The Westerlies: Works in Progress
The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (The New York Times), hold a singular space in modern music. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, the GRAMMY-nominated quartet has upended presumptions of the brass tradition to create music that is “folk-like and composerly,
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lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). For their annual Fall Recital at The New School, the ensemble will share works in progress, including new works by members of the ensemble. ABOUT THE WESTERLIESAcross ten critically acclaimed albums, The Westerlies have earned “a unique reputation for exploring the emotional textures of American music” (DownBeat), championing living composers and collaborators including Caroline Shaw, Nico Muhly, Conrad Tao, Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, and Robin Holcomb. Comprising Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet and Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon on trombone, the ensemble has relentlessly composed, arranged, adapted, recorded, and toured over the past fifteen years with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along. 2025 saw the release of two major recordings: Paradise, The Westerlies’ “sublime, precise, and deeply spiritual” (DownBeat) reimagination of the Shape Note choral tradition, which earned the group a GRAMMY nomination; and Songbook, Vol. 3, a live EP and concert film celebrating friends and recent collaborators including Fleet Foxes, Adrianne Lenker, Samora Pinderhughes, Anaïs Mitchell, Aoife O’Donovan, Joanna Newsom, and more. The Westerlies' singular sound and virtuosic skill have also made them in-demand collaborators, playing in studio and live alongside artists from Common to Haley Heynderickx, and on GRAMMY-nominated releases from both Fleet Foxes and Aoife O’Donovan. 2026 will see The Westerlies embark on a major retrospective of American music pioneer Bill Frisell, featuring newly composed works and arrangements; an adaptation of Maria Schneider’s GRAMMY-winning classical song cycle Winter Morning Walks, featuring South African vocalist Vuyo Sotashe; and a new collaboration with Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, exploring the music of Judee Sill.