About Metropolis Ensemble
We are a GRAMMY-nominated nonprofit commissioning, producing, and performing new music—launching careers and inspiring audiences.
Impact at a Glance
2 GRAMMY® nominations and Producer of the Year credit
450+ original commissioned works developed since 2006
Best-of-Year: New York Times, NPR, Gramophone
JUNO winner: Classical Composition of the Year
30K+ reached via 125 free Biophony shows and 650 artists
What the Press Says
How We Work
Artist-first commissioning — Multi-year collaborations; ensembles tailored to each project; studio recordings that put our artists on the map. We invest in the future of classical music.
Immersive stages — From sunrise performances at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, to city plazas via our street festival Biophony, to dome experiences in Los Angeles, we unleash composers’ creativity.
Recorded by experts — We record with world-class artists and engineers with major labels (Nonesuch, New Amsterdam, Merge, Naxos); our awards and international press accelerate the careers of our artists.
Talent Pipeline
We identify and back future leaders early. Alumni now lead ensembles and redefine repertoire. Violinists who appeared with us early are now winning national (Avery Fischer Career Grant, Kristin Lee) and international prizes (Naumburg, Grace Park) and many go on to win concertmaster positions — NY Phil (Frank Huang), Minnesota Orchestra (Erin Keefe), OSM (Andrew Wan), and Seattle Symphony (Noah Geller)—one example among many.
Artist Acclaim
Our composers have gone on to win today’s most prestigious awards, including Pulitzer (Caroline Shaw) and Rome Prizes (Christopher Cerrone, Paula Matthusen), Grammy’s (William Brittelle), Guggenheim (Vivian Fung), and composers-in-residence and commissions for major symphony orchestras (Timo Andres, Sarah Kirkland Snider).
Recent Spotlights
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In a Grove (Prototype)
New York Times “highlight of the festival... best of 2025, so far."
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The Blind Banister (Dolby Atmos)
Gramophone Editor’s Choice; New York Times/NPR year-end lists.
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Biophony (citywide)
55 commissions; 650+ musicians; 125+ free shows; 30k+ attendees.
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Summer Solstice (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
Sunrise meditations and sunset re-imaginings drawing thousands.
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Liquidverse (COSM)
Immersive full-dome at COSM: Ricardo Romaneiro’s LIQUIDVERSE, Metropolis records World Premiere audio-visual symphony for 87-foot 12K LED cinematic space in Los Angeles and Dallas.
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Caroline Rose (Brooklyn Steel)
Caroline Rose x Metropolis at Brooklyn Steel: orchestral reimaginings of her acclaimed albums.
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Bangsokol (BAM)
A Requiem for Cambodia—Metropolis with Cambodian Living Arts, Him Sophy, and Oscar-nominated Rithy Panh; mourning, testimony, communal healing; projects toured BAM, Boston, Paris, Montreal, Melbourne, Taiwan, Phnom Penh
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Electronium: The Future Was Then (BAM)
Metropolis Ensemble joins Questlove of The Roots at BAM’s Next Wave
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Drifting in Daylight (Central Park)
Metropolis brass aboard Ragnar Kjartansson’s S.S. Hangover circles Harlem Meer, performing Kjartan Sveinsson’s score for Creative Time at Central Park.
How We Work
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Multi-genre fluency — built for collaboration
From orchestra to indie, jazz, electronic, and performance art: Questlove & The Roots, Caroline Rose, Emily Wells, Wye Oak, Ragnar Kjartansson, Immanuel Wilkins, Matthew Evan Taylor, Deerhoof.
Outcomes span releases on Nonesuch, New Amsterdam, Merge, Naxos; stages from city streets to the Hollywood Bowl; downtown studios to The Met Museum; sunrise at Brooklyn Botanic Garden to The Tonight Show.
Result: artists elevate their profiles while the work reaches audiences most classical outfits don’t—across late-night TV, major festivals, museums, and public spaces.
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Invited artists — a curated roster
We identify distinctive voices from leading conservatories and the wider professional community and invite them into a structured development pathway: education partnerships, workshops, concerts, premieres, artist residencies, and definitive studio recordings.
Each stage is fully resourced—artistic planning, production, rehearsal support, and engineering—so composers and performers can focus on the work. The result: projects that land on global stages and careers that advance.
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Long-game collaborations — Ricardo Romaneiro
Nearly 20 years together—from intimate Upper East Side townhouse salons and early labs, through Biophony: SoundGarden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden (all seven conservatories; sensor-driven soundbath with live ensemble)—to large-scale immersion with LIQUIDVERSE at COSM’s 87-foot domes in LA and Dallas. Same composer, growing canvases; our pipeline makes the leaps possible.
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One Rivington — artists lead, we clear the path
Our Lower East Side studio-lab hosted 100+ shows (2017–2020) and is back this season. We hand the keys to composers and entrepreneurial musicians while covering production, engineering, artist support—so ideas move fast from concept to stage.
Result: In a Grove was incubated at Rivington before its acclaimed Prototype premiere. Dozens of composer and artist residencies. Pay-what-you-want eliminates economic barriers.
Artistic Director — Andrew Cyr
GRAMMY-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr is our founder (2006) and artistic director. Working collaboratively in small teams of composers and performers, Cyr developed and led hundreds of world premiere performances and recordings from Radio City Hall to Paris.
“Precise, rhythmically incisive and fluid…” — Esa-Pekka Salonen
“A prominent influence…led with tasteful panache.” — The Washington Post
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Metropolis Ensemble is a Grammy-nominated nonprofit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious creative projects in contemporary music. With a particular focus on expanding opportunities for emerging professional musical creators and performers through collaboration, Metropolis partners with world-class musical artists and institutions to create, commission, and produce site-specific performances, new works, recordings, and digital experiences. Founded by Grammy-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr in 2006, NYC-based Metropolis Ensemble gathers independent expert musicians for each project, inspiring audiences through the creation of new instrumentations and dynamic collaborations.
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Andrew Cyr, Founder/Artistic Director
Jenna Mulberry-Eng, Business and Events Manager
Armistead Booker, Digital Media and Community Engagement Director
Henry Wang, Artist Engagement Director
Horacio Fernández, Production Assistant
Phong Tran, Production Assistant
Alex Koi, Production Assistant
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(last updated December 1, 2022)
June Wu (Chair)
Eric Brewster (Vice Chair)
Jennifer Salomon (Secretary)
Mikhail Iliev (Treasurer)
Stephanie Amarnick
Jeff Guida
Paul Kovach
Candice Madey
Edward Sien
Matthew Strassler
Susan Weiler
Edward Jones (President Emeritus)
Past Board Members
Mali Gaw
Eduardo Loja
Vladimir Nicenko
Arienne Orozco
Glenn Schoenfeld
Brandon Ziegler
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