Today the Post-Classical Ensemble announced its upcoming performance season. The 2011-2012 calendar includes performances from guest artists, including Jeremy Denk, baritone William Sharp, flamenco singer Esperanza Fernandez, choreographer Igal Perry, and trombonist David Taylor. This is the experimental classical music ensemble's ninth concert season.

The ensemble will formally announce the season tonight, with a special program and performance at the Embassy of Austria; text of the release is below.

May 26, Washington, D.C. – Post-Classical Ensemble (www.post-classicalensemble.org) today announced its 2011–2012 performance season—its ninth, and its first full season linked to a multi-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation supporting ongoing collaborations with major cultural and educational institutions, including Strathmore, Georgetown University, and the National Gallery of Art.

The season includes:

* The Ives Project – November 3–5, 2011 A three-day celebration of one of America’s defining musical geniuses, presented by Strathmore and featuring pianist Jeremy Denk.

* Falla/Stravinsky – December 3–4, 2011 A fully-staged double bill of music, dance and theatre at Georgetown University exploring the links and mutual influences of Manuel de Falla and Igor Stravinsky, including a restoration of Falla’s original El amor brujo.

* Schubert Uncorked – March 24–31, 2012 A startling re-examination of the life and legacy of one the canon’s most revered composers at Georgetown University, including two newly-commissioned world premieres.

* Both Falla/Stravinsky and Schubert Uncorked also link to unique film events to be presented at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

From its inception in 2003, the Ensemble has concentrated on producing intensive, collaborative “immersion” experiences contextualizing music with film, dance and theater. Its programs question pre-conceived notions, and champion artists and compositions that expand the boundaries of what is traditionally considered to be “classical music”.

“We are thrilled to be working with artists that can truly be termed unique,” said Post-Classical Ensemble co-founders Joseph Horowitz and Angel Gil-Ordóñez in a joint statement. “Jeremy Denk is a pianist who breaks the mold, both in terms of repertoire and interpretation. The flamenco singer Esperanza Fernandez is a legend in her native Spain. We’re introducing her to audiences in the United States in collaboration with the master choreographer Igal Perry, who seamlessly integrates a wide range of styles.The talents of baritone William Sharp and the legendary trombonist David Taylor are well known to our audiences here in D.C. We’re looking forward to sharing their exceptional gifts with even more concert-goers this season.”

Post-Classical Ensemble has also commissioned two original works that will see their world premiere in 2011-12. Horowitz and Gil-Ordóñez expressed confidence that David Taylor’s commissioned arrangement of Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata for bass trombone and strings, which will premiere as part of Schubert Uncorked, “will become the first ‘classical’ trombone concerto performed internationally.” The Ensemble will offer both its Schubert Uncorked program with David Taylor, and its new staging of Falla’s El amor brujo with Esperanza Fernandez, for national and international touring.