Tied to a cross-border exhibit (LA FRONTERA) that showcases handmade jewelry from artists on both sides of the U.S. / Mexico border, this program amplified a variety of voices, featuring the world premiere of an Art of Elan commissioned work by composer Michi Wiancko for solo harp, in addition to works by Sarah Kirkland Snider and others.

Tied to Helen Frankenthaler's '“Warming of the Wires”, this colorful program featured the whirling folk melodies of Erberk Eryilmaz alongside the soaring sounds of Kevin Puts and the rhythmic games of Steve Reich. Milhaud's playful "7th String Quartet " received its San Diego debut on this rhapsodic program that also featured Vincent Persichetti's "Serenade for flute and harp." Listen to the live concert recording, here.

Featuring the epic Death and the Maiden string quartet by Franz Schubert (written in March 1824), this powerful program intentionally set the 200 year-old work at The JAI, in an intimate, contemporary cabaret space where listeners were asked to bring fresh ears to the experience. Listen to the live concert recording, here.

Art of Elan musicians workshopped Mason Bynes ‘Black Goo’, a newly commissioned piece by Art of Elan, as a film score for ICA San Diego artist-in-residence Danielle Dean, whose work draws from her multinational and multiracial heritage to explore colonization, consumption and our shared humanity.

Now in its 10th season in partnership with A Reason To Survive (ARTS), a nationally recognized organization that believes in the power of creativity to transform lives, Art of Elan’s Young Artists in Harmony composition program celebrated its Fall 2023 cohort as part of the California Festival with world premiere works by student composers, performed by Art of Elan musicians at A Reason to Survive in National City, CA. Listen to the live recording, here.

In collaboration with California Festival, Art of Elan’s popular downtown series returned with an evening of thought-provoking new music that featured the world premiere of works by Jory Herman (LA Phil bassist and composer) and Mason Bynes (multimedia composer), along with new music by trumpeter Steph Richards, drummer Andrew Munsey and others. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Art of Elan’s In the Here & Now in collaboration with the San Diego Symphony, featured a wide variety of composers whose new works collectively shape the soundtrack of our lives. From the spellbinding sounds of Juhi Bansal to the whirling folk melodies of Erberk Eryilmaz, and a world premiere of “Crossroads” by Nahre Sol, this colorful program reminded us of our diversity, our shared humanity, and our ability to celebrate both. This concert was part of the California Festival Series.

Maps & Memories was inspired by Mingei International Museum’s Washi Transformed exhibit featuring highly textured two-dimensional works, expressive sculptures, and dramatic installations that explore the astonishing potential of Japanese handmade paper, known as washi. Listen to the live concert recording here.

ENVZN23: Urban Art Takeover, a one-of-a-kind visual and performing arts festival, transformed Commercial St. corridor in Logan Heights with multi-sensory art installations by creatives from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border. We’re excited to have been one of the featured artists of the festival to showcase our performance of Elliot Cole’s Flowerpot Music No. 1.

Art of Elan’s Young Artists in Harmony composition program celebrated its Spring 2023 cohort with world premiere works by student composers, performed by Art of Elan musicians. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Divided Landscapes, a live Art of Elan concert at The San Diego Museum of Art, was inspired by the exhibit of Georgia O’Keeffe and Henry Moore. This colorful program explored our shared humanity and our shared responsibility to care for each other and the world around us and featured a world premiere by composer Rand Steiger, performed by The Myriad Trio. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Defining Home was an Art of Elan live concert at Mingei International Museum, inspired by the “25 Million Stitches” exhibit that focuses on raising awareness of the global refugee crisis through large hand-sewn panels. This musical program highlighted various folk traditions from around the world. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Art of Elan, in collaboration with ICA San Diego, explored music as an entry point into the world of visual art in response to Edra Soto’s exhibition Graft. Art of Elan's performance took us on a journey: from the timeless music of J. S. Bach to the vibrant sounds of composers Marco Granados, Gabriela Lena Frank and Angelica Negrón, whose compositions explore the intricacies of cross-cultural identities. This immersive, multisensory, and dynamic experience provided a unique perspective of how diasporic communities shape identities in new places.

Portraits and Pictures, an Art of Elan concert at The San Diego Museum of Art was inspired by the incredibly life-like oil paintings of emerging artist Carlo Miranda. This diverse program was a mosaic of sounds, drawing from a myriad of musical traditions, histories and cultures. Listen to the live concert recording here.

The Shellie Zhang Residency Collaboration was an evening filled with visual and auditory experiences that explored the works of ICA San Diego Artist-in-Resident, Shellie Zhang and San Diego composer Lei Liang. Listen to the live concert recording here.

A celebration of the end of the year at Art of Elan's VIRTUAL happy hour with Executive and Artistic Director, Kate Hatmaker.

Art of Elan’s Young Artists in Harmony composition program celebrated its fall 2022 cohort with world premiere works by student composers, performed by Art of Elan musicians. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Broken Windows was a live concert at the San Diego Museum of Art, presented by Art of Elan and inspired by the thought-provoking multimedia work of artist and activist Justin Sterling and his “Chapel of the Rocks” exhibit. Listen to the live concert recording here.

American Stories was a live concert by Art of Elan at Mingei International Museum and inspired by “This Is Our Story,” Mingei’s fascinating and diverse exhibit of self-taught visual artists based in the United States. This musical program explored our collective stories through the eyes of various American composers, and performed by Art of Elan affiliated musicians, including the Artonic Quartet. Listen to the live concert recording here.

A celebration of the Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego's (ICA San Diego) New Exhibition Season with a combined opening reception of celebrated artists Yaw Owusu and Carolina Caycedo.

As a complement to the immersive exhibit by Fernando Casasempere, For the Earth featured the environmentally-minded music of John Luther Adams, Angelica Negron and Paul Wiancko. Caroline Shaw’s “Plan and Elevation” closed the concert and featured the ever-dynamic Hausmann Quartet. Listen to the live concert recording here.

The culmination of the ten-week Spring 2022 Young Artists in Harmony program, this exciting concert featured the world premiere performances of the compositions created by Spring 2022 Young Artists in Harmony participants, performed by Art of Elan musicians. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Art of Elan's former ensemble-in-residence, the Chicago-based Kontras Quartet, returned to San Diego for an evening of dynamic music-making and multimedia collaboration. Listen to the live concert recording here.

With Care is a visceral, moving work for two dancers (Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, both former stars of the Batsheva Dance Company) and two violinists (Keir GoGwilt and Miranda Cuckson).

For the last several decades, contemporary Chinese photographer Wang Qingsong has been exploring the concept of evolution and how it affects culture in small communities as well as on a global scale. Inspired by the Qingsong exhibit, this special musical program included folk music from around the world. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Art of Elan returned to the JAI cabaret space at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla to present Johnny Gandelsman in an epic 2-hour performance of the complete cello suites by J. S. Bach, remarkably performed on violin. Listen to the live concert recording here.

In response to the pandemic and societal turbulence of the last two years, Grammy-award winning violinist and producer Johnny Gandelsman created “This Is America,” a new commissioning and recording project featuring over twenty new works for solo violin, written by American and U.S.-based artists. Listen to the live concert recording here.

Art of Elan co-founder and Artistic Advisor Demarre McGill returned to San Diego with The Myriad Trio to premiere a new work for flute, viola and harp, written by American composer Timo Andres for the trio during the pandemic. This performance also featured music by Claude Debussy and David Bruce, and took place at the newly reopened Mingei International Museum. Listen to the live concert recording here.

The culmination of the ten-week Fall 2021 Young Artists in Harmony program, this exciting concert featured the world premiere performances of compositions created by Fall 2021 Young Artists in Harmony cohort, performed by Art of Elan musicians. Listen to the live concert recording here.