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