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Introduction


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Introduction


Tyondai Braxton
Kalia Vandever
Gity Razaz
Phong Tran
Vivian Fung
Du Yun
Avi Avital
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson
Emily Wells
Inbal Segev
Molly Joyce
Immanuel Wilkins
Paula Matthusen
Jakub Ciupinski
Matthew Evan Taylor
Ricardo Romaneiro
Kristin Lee
Roscoe Mitchell
Erika Dohi
David Bruce
Han Chen
 

 About Metropolis Ensemble

Creating, amplifying, and flourishing. Together.

Metropolis Ensemble is a Grammy-nominated nonprofit organization dedicated to commissioning and producing ambitious creative projects in contemporary music, and expanding opportunities for emerging professional composers and performers to collaborate and inspire new audiences.

With a particular focus on developing collaborative projects with today’s leading emerging musical artists, 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.

More to Explore: Commissions / Artists / Staff / Contact Us

 
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Our Projects


Our Projects


 

Our Projects

We partner with world-class institutions to create, commission, and produce site-specific performances, new works, recordings, and digital experiences.
 
 
 
 
“Metropolis performs and commissions new music from some of today's most promising new composers, featuring a revolving cast of the finest young chamber musicians around.”
—David Garland, NPR
 
 

 

Projects

Ranging in size from full orchestra, chamber ensembles, soloists and everywhere in-between, Metropolis gathers independent expert musicians to bring new projects to life. 

Biophony SoundGarden

  • 2023: 5,000 visitors explored a live, site-specific electro-acoustic music installation by composer Ricardo Romaneiro and 20 musicians.
  • Metropolis and Brooklyn Botanic Garden co-commissioned the project throughout seven conservatory ecosystems.
  • “The music performance in the conservatory was a delight. So unique and so fitting for the spaces.” —BBG Visitor

Bangsokol

  • 2010–17: Metropolis developed, co-produced, and premiered a new theatrical work, fusing film, music, and traditional dance and musical arts. 
  • Created in collaboration Cambodian Living Arts and The Office, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rithy Pahn, composer Him Sophy, music director Andrew Cyr, choreographer Belle Sodhachivy, libbretist Trent Walker, and staging director Gideon Obarzanek (Melbourne Festival).
  • “Bangsokol stands on its own as an extraordinary musical experience that brings cultures and people together.” —Variety

Postcards to The Met + Life Returns

  • 2021–22: Metropolis was commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art to produce a 12-month video series (generating 350K+ Instagram views) and large-scale work of new music by composer Matthew Evan Taylor.
  • The project culminated in a sold-out concert at The Met featuring a hybrid ensemble with Rajas (Indian Carnatic ensemble led by Rajna Swaminanthan), Metropolis, Ganavya, and Matthew Evan Taylor (sax/flute). 
  • “A monumental evening-length work to celebrate resilience and triumph in the face of despair.” —Slipped Disc
 

 

Studio Recordings

Metropolis is creating ground-breaking studio productions in collaboration with major recording labels, studios, garnering international recognition for our composers and performers.

Tyondai Braxton: Telekinesis

  • Germany’s Opus Klassik Nominee 2023 
  • Tyondai Braxton’s massive studio recording of an eighty-seven-piece work for electric guitars, orchestra (Metropolis Ensemble, Andrew Cyr, conductor), choir (with The Crossing Choir and Brooklyn Youth Chorus) and electronics on Nonesuch/New Amsterdam Records.
  • “A joy… the next big statement… Tyondai Braxton in full command of his art.” —New York Times

Vivian Fung: Dreamscapes

  • Canada’s Juno Award Winner 2013
  • Vivian Fung’s eclectic studio recording features the Metropolis commissioned Juno Composition of the Year “Violin Concerto” with violinist Kristin Lee.
  • Recorded at Tanglewood and produced by Grammy-winning Tim Martin for Naxos Records.
  • “Magnificent… a spectacular sounding disc… by one of today’s most eclectic composers.” —NPR

The Roots: Undun

  • Grammy Nominee 2011. 
  • The tenth studio album from Questlove and The Roots features guest contributors, including vocalist Bilal and rappers Big K.R.I.T., Dice Raw, Phonte, and Metropolis Ensemble.
  • Produced in collaboration with Def Jam Records.
  • “A gorgeous neo-classical suite… if an album can be both chilling and beautiful at once, Undun is it.” —Chicago Tribune
 

 

Digital Installations

Metropolis launches innovative online experiences in collaboration with artists around the world to bring their performances onto screens of all shapes and sizes.

Flame Keepers

Live-streaming perpetual music installation weaves together multiple streams of sound into unexpected, evolving combinations.

Migration Music

Ongoing interview series hosted by pianist Han Chen, featuring performances and conversations with immigrant composers.

Eternal September

An ever-expanding alternate digital reality of music, text, animation, and film interwoven within an unconnected wiki system.
 

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Venues

Metropolis projects have been presented by Hollywood Bowl, The Met, Lincoln Center, The Tonight Show, Celebrate Brooklyn, Le Poisson Rouge, New Victory Theater, Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, among others. 

Partners

Metropolis partners with world-class organizations for each project, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, Cambodian Living Arts, COSM, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Academic of Music, Nonesuch Records, Creative Time, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and more.

Artists

Since 2006, Metropolis has employed over 2,000 performers and composers, commissioned 500+ works, collaborated on 25+ studio albums, and released over a terabyte of digital content.
 
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Our People


Our People


 

Our People

Collaboration is at the core of our programming. We catalyze intense small-group collabs between project artists and Metropolis artistic director, producer, and Grammy-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr — to bring each work to life.
 
 
 
 
“Metropolis isn't just the hippest classical gang in the city; the musicians who play with them are also some of New York's best.”
—Charlie Suisman, Manhattan Users Guide
 
 

 

Making Connections

Metropolis works with each partnering institution, presenter, and record label to enable our artists to expand beyond their networks, creating career-changing impacts and economies of scale.
Artist Spotlight

Ricardo Romaneiro: Merging electronic and classical with Metropolis

A long-time Metropolis collaborator, multi-faceted composer and electronic artist Ricardo Romaneiro’s premieres over the years include Liquidverse, Biophony SoundGarden, The Rite Remixed, Hallucinations, and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
Artist Spotlight

Molly Joyce: Thoughtfully redefining the concert experience

Both behind-the-scenes and on stage, Molly Joyce is an instrumental force behind many of our Rivington and digital projects, including Loud and Soft, as well as forthcoming commissions for the deaf community.
 

 

Empowering Artists

Metropolis works alongside composers and performers to maximize and leverage their own unique talents and special expertise, helping them accomplish ambitious ideas.
Artist Spotlight

Vivian Fung: Exploring our global voices

Vivian Fung composed numerous Metropolis crowd favorite works over the years. Her forthcoming opera with Edmonton Opera and Metropolis explores the topics of family oral history and mental health.
Artist Spotlight

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson: Exploding the boundaries of genre

Metropolis has contributed to multiple projects with music polymath Questlove and hip-hop band The Roots, including the acclaimed BAM concerts Shuffle Culture and Electronium, and Grammy-nominated album, Undun, and And then you shoot your cousin.
 

 

Developing Careers

Metropolis nurtures artists’ careers by creating major opportunities to do what they do best: make and share new music.
Artist Spotlight

Paula Matthusen: Bringing diverse instrumentations to life

Composer and performer Paula Matthusen has woven her electroacoustic textures into many Metropolis projects, including For the Birds, House Music, The Phillips Collection, Free Assembly, and Flame Keepers.
Artist Spotlight

Erika Dohi: Metropolis becomes eclectic

A long-time Metropolis collaborator, Pianist Erika Dohi produced a 13-event piano festival at One Rivington, bringing together jazz artists and improvisers, classical and contemporary specialists.
 
Artist Spotlight

Timo Andres: An evolving creative partnership

Composer and pianist Timo Andres has collaborated with Metropolis since 2010. His 2024 studio release with Grammy-winning producer Silas Brown on Nonesuch Records featured Metropolis artists and cellist Inbal Segev.
Artist Spotlight

Jakub Ciupinski: Blurring the layers between music, electronics, and code

Composer and electronic artist Jakub Ciupinski has collaborated with Metropolis to create some of our most pivotal experimental projects, such as Flame Keepers, Brownstone, and New Music 101.
 

 

Key Collaborators

Here are some of the artists who are bringing our latest projects to life.
 
 
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Our Initiatives


Our Initiatives


 

Our Initiatives

We are building a hopeful future for new music to thrive. Our mission is to inspire new audiences by commissioning and producing ambitious projects in contemporary music.
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Metropolis Ensemble presents new music played with the same kind of panache and bravura we usually experience only in performances of standard repertoire.” —Esa-Pekka Salonen, San Francisco Symphony
 
 

 

Commissions

Metropolis commissions new works with composers and musicians, providing the financial, technical and logistical support from the early planning stages until project completion.
Commission Spotlight

Matthew Evan Taylor

  • MetLiveArts and Metropolis commissioned composer and saxophonist Matthew Evan Taylor to produce both a 12-month video series and an evening-length concert work.
  • Metropolis also commissioned original digital artwork by Juniper Creative.
Commission Spotlight

Flame Keepers

  • Since 2021, Metropolis has commissioned dozens of composers for a live-streaming, perpetual sonic art installation.
  • Thousands of audio stems have been created for this evolving online concert.
Commission Spotlight

Phong Tran

  • In 2021–22, Metropolis commissioned composer and digital artist Phong Tran to create dozens of digital images for our Biophony concert series.
  • 95 composers were commissioned by Metropolis to develop 40 new original musical works for any combination of instruments at a variety of scales.
 

 

Education

Metropolis artists and partner organizations bring ambitious music and composition education programs to thousands of middle-school children across New York City public and charter schools.
Educator Spotlight

Brad Balliett

  • From 2009-2016, bassoonist and composer Brad Balliett was instrumental in Youth Works, our decade-long partnership with Teak Fellowship and NYC public schools.
  • Brad mentored young composers and showcased their work at end of the school year concerts.
Educator Spotlight

Dave Adewumi

  • In 2022–23, trumpeter Dave Adewumi mentored a student cohort at Kaufman Music Center’s Face the Music teen music program.
  • Their combined efforts were presented as part of Metropolis’ Biophony series at Riverside Park’s annual outdoor arts and culture festival in 2023.
Educator Spotlight

Robinson McClellan

  • Composer, mentor, and educator, Robinson McClellan runs ComposerCraft, Kaufman Music Center’s composition program for students ages 11-15.
  • New works are presented annually with Metropolis artists at venues like Le Poisson Rouge, Symphony Space, and Merkin Hall.
 

 

Collaborations

Metropolis partners with world-class institutions, venues, and recording studios to shape the development of diverse, complex, and multidisciplinary projects.
Collaboration Spotlight

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

  • In a multi-year partnership, Metropolis Ensemble collaborated with Brooklyn Botanic Garden staff, gardeners, and curators to develop programming for our Biophony series.
  • From 2021–24, BBG’s Art in the Garden series with Metropolis has generated increased visitorship and donations to both organizations.
Collaboration Spotlight

Metropolitan Museum of Art

  • Since 2016, Metropolis Ensemble has collaborated with MetLiveArts to commission and present new works from Matthew Evan Taylor, Rajna Swaminathan, Timo Andres, Caroline Shaw, and Mohammed Fairouz.
  • Both the in-person and digital performances are expanding The Met’s live arts programming in new directions, while increasing visibility of Metropolis initiatives into a wider community of music fans.
Collaboration Spotlight

Brown University

  • In an ongoing partnership with Brown Arts Institute at Brown University, Metropolis Ensemble is developing a new multimedia digital installation led by composer William Brittelle.
  • The partnership has brought together a constellation of supporting organizations, including Cincinnati Symphony, The Walker Art Center, and New Amsterdam Records.
 

 

Diversity Equity and Inclusion

Metropolis is continuing to build a culture where everyone belongs, because together we can increase representation and spark innovation in our musical projects. We take responsibility for the future through our actions and aspirations today.
Project Spotlight

Biophony Pop-Up NYC

  • Since 2021, Metropolis Ensemble’s annual outdoor pop-up concert series has employed and empowered over 500 musicians and composers that reflect the diversity of NYC.
  • The series brings free “pandemic proof” experiences to unexpected areas in the city that are rarely offered new music, uniting neighbors and artists together in locally-relevant spaces.
Project Spotlight

Infinite Staircase

  • In 2023, Metropolis Ensemble and pianist Han Chen co-commissioned an international cohort of composers to create new works inspired by Ligeti’s iconic piano études.
  • Together the works presented a kaleidoscope of musical perspectives to a sold-out performance at National Sawdust.
Project Spotlight

Telekinesis

  • In 2021–22, Metropolis Ensemble produced an ambitious and highly-technical recording of composer Tyondai Braxton’s studio album. 
  • The project employed 87 artists across three music groups, including Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
 

 

Discover More About Metropolis

    • 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

  • (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

  • Metropolis Ensemble, founded by Andrew Cyr in 2006, is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to providing artists with the means to present complex, difficult-to-realize projects, often of a multidisciplinary nature. As a leading producer and presenter of bold new commissions and ambitious recordings and site-specific projects, Metropolis Ensemble offers musicians financial, technical and logistical support from the early planning stages until project completion.

    The organization operates on a modest scale, enabling it to flexibly respond to opportunities and commission risk-taking projects. By partnering strategically with other institutions, Metropolis Ensemble is able to expand its capacity in order to meet requirements complex projects demand. Metropolis Ensemble projects are presented in highly visible and unexpected national and international venues, with commissions that challenge musical artists to work outside the confines of their normal practice and subsequently propelling their careers to the next level.

    Metropolis Ensemble has also endeavored to make a difference in our local community with an ambitious education program teaching music composition and creativity to thousands of middle-school children across four NYC boroughs since 2006, in collaboration with Young Composers and Improvisers Workshop, Kaufman Music Center’s ComposerCraft and Face the Music.

  • Metropolis Ensemble is a GRAMMY-nominated nonprofit based in New York City, dedicated to commissioning and performing bold, collaborative projects in contemporary music. Founded in 2006 by GRAMMY-nominated conductor Andrew Cyr, Metropolis expands opportunities for emerging and independent NYC-based composers and performers while creating immersive musical experiences that resonate with diverse audiences.

    Metropolis Ensemble functions as a flexible collective of musicians—assembling ensembles tailored to each project—and has established itself through distinctive programming, collaborative spirit, and commitment to artistic excellence and genre-fluidity. With over 450 commissioned works—primarily by early-career composers—Metropolis Ensemble stands as one of NYC's most prolific incubators of new talent and a nationally recognized model for artist-driven innovation in the evolving landscape of classical music.

    Metropolis Ensemble has garnered prestigious GRAMMY recognition: two nominations—Best Solo Instrumental Performance (2010) for Avner Dorman: Mandolin Concerto featuring Avi Avital under Andrew Cyr's baton and Best Engineered Album, Classical (2025) for Timo Andres: The Blind Banister—plus a featured role in David Frost's Producer of the Year GRAMMY win (2014) for Timo Andres' Home Stretch. Their critically acclaimed discography spans prestigious labels Nonesuch, New Amsterdam, Naxos, and Merge, with recent releases garnering exceptional recognition—The Blind Banister (2024) captured spots on Best of the Year lists from The New York TimesNPR Music, and Gramophone, while their recording of In a Grove by Christopher Cerrone and Stephanie Fleischmann was named one of The New York Times' Best Classical Recordings of 2023. The ensemble's recordings extend beyond traditional classical boundaries, featuring prominently on Questlove and The Roots' acclaimed albums Undun (2011) and ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014), Emily Wells' NPR-praised The World is Too ___ For You (2019), and Wye Oak's 10th anniversary Shriek: Variations (2024). The ensemble's commissioned work, Vivian Fung's Violin Concerto, won Canada's JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year, and their collaborations with cutting-edge composers like Molly Joyce, Tyondai Braxton (earning multiple Opus Klassik nominations for Telekinesis), William Brittelle, and Sarah Kirkland Snider reflect their commitment to amplifying innovative voices in contemporary classical music.

    Recent achievements showcase Metropolis's continued artistic excellence and critical acclaim. The New York Times named Christopher Cerrone's "In a Grove" as "the highlight of this year's Prototype Festival," praising "Metropolis Ensemble's shimmering performance" in their Best Classical Music of 2025, So Far. Recent world premieres span from Brooklyn Botanic Garden's immersive solstice concerts to Houston's DACAMERA, where they showcased new work by legendary jazz pioneer Roscoe Mitchell, demonstrating their commitment to fostering innovative collaborations across genres.

    Over the past two decades, Metropolis has become a cornerstone of NYC's new music scene through signature programming that demonstrates their visionary approach. Their cross-cultural collaboration Bangsokol: A Requiem for Cambodia exemplifies their commitment to addressing social issues through artistic partnership. Working with Cambodian Living Arts, composer Him Sophy, and filmmaker Rithy Panh, they developed this theatrical work fusing film, music, and traditional dance to address the Khmer Rouge genocide. Following its BAM Next Wave premiere (2017), the project toured to Paris, Melbourne, Cambodia, Taiwan, Boston, and Montreal, creating culturally significant work that brings communities together. Metropolis Ensemble has partnered with the Met Museum on four major projects, including Visitors to Versailles with new commissions by Timo Andres, Caroline Shaw, and Matthew Evan Taylor. At BAM's Next Wave, Metropolis has been featured three times, including Shuffle Culture and Electronium: The Future Was Then with Questlove and The Roots, alongside the internationally acclaimed Bangsokol.

    Metropolis Ensemble has captivated diverse audiences across New York City's cultural landscape—from outdoor festivals at Celebrate Brooklyn (collaborating with Emily Wells and Deerhoof) to prestigious stages like Lincoln Center's American Songbook (with San Fermin) and contemporary venues such as Brooklyn Steel (with Caroline Rose). Their versatility extends to performing Tan Dun's cinematic Martial Arts Trilogy at Damrosch Park and even appearing on The Tonight Show, bringing contemporary classical music to mainstream audiences.

    The ensemble creates transformative musical experiences, as demonstrated by their immersive solstice concerts at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where they perform at both sunrise and sunset on the longest day of the year. These special celebrations feature guided musical meditations by composer/saxophonist Matthew Evan Taylor exploring the connection between breath, sound and Black identity, alongside Erik Hall's visionary reimagining of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians with electric guitars, basses, synths and voices. In 2023, their Solstice concert featured Erik Hall, David Leon, and Ledah Finck’s arrangement of Simeon ten Holt's Canto Ostinato performed by 50 musicians from Metropolis and Sandbox Percussion, drawing over 3,000 attendees. Metropolis has also pioneered innovative site-specific performances like Brownstone, a groundbreaking project by composer Jakub Ciupinski that transformed The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC into a multi-floor sonic experience, with musicians and electronic elements placed throughout galleries and former domestic spaces. In partnership with Creative Time, they reimagined Central Park's Harlem Meer through Ragnar Kjartansson's floating installation SS Hangover, performed over six weekends.

    Their commitment to nurturing new work spans from introducing opera to young audiences through David Bruce's The Firework Maker's Daughter at New Victory Theater to the decade-long development of Christopher Cerrone's acclaimed In a Grove, which they co-presented with Prototype Festival. The New York Times named In a Grove both "the highlight of the festival" and included it in their "Best Classical Music of 2025, So Far," praising the "Metropolis Ensemble's shimmering performance" that "contributed to the dreamlike unreality" of this groundbreaking work, shepherding it from initial workshop to celebrated premiere.

    Beyond New York City, Metropolis Ensemble has brought emerging composers and performers to some of the world's most prestigious stages—offering career-defining visibility and artistic validation. At the iconic Hollywood Bowl in 2018, Metropolis musicians performed William Brittelle's Spiritual America before 15,000 attendees as Bon Iver's opening act, elevating contemporary classical music to mainstream audiences. The ensemble's appearances at Justin Vernon's curated music festival Eaux Claires Hiver and Ireland's Sound from a Safe Harbour in 2018-2019 positioned NYC's emerging artists within cutting-edge international festival circuits, fostering creative cross-pollination across genres and borders. More recently, Metropolis has continued breaking boundaries by premiering Ricardo Romaneiro's immersive LIQUIDVERSE in COSM's stunning 87-foot dome spaces in Los Angeles and Dallas (2024), and showcasing a newly commissioned work by legendary jazz pioneer Roscoe Mitchell at Houston's DACAMERA (2025) alongside acclaimed collaborators Ruckus, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet, and Emi Ferguson—exemplifying how Metropolis creates transformative platforms where emerging voices connect with established innovators on significant national stages.

    In response to the pandemic, Metropolis launched Biophony (in partnership with NYC DOT), transforming their crisis response into permanent infrastructure for musical equity. This community-centered public service initiative has grown into an annual citywide festival that exemplifies their commitment to accessibility and social impact. Since 2021, Biophony has commissioned 55 new works, employed over 650 NYC musicians, and reached 30,000+ audience members through 125+ free performances in plazas and public spaces—bringing professional-quality concerts to historically underserved neighborhoods while reimagining civic space as cultural space. By ensuring economic barriers never prevent access while providing essential income opportunities for freelance musicians, Biophony demonstrates how new music can serve as both artistic innovation and community support.

    Through all of this, Metropolis remains committed to amplifying new voices and redefining how music is created and experienced—reflecting the spirit of a city that thrives on innovation, diversity, and artistic risk. Drawing from NYC's most exceptional musical talent, Metropolis features artists educated at Yale, Juilliard, Curtis, NEC, MSM, and Eastman, including Avery Fischer Career Grant winners, Young Concert Artists, major competition prize winners, and principal players from major orchestras. Their roster of emerging composers includes recipients of prestigious fellowships from GuggenheimRome Prize, and Pulitzer foundations, selected through rigorous audition processes and collaborative artistic development that ensures both technical mastery and creative innovation in every project. Metropolis Ensemble alumni have gone on to win leadership positions in many international orchestras, including concertmaster positions at New York Philharmonic (Frank Huang), Minnesota Orchestra (Erin Keefe), Montreal Symphony (Andrew Wan), and Czech Philharmonic (Josef Spacek), among many others.