Decoda Chamber Music Festival 2026
Jun
15
to Jun 26

Decoda Chamber Music Festival 2026

  • Warren Wilson College (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Decoda’s 12th summer Chamber Music Festival will take place June 15 - 26, 2026 at our summer home, Warren Wilson College, in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. 

This unique summer festival is dedicated to training the next generation of young artists to rethink and reimagine their role in society. Through outstanding chamber music making, creative collaboration, and hands-on project design and development, DCMF cultivates the vision of community through music with the young artists of tomorrow.

View Event →
Decoda + Ringdown at the Asheville Art Museum
Jun
16
6:30 PM18:30

Decoda + Ringdown at the Asheville Art Museum

Decoda and Ringdown take the stage at the Asheville Art Museum for a vibrant, genre-defying evening of music. This special collaboration brings together Decoda, Carnegie Hall’s only affiliate ensemble, with Ringdown for an electrifying evening of chamber music. Featuring celebrated songwriter Danni Lee Parpan and Pulitzer-Prize winning composer and North Carolina native Caroline Shaw, Ringdown bridges classical and contemporary worlds together in a way that feels both expansive and deeply personal.

This program features celebrated works of chamber music, alongside a collaborative set with Ringdown and Decoda, blurring the lines between classical, electronic, and indie pop. Kicking off the 2026 Decoda Chamber Music Festival, this concert experience is designed for devoted chamber music listeners and curious newcomers alike.

Visit the Asheville Art Museum to purchase tickets: https://www.ashevilleart.org/event/a-musical-evening-with-decoda-ringdown-featuring-caroline-shaw-danni-lee-parpan/

View Event →
Third Thursday with DCMF Artists at the Asheville Art Museum
Jun
18
5:00 PM17:00

Third Thursday with DCMF Artists at the Asheville Art Museum

Every Third Thursday, the Asheville Arts Museum comes alive with an evening filled with music, tours, art making, special cocktails in our rooftop café, and more!

Enjoy live music with artists from the Decoda Chamber Music Festival, featuring festival ensembles Hashi Duo and The Varick Trio.

—————

Each summer in the Asheville region, Decoda leads the Decoda Chamber Music Festival (DCMF), a dynamic program that brings together emerging musicians for an immersive experience in performance, mentorship, and creative collaboration—exploring how music can build community and inspire change.

Hashi Duo, Costa Rican classical guitarist Adrian Montero and Japanese pianist Moe Takamatsu, takes its name from the Japanese word for “bridge.” Their program creates a musical connection between Japan and Latin America, weaving together traditional and contemporary works in a vibrant cross-cultural dialogue.

The Varick Trio features Kevin Kyaw (piano), Da Young (Rachel) Lim (violin), and Guilherme Batalha (clarinet), bringing together a rich blend of textures and voices in an engaging chamber music performance.

Free with Museum Admission.

View Event →
A Day of Art + Music at the Asheville Art Museum
Jun
20
12:00 PM12:00

A Day of Art + Music at the Asheville Art Museum

Join us for a vibrant Day of Art + Music at the Asheville Art Museum, featuring Decoda and artists from the Decoda Chamber Music Festival (DCMF). This all-ages experience invites you to explore the museum through sound, creativity, and connection. 

Enjoy an interactive performance, take part in hands-on workshops that blend listening, composing, and visual art-making, and wander the galleries on a self-guided musical tour—where works of art are paired with live performances by DCMF musicians. The day culminates in Arboretum in the Museum, an immersive musical experience in which solo performances unfold simultaneously throughout the space, transforming the museum into a living, breathing soundscape.

Schedule

Noon–12:30pm — Live Music on the Plaza

12:30–1:15pm — Interactive Performance (Decoda Artists)

1:30–2pm — Creative Art & Music Making & Live Music on the Plaza

2–2:45pm — Musical Gallery Tour

2:45–3:15pm — Creative Art & Music Making

3:30pm — Arboretum in the Museum

—————

Free for Members or included with Museum admission.

Tickets: https://www.ashevilleart.org/visit/ticket-options/

View Event →
DCMF at the NC Arboretum
Jun
21
10:30 AM10:30

DCMF at the NC Arboretum

Arboretum, by Decoda bassoonist Brad Balliett, is a unique musical work featuring a collection of solos and duets inspired by different tree species. Performed simultaneously throughout the gardens, the piece creates an immersive soundscape that invites audiences to stroll along the paths and move freely among the musicians. As the music unfolds across the landscape, the Arboretum itself becomes a living, breathing musical environment.

Repeat performances at 10:30am and 11:30am

Free with admission: https://www.ncarboretum.org/

This experience is a part of the Decoda Chamber Music Festival (DCMF) which returns to the Asheville area for its 12th season. This unique and transformative program is dedicated to training the next generation of outstanding young musicians to rethink and reimagine their role in society. Through chamber music concerts, creative collaboration, and hands-on project design and development, DCMF cultivates the vision of community through music with the young artists of tomorrow.

View Event →
Decoda Chamber Music Festival Artists in Concert
Jun
24
7:00 PM19:00

Decoda Chamber Music Festival Artists in Concert

  • Central United Methodist Church (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Decoda Chamber Music Festival (DCMF) returns to the Asheville area for its 12th season. This unique summer festival is dedicated to training the next generation of artists to rethink and reimagine their role in society. Through exceptional chamber music making and creative collaborations, the Decoda Chamber Music Festival empowers promising young musicians to explore how music can build and strengthen community and their own artistic practice—working closely alongside Decoda's professional artists every step of the way.

Come celebrate with our 2026 Festival Artists in an evening of music.

Free and open to the public.

Donations are welcome and all donations support the Festival and student scholarships.

View Event →
Decoda Chamber Music Festival Artists in Concert
Jun
25
4:00 PM16:00

Decoda Chamber Music Festival Artists in Concert

  • Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The Decoda Chamber Music Festival (DCMF) returns to the Asheville area for its 12th season. This unique summer festival is dedicated to training the next generation of artists to rethink and reimagine their role in society. Through exceptional chamber music making and creative collaborations, the Decoda Chamber Music Festival empowers promising young musicians to explore how music can build and strengthen community and their own artistic practice—working closely alongside Decoda's professional artists every step of the way.

Come celebrate with our 2026 Festival Artists in an evening of music.

Free and open to the public.

Donations are welcome and all donations support the Festival and student scholarships.

View Event →
Music for Transformation: Songs from the Inside
Jun
3
7:00 PM19:00

Music for Transformation: Songs from the Inside

  • Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Room (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

This transformative initiative, dedicated to amplifying the voices of incarcerated composers, will present a free public concert at Carnegie Hall featuring world premieres of original songs and compositions created by individuals currently and formerly incarcerated in maximum-security facilities across the United States—including Sing Sing Correctional Facility (NY), Fishkill Correctional Facility (NY), Lee Correctional Facility (SC), Cheshire Correctional Facility (CT), and San Quentin State Rehabilitation Center (CA).

Tickets are free. Click this link to RSVP.

The performance will feature Decoda artists Brad Balliett (bassoon), Claire Bryant (cello), Sarah Elizabeth Charles (vocals), Paul Wonjin Cho (clarinet), Catherine Gregory (flute), George Meyer (violin), along with guest artists Mike Bono (guitar), Greg Chudzik (bass), Michael Darmanie (piano), and Matt Smallcomb (drums).

View Event →
Decoda at Carnegie Hall: American Renaissance
May
12
7:30 PM19:30

Decoda at Carnegie Hall: American Renaissance

This season, as part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival, Decoda presents American Renaissance—a program of works by William Grant Still, Florence Price, Charles Ives, Jessie Montgomery, Margaret Bonds, Sarah Elizabeth Charles, Zenobia Powell Perry, and more.

https://www.carnegiehall.org/calendar/2026/05/12/decoda-0730pm

View Event →
Decoda with Ringdown and Penn State University
Mar
29
to Mar 31

Decoda with Ringdown and Penn State University

  • Penn State University (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Decoda makes its Penn State debut with special guests Ringdown, the cinematic electro-pop duo featuring composers and vocalists Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee Parpan—an “ecstatically blissful” (Night After Night) and “irresistible” (Feast of Music) pair creating music that floats up from the dusty record bin between Brahms and Brandi Carlisle, and centers around joy, human connection, and trying to inspire people to feel more love.

The program, Reverberations, explores the profound relationship between inspiration and imagination, revealing an interconnected web of musical influence. Two works by Aaron Copland—Midday Thoughts and the beloved Appalachian Spring—showcase his singular approach to American musical identity, borrowing, distorting, amplifying, and reinventing folk material. Appalachian Spring will feature a special side-by-side collaboration with Penn State School of Music students.

Ringdown’s new work, Every Stone in Cambridge Reminds Me of You, reflects Copland’s musical lens and his friendship with Leonard Bernstein through a bold contemporary voice, and was written for and will be performed with Decoda. Ringdown will also perform selections from their latest album, The Lady on the Bike. The program further features Hanns Eisler’s kaleidoscopic Septet No. 1, merging Expressionist textures with fragments of American children’s songs, and Eisler on the Go—a brooding folk ballad by Woody Guthrie and Billy Bragg, arranged by Decodan Claire Bryant, chronicling Eisler’s exile during America’s Red Scare.

Public Performance:
Tuesday, March 31, 2026; 7:30 PM
Center for the Performing Arts
Pennsylvania State University, Music Building
Recital Hall
University Park, PA 16802-2108

Tickets

View Event →
Decoda at New Orleans Friends of Chamber Music
Mar
14
to Mar 16

Decoda at New Orleans Friends of Chamber Music

In partnership with New Orleans Friends of Music, Decoda brings n exciting program anchored by Mozart’s Wind Quintet. In addition to the public performance, Decoda artists will give a masterclass to winning ensembles from the NOLA Chamber Fest, an annual chamber music competition for collegiate and high school age musicians.

Public Concert:
Monday, March 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Tulane University
Dixon Hall
Newcomb Cir
New Orleans, LA 70118

View Event →
Decoda Winter Retreat for Adult Amateur Musicians at Potash Hill
Mar
4
to Mar 9

Decoda Winter Retreat for Adult Amateur Musicians at Potash Hill

Decoda embarks on our second annual Winter Retreat at the historic Potash Hill campus in Marlboro, Vermont—home of the famed Marlboro Music Festival.  

This immersive experience is designed for amateur musicians with a serious commitment to chamber music and a passion for collaboration, mentorship, and artistic growth. Participants will receive daily coachings, play side-by-side with Decoda artists, and share in a week of intensive and joyful music making.

View Event →
Noe Music and Stanford University Residency
Jan
5
to Jan 10

Noe Music and Stanford University Residency

Decoda will partner with Grammy-nominated composer, flutist, and vocalist Nathalie Joachim for a residency with Noe Music and Stanford University. Residency activities will include two mainstage performances, a family concert, and engagement with Stanford students.

The public concert will feature a reprise of Joachim’s acclaimed suite Fanm d’Ayiti (“Women of Haiti”), a vibrant celebration of Haitian song and powerful tribute to the women who preserved this musical heritage.

Leading the residency and joining Joachim in performance are Decoda artists Owen Dalby (violin) and Meena Bhasin (viola) — who also serve as Co-Artistic & Executive Directors of Noe Music — together with Clara Lyon (violin) and Hannah Collins (cello).”

Public Concert:
Saturday, January 10, 2026; 8:00 PM 9:00 PM
Noe Valley Ministry
1021 Sanchez Street
San Francisco, CA, 94114

View Event →
The Journey of Advent - Special Concert Performance feat. Composers from Behind the Walls
Dec
5
6:30 PM18:30

The Journey of Advent - Special Concert Performance feat. Composers from Behind the Walls

  • Church of the Blessed Sacrament (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

A special concert in collaboration with Thrive for Life, featuring selected, meditative works from composers behind the walls - highlighting original compositions by Paul Cortez, Xiaobao He, Albert Siegert, Shane Hale, Justin Jones, and others. Their music offers a window into the hope for transformation and renewal—beautiful themes for the Advent season.

This concert is free and open to all. Audience members can reserve a spot using this link (walk-ins also welcome!).

Decoda Quintet:
Michelle Zarco, flute
Paul Wonjin Cho, clarinet
Brad Balliett, bassoon
Anna Elashvili, violin
Elena Ariza, cello

View Event →
Musical Masterworks Residency
Nov
17
to Nov 23

Musical Masterworks Residency

The second Musical Masterworks partnership of 2025-2026 will include a songwriting residency with teens at Waterford Country School, work with composition and chamber students at Fitch High School, a creative collaboration with adults living with disabilities in cooperation with Vista Life Innovations, a Family Concert in Old Lyme, and a formal concert for Musical Masterwork’s community. This residency features Decoda artists Clara Lyon, violin; George Meyer, violin; Sæunn Thorsteinsdöttir, cello; and Catherine Gregory, flute.

View Event →
Musical Masterworks Residency @ Cheshire Correctional and Vista Life Innovations
Sep
15
to Sep 20

Musical Masterworks Residency @ Cheshire Correctional and Vista Life Innovations

Decoda continues their ongoing partnership with Musical Masterworks in Old Lyme, CT with a five-day songwriting workshop at Cheshire Correctional Institute, a maximum security facility in Cheshire, CT. Four musicians (Brad Balliett, bassoon; Doori Na, violin; Sæunn Thorsteinsdöttir, cello; and guest vocalist Majel Connery) will facilitate the creation of brand new music composed by the incarcerated participants. The project culminates in a prison-wide performance on Friday, September 19th. Additionally, Decoda will lead two interactive workshops at Visa Life Innovations in Madison, CT.

View Event →
Music from Sing Sing - Composer Portrait: Paul V. Cortez
May
20
7:00 PM19:00

Music from Sing Sing - Composer Portrait: Paul V. Cortez

Decoda musicians will perform chamber works by Paul Cortez, a composer currently incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Paul writes deeply-felt chamber music inspired by his experience of incarceration, the natural world, and his faith. This concert features a cross-section of Paul's creative work, including pieces for string quartet, piano quintet, and excerpts from his solo cello suite.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council

View Event →
Decoda at Lee Correctional Institution
Apr
7
to Apr 10

Decoda at Lee Correctional Institution

  • Lee Correctional Institution (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Decoda returns to Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum security facility in South Carolina, just 20 miles from Decoda cellist Claire Bryant’s home. A flagship program of the ensemble, Music For Transformation is inspired by the power of music to help with rehabilitation and anti-recidivism. Decoda’s annual residency promotes self-expression in a creative space, strengthens citizenship within the prison community, and uses collaborative activities to foster social and analytical skills for success. Decoda has been in residence at Lee since 2013, and our work there has been highlighted in the Washington Post, CNN, and the White House, where Decoda showcased songs by incarcerated musicians with President Obama’s Office of Urban Affairs.

View Event →
Decoda at SHOUT Festival - Charlotte, NC
Apr
4
to Apr 6

Decoda at SHOUT Festival - Charlotte, NC

Charlotte SHOUT!, presented by Atrium Health and Bank of America, is an aspirational multi-week festival designed to showcase and celebrate Charlotte’s creativity and innovation through art, music, food, and ideas. Located in Uptown Charlotte, SHOUT! will feature exceptionally curated programming from around the corner and around the world from April 1 - 21, 2025.

Decoda musicians will perform two concerts for the community and work with young songwriters in an all-day Music & Technology Hackathon.

Public Concert: Sunday, April 6th at 5pm
St. Peter’s Episcopal School
1510 E 7th St
Charlotte, NC 28204

View Event →
The Journey of Lent - Special Concert Performance feat. The Works of Paul Cortez
Apr
1
6:30 PM18:30

The Journey of Lent - Special Concert Performance feat. The Works of Paul Cortez

  • The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

On April 1st at 6:30pm in The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral (263 Mott Street), Decoda musicians will perform works by Paul Cortez, a composer currently incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Paul writes deeply-felt chamber music inspired by his experience of incarceration, the natural world, and his faith. This concert presents a cross-section of Paul's creative work, including pieces for string quartet, piano quintet, and excerpts from his solo cello suite. This concert will be repeated in an expanded form on May 20 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Room in the Resnick Education Wing. 

Audience members can reserve a spot for the April 1st concert using this link (walk-ins also welcome!).

View Event →
Decoda at Carnegie Hall - Human Nature
Mar
11
7:30 PM19:30

Decoda at Carnegie Hall - Human Nature

Decoda—comprising alums of the adventurous Ensemble Connect and featuring “some of the brightest young classical musicians in the world” (Time Out New York)—is Carnegie Hall’s first-ever affiliate ensemble. With every concert, the spectacularly versatile ensemble showcases its commitment to virtuosic performance, audience and community engagement, and seemingly boundless repertoire. For its 2024–2025 Carnegie Hall concert, Decoda performs works by Robert and Clara Schumann, Gustav and Alma Mahler, Schoenberg, and a one-of-a-kind collaborative suite by four of today’s leading composers, featuring live narration and singers.

For more information, visit carnegiehall.org

View Event →
Musical Masterworks Residency in Old Lyme, CT
Nov
18
to Nov 24

Musical Masterworks Residency in Old Lyme, CT

  • Google Calendar ICS

Clara Lyon, violin; George Meyer, violin/viola ; Claire Bryant, cello ; Kris Saebo, bass

Decoda will spend a week with Waterford Country School, a nonprofit dedicated to educating at risk youth who have been unsuccessful in traditional school settings. The creative community project is designed to foster trust and a sense of community and boost confidence through the vehicle of chamber music.  Decoda will also return to Fitch High School in Groton to work with their instrumental ensembles as well as their advanced theory and composition students. The goal is to help them envision and experience the world of professional musicians/composers as they work with our Ensemble-in-Residence, Decoda. A highlight is when Decoda performs the student compositions to a live audience of friends, family, and community!

With workshops over the past two years at Vista, a nonprofit creating community and pathways to independence for young adults with neurological disabilities, a true partnership has developed. Members of the Vista community now regularly attend MM main series concerts. In addition, staff from MM attend presentations by the Vista Community. Last season Decoda was delighted to expand the scope of our creative workshops with their community and incorporate both music and the visual arts into the program.

In addition to the residency programs, Decoda will be performing at a FREE family concert on Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 2:30pm at Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library in Old Lyme. In addition, we will host a formal concert on Sunday, November 24, from 2:00-3:30pm at Saint Ann’s Church in Old Lyme followed by a post-concert reception.

View Event →
Reza Vali: Portrait Concert
Sep
24
5:30 PM17:30

Reza Vali: Portrait Concert

REZA VALI: PORTRAIT CONCERT

  • PRINCETON UNIVERSITY—Chancellor Green Rotunda

  • Tuesday September 24, 5:30pm

This Portrait concert features three Decoda artists and celebrates the works of Reza Vali, as part of a year of events and performances dedicated to Vali’s unique accomplishments and artistic identity. Dedicated to championing the work of living composers, Decoda has a particular history working with Vali, and brings forth an especially committed and informed interpretation of his distinct musical voice. This performance marks the premiere of a new version of Vali’s work ‘Mystery of the Rose’ for flute, cello and piano.

“The Mystery of the Rose” for flute, cello, and piano

“Kord (Calligraphy No. 9)” for solo cello

“Kismet (Calligraphy No. 7)” for solo flute and electronics

“Persian Folk Songs (Set No. 16C)” for cello and piano

“Folk Songs (Set No. 9)” for flute and cello. 

Featuring Decoda artists Catherine Gregory, flute; David Kaplan, piano; and Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello

View Event →
Jul
8
to Jul 12

Decoda at Cheshire Correctional Institute with Musical Masterworks

Decoda continues their residency with Musical Masterworks in Old Lyme, CT this week with a five-day songwriting workshop at Cheshire Correctional Institute, a maximum security facility in Cheshire, CT. Following up on their successful songwriting project at Cheshire in Fall 2023, four musicians (Brad Balliett, bassoon; Catherine Gregory, flute; David Kaplan, piano; and guest vocalist Majel Connery) will facilitate the creation of brand new music composed by the incarcerated participants. The project culminates in a prison-wide performance on Friday, July 12th. 

This songwriting project is particularly special to this community as the first creative musical program of its kind, and gives participants the opportunity to be creative and forge connections within the prison community. The theme of the songwriting project (chosen by the participants) is 'Heavy Pain', and will provide a creative outlet to discuss the painful experience of incarceration.

View Event →
DCMF Festival Artists Concert Finale
Jun
29
3:00 PM15:00

DCMF Festival Artists Concert Finale

The DCMF Festival Finale is Saturday, June 29 at 3PM in the Williams Recital Hall. Featuring all twenty-three young artists, the program will feature chamber music by Clara Schumann, Reena Esmail, Edouard Destenay, Maurice Ravel, Alberto Ginastera, Viet Cuong, and Erich Korngold. All events are free of charge and open to the public.

Kittredge Music Wing - Williams Recital Hall

Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC

FREE! Come one, come all!

View Event →
DCMF Festival Artists Concert - Arboretum
Jun
28
6:30 PM18:30

DCMF Festival Artists Concert - Arboretum

On Friday, June 28 at 6:30PM, Decoda Faculty joins forces with the 2024 Festival Artists for a unique side-by-side, outdoor performance of Arboretum, a recent work by Decoda’s own Brad Balliett. Comprised of instrumental solos layered intricately by the composer, each solo in Arboretum is inspired by a different kind of tree. Balliett says about the work:

“I’ve always been really into nature since I was a little kid, and my professional path has diverged away from it,” composer Brad Balliett says. “And recently, I’ve been trying to get back to it and find all the ways that I can combine these two passions—can I bring some of my love of nature into my life as a bassoonist and as a composer?”

Following Arboretum, audiences will commune in the Williams Recital Hall at 7PM for the first of two performances featuring the 2024 Festival Artists, with music by Antonin Dvorak, Samuel Barber, Franz Schubert, Vincent Persichetti, and world premiere performances of new works by two DCMF composers-in-residence, Soumili Mukherjee (Peabody Conservatory) and Ian Schwalbe (Florida State University).

FREE!

View Event →
Decoda Faculty Concert at Decoda Chamber Music Festival
Jun
26
7:00 PM19:00

Decoda Faculty Concert at Decoda Chamber Music Festival

Join us for our 10th Anniversary Season of Decoda Chamber Music Festival at our new North Carolina home at Warren Wilson College! Our first performance of the festival features our five DCMF faculty, Decoda artists Brad Balliett, bassoon, Claire Bryant, cello, Catherine Gregory, flute, David Kaplan, piano and Clara Lyon, violin.

In a program that shows off Decoda’s unique programming, you will be delighted by chamber music from Valerie Coleman, Felix Mendelssohn, and a new work by incarcerated composer and friend of Decoda, Xiaobao He. Also on the program are two Decoda arrangements by Brad Balliett, one by North Carolina native John Coltrane, and another in honor of the late South Carolina astronaut, Dr. Ron McNair. Anchoring the program is another Decoda original arrangement by Catherine Gregory, Reimagined Dance Suite, a mashup of the French Baroque by Rameau, and the Neo-Classical with Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite.

Maombi for flute, violin, and cello by Valerie Coleman

Andante espressivo from Piano Trio No. 2 by Felix Mendelssohn

Poetic Distance Suite for bassoon, cello and piano by Xiaobao He

Fantasy on Rendezvous 5 (Ron’s Piece) by Jean-Michel Jarre / Brad Balliett

brief intermission

Reimagined Dance Suite Rameau/Stravinsky (arr. Catherine Gregory)

Naima by John Coltrane (arr. Brad Balliett)

FREE!

View Event →