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“a group of instrumentalists whose collective musicianship is electrifying: full of just the right combination of wonder, play, and discovery”
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The Arts Fuse
“Dreamed up in a living room and now touring around the world, The Knights have evolved from an informal meeting of friends to a premier US-based chamber orchestra. Known for its diverse and adventurous programming that features a wide range of collaborators, The Knights have surprised and delighted audiences on the world’s iconic stages and in neighborhood parks, plazas, and bars. With a unique structure that empowers members to steer the group artistically, the ensemble delivers distinctive performances that captivate fans of classical music and beyond.”
— Carnegie Hall (2025)
“I’m loving this new piano concerto by Gabriel Kahane…He wrote this concerto, ‘Heirloom,’ for his dad, infusing it with family history and weaving in quotes from one of his own best-loved songs. The music is dressed in a colorful post-romantic style, echoes of Rachmaninoff.”
— Tom Huizenga for NPR’s All Songs Considered (2025)
“Composer/singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane's third Nonesuch album, Heirloom, is out now…the album features a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra by the same name, written by Gabriel Kahane for his father, the conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane.”
— Nonesuch Records (2025)
“This form resonates personally for me because Tagalog, my mother tongue, is a Malayo-Polynesian tongue; the pantun—with its structured pattern of repetition—has been an ongoing source of inspiration for my own creative process,” said Barizo, a recipient of Opera America’s IDEA Residency for emerging librettists, per an official press release.”
— J. Mae Barizo, as quoted by David Salazar (2025)
“The Knights always sound alive, and tonight was no exception. Their togetherness and verve complemented Wu Man’s enthusiasm as she seemed to invite them into her solo role, making it sound like a big chamber ensemble playing off one another rather than an orchestra providing accompaniment to a star virtuoso.”
— Ben Gambuzza, writing for EarRelevant (2025)
“MetLive Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s performing arts series, will kick off its 2025-2026 season tomorrow night with a program featuring pipa virtuoso Wu Man…Colin Jacobsen, concertmaster and co-artistic director of the Knights, called the Harrison work ‘a piece of modern music that just attains this joyful, visceral, evocative sense. (And) you just love working with Wu Man.’“
— Jane Levere, writing for Forbes (2025)