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    Dal Niente
    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 Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt, Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt, Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Darmstadt, 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 – Cello
    Mark Buchner – Double Bass
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    Amanda DeBoer, Carrie Henneman Shaw – Soprano Vocals
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    Alejandro T. Acierto, Katie Schoepflin – Clarinet
    Emma Hospelhorn, Constance Volk – Flute
    Matthew Oliphant – Horn
    Andrew Nogal – Oboe
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    Winston Choï, Mabel Kwan – Piano
    Greg Beyer, [a=Peter Martin (33)] – Percussion
    Jesse Langen – Guitar
    Ben Melsky – Harp

    Data provided by Discogs