ETHEL and Friends is a music series lovingly programmed for “Date Night” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Great Hall at the Balcony Bar by The Met’s Resident Ensemble, ETHEL.
The Great Hall Balcony Bar “Date Night” Artists perform 2 sets on Fridays and Saturdays:
6 PM to 7 PM and 7:20 PM to 8:20 PM
ABOUT ETHEL
ETHEL is one of the most acclaimed ensembles in contemporary music. With an eye to tradition and an ear to the future, the quartet is a leading force in concert music’s re-engagement with musical vernaculars, fusing diverse performance practices into a vibrant, engaging sound. ETHEL and ETHEL members perform regularly and they welcome celebrated friends to the series–such luminaries as JP Jofre, Alexis Michelle, Kaki King, Allison Loggins-Hull and Raja Rahman.
ETHEL & FRIENDS SERIES CALENDAR
August 7th & August 8th
Rock Paper Scissors
Lavinia Pavlish — violin
Ralph Farris — viola
Eleanor Norton — cello
Celebrated for their wit, virtuosity, and irresistible onstage chemistry, Rock Paper Scissors brings its signature high-energy spirit to a program spanning centuries—from Bach and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson to Skoryk.
August 14th & August 15th
Corin Lee
Corin Lee — violin
ETHEL’s own Corin Lee offers a showcase of concert and contemporary favorites for solo amplified violin.
August 21st & August 22nd
Booked by The Met
August 28th & August 29th
ETHEL
Ralph Farris — viola
Kip Jones — violin
Dorothy Lawson — cello
Corin Lee — violin
The Balcony Bar Café’s own House Band, ETHEL, brings its infectiously engaging music to a program featuring Marcelo Zarvos, Ulysses Owens Jr., and maestro Ron Carter.
September 4th & September 5th
ETHEL
Performing the House Band’s Greatest Hits, including music by Philip Glass, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Janis Joplin.
Ralph Farris — viola
Kip Jones — violin
Dorothy Lawson — cello
Corin Lee — violin
September 11th & September 12th
ETHEL, with Special Guests Francesca Federico and Derrick Goff
House Band ETHEL welcomes Irish-American soprano Francesca Federico for a very special weekend! Hailed as having a voice of “such strong presence and beauty of tone that she left one longing for more” (Opera News), Federico was born in Paris and is based in New York City. She is a prolific interpreter of opera, oratorio, and folk music. Her debut album, Visions and Ecstasies: Classical & Folk Songs of Ireland, is a compendium of work developed during her time as a Fulbright Scholar. Joining the ensemble is Francesca’s longtime pianist and collaborator Derrick Goff (The Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Program, Teatro Nuovo, Bel Canto Boot Camp).
Ralph Farris — viola
Kip Jones — violin
Dorothy Lawson — cello
Corin Lee — violin
Francesca Federico — voice
Derrick Goff — piano
September 18th & September 19th
Booked by The Met
September 25th & September 26th
ETHEL, with Special Guest Hilá Plitmann
ETHEL (your House Band!) is joined this weekend by Israeli-American, two-time GRAMMY Award-winning soprano Hilá Plitmann. With a “wondrous voice, which gleams in all registers” (Gramophone), Hilá brings emotionally charged fearlessness, unique expressivity, and mesmerizing drama to her performances in opera, concert, film, and theater. Selections from the world songbook include rock, folk, and classical favorites.
Ralph Farris — viola
Kip Jones — violin
Dorothy Lawson — cello
Corin Lee — violin
Hilá Plitmann — voice
Stay tuned. More dates to be announced.
ETHEL at THE MET
ETHEL has been in Residence at The Met for over a decade– originally on the Balcony Bar, and for the past two years in the virtual realm, producing The Met’s celebrated “Balcony Bar from Home” series where the group presented weekly celebrations of ETHEL’s wide world of music, featuring collaborations with an extraordinary collection of guest artists from Svjetlana Bukvich to Jarrett & Raja; from Layale Chaker to Rhett Price; from Ron Carter to Todd Rundgren.
Visit ETHEL’s YouTube Channel, featuring a playlist of some of ETHEL’s classic BBfH offerings.
Here is a sampling:
