Chamber ensemble to present programme spanning Philip Glass, George Walker and Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate
The Chelsea Music Festival has announced a special performance by the Verona Quartet at Poet’s House in New York City on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, as the internationally recognised chamber ensemble prepares to deliver a programme blending contemporary classical works, jazz influences and Indigenous storytelling traditions.
The event, scheduled from 7pm to 9pm at Poet’s House, 10 River Terrace, will feature a line-up of acclaimed musicians and literary figures, including narrator Byron Singleton and poet Wayne Koestenbaum. Organisers confirmed that tickets for the performance will be available on a pay-what-you-wish basis.
The concert programme will open with Philip Glass’s String Quartet No. 2 “Company”, inspired by the work of Irish writer Samuel Beckett, before moving to George Walker’s Lyric for String Quartet, described as a deeply personal lament dedicated to the composer’s enslaved grandmother.
A centrepiece of the evening will be MoonStrike by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, a dramatic 25-minute composition combining American Indian legends with themes surrounding the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The performance will conclude with Twenties Tunes Jazz Suite, arranged by Peter Myers and presented as a New York premiere inspired by the sounds of the Cotton Club era.
The Verona Quartet features Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro on violin, Abigail Rojansky on viola, and Jonathan Dormand on cello.
Festival continues focus on cross-disciplinary programming
The Chelsea Music Festival has increasingly positioned itself as a platform for cross-disciplinary artistic collaboration, combining music, literature and visual arts within intimate performance settings across New York City.
The inclusion of poet and critic Wayne Koestenbaum alongside vocalist and narrator Byron Singleton reflects the festival’s ongoing emphasis on blending spoken word and live musical performance.
The Verona Quartet has built a strong reputation on the international chamber music circuit, earning Chamber Music America’s 2020 Cleveland Quartet Award and praise from major publications including The New York Times and the Calgary Herald.
The ensemble currently serves as Quartet-in-Residence at Oberlin College and Conservatory and as Artistic Directors at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia. Their second album, SHATTER, reached number one on the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart in 2023.
The group is also scheduled to appear during the 2024-25 season at a range of institutions and festivals, including the Grand Teton Music Festival, Eastman School of Music, Peabody Institute of Music and Music Mondays in New York City.
Byron Singleton brings extensive opera background
Narrator Byron Singleton has performed extensively across the United States in both opera and concert settings. His previous appearances include performances at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall and The Metropolitan Opera.
Singleton has undertaken leading tenor roles in productions including La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, La Traviata and Die Zauberflöte, while also appearing as a soloist in major choral and orchestral works such as Mozart’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
In 2012, he received a Grammy certificate for his contribution to the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning recording of Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelung. More recently, he appeared as a featured soloist in Tituss Burgess’s Take Me to the World – A Tribute to Sondheim concert at Carnegie Hall.
Alongside his performance career, Singleton currently serves as President of the Executive Board of Directors for Creative Stage Collective, a New York-based organisation pairing professional artists with children to create and stage original productions.
Wayne Koestenbaum adds literary dimension to programme
Writer, critic and performer Wayne Koestenbaum will also take part in the event, adding a literary component to the evening’s programme.
Koestenbaum has published nineteen books spanning poetry, fiction and criticism, including The Queen’s Throat, Humiliation, Camp Marmalade and Andy Warhol. His work has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Paris Review and the London Review of Books.
Beyond literature, Koestenbaum has maintained an active presence in visual art and performance, exhibiting paintings internationally and staging musical performances at institutions including Centre Pompidou, REDCAT and the Walker Art Center.
He currently serves as Distinguished Professor of English, French and Comparative Literature at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City.
A wine reception will follow the June 23 performance at Poet’s House.
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