom Brass designs concert experiences for audiences that stretch the imagination and expand sensibilities.
- Founded in 2016, ~Nois (pronounced “noise”) has become one of the premier ensembles in the United States by combining contemporary chamber music and improvisation to connect with audiences in unique concert experiences.
- Singing with the precision and flexibility of modern chamber musicians, Quince Ensemble is changing the paradigm of contemporary vocal music. Described as "the Anonymous 4 of new music" by Opera News, Quince continually pushes the boundaries of vocal ensemble literature.
Plena Libre, masters of contemporary bomba and plena, brilliantly infuses the Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms Plena and Bomba, with other Caribbean rhythms to their traditional and contemporary compositions, creating an electrifying stage performance.
Sweet Honey In The Rock remains among the most vibrant, versatile and ever relevant musical collectives in music today; both as a performance ensemble and as an ambassadorial African American organization founded on the triumvirate missions of empowerment, education and entertainment.
Celebrating over two decades of music making, the Grammy nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often daring repertory choices, over the past twenty-six years the Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today.