American Wild Ensemble
The American Wild Ensemble’s Music in the American Wild initiative began in 2016 with a commissioning project inspired by and performance tour of American national parks, in honor of the National Park Service centennial. Since our initial tours performing in unconventional venues, from caves to mountaintops, American Wild Ensemble has continued to celebrate American places, historic figures, and events by commissioning new works and performing them in site-inspired and site-specific locations. Since 2016 we have commissioned over 30 new works for 2-7 performers, with the support of organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, Mid-America Arts Alliance, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, New Music USA, and more, for performances in both traditional and nontraditional venues across the country, from Tennessee to Hawaii. We emphasize audience engagement through thoughtful, thematic programming and performance design, aiming to offer a cohesive experience that connects listeners to the spaces around them through music designed with those spaces in mind.

Through our Music in the American Wild initiative and beyond, American Wild Ensemble specializes in context-driven programming that encourages our audiences to explore their environments through a different lens, engage with contemporary music in a new way, and foster the sense of community between performers, listeners, and the spaces that surround them. We design programming that is unique to each of our partnering organizations or locations, offering cohesive, site-inspired performances, workshops, and special events that support and reflect the vision of our collaborators.

American Wild Ensemble is co-directed by flutist Emlyn Johnson and cellist Daniel Ketter.

American Wild Ensemble celebrates the people, places, and stories that shape American history and culture through the commission and performance of new music.