Gabriel Kahane | Ambrose Akinmusire

Ambrose Akinmusire emerged in his early twenties as a carrier of the torch for the next generation of young lions. But the quartet he’s worked with for years has grown more and more daring, harmonically, rhythmically, and texturally. What is most astonishing to me, though, about Ambrose, is the transcendent emotional world that emerges from his sound, and in particular, his seemingly limitless exploration of timbre and color. Small wonder that in his recent forays into writing chamber and choral music, his ear is as finally attuned as any to the emotional depths that can be plumbed through an attention to quality of sound alone.

As a recovering improviser, I’m excited to deepen my relationship with Ambrose. We’ve spoken in broad strokes about what our collaboration will look like. I know that he is particularly interested in exploring solo trumpet playing, which led to a discussion of Kurtag’s Játékok, and whether some of those pieces might be adapted for our program. As a general principle, we’re both drawn to using textural transparency to focus our efforts. As with the other participants, there will be a new work at the center, jointly composed.

—Gabriel Kahane, August 2022