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 3 sets on Fridays and Saturdays:
6 PM, 7 PM and 8 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 at the Petrie Court Café, 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
March 7th & March 8th
ETHEL
Ralph Farris, viola
Kip Jones, violin
Corin Lee, violin
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Performing the infectiously engaging music of ETHEL (your House Band!), as well as audience favorites by the group’s eclectic crew of contemporary composers — Marcelo Zarvos, Ulysses Owens Jr., and Hye-Kyung Lee.
March 14th & March 15th
ETHEL
Ralph Farris, viola
Kip Jones, violin
Corin Lee, violin
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Performing the House Band’s Greatest Hits, to include music by Philip Glass, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Janis Joplin.
March 21st & March 22nd
Transatlantic Piano Duo
Evelyn Ulex, piano
Pablo Lavandera, piano
German-born Steinway Artist Evelyn Ulex and Argentinian master pianist Pablo Lavandera, present a program inspired by dance and tango rhythms with music by Astor Piazzolla and his “New Tango” inspired masterpieces, Latin Grammy Winner Argentinean classical composer Claudia Montero, Pablo Ziegler and Carlos Guastavino.
March 28th & March 29th
Booked by The Met
April 4th & April 5th
Chamber Musicians of the New York Youth Symphony
The New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) is one of the most awarded youth programs of its kind in the nation, recognized for its innovative, educational programs for talented young musicians. The NYYS’s Chamber Music Program (CMP) was founded in 1983 to foster the growth of musicians in an intimate setting. Over 2,000 students between the ages of 12-22 have participated in the CMP since its inception and it has become one of the most comprehensive training programs in the country for strings, winds, brass, and piano.
April 11th & April 12th
Booked by The Met
April 18th & April 19th
The Harlem Chamber Players: Jasmine Ogiste, piano
The Harlem Chamber Players Inc. is an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high caliber affordable accessible live music to people in the Harlem community and beyond. THCP promotes arts inclusion and equal access to the arts bringing live music to underserved communities and promoting shared community arts and cultural engagement.
Recognized by The New York Times for her “tender and yearning solos” and New York Classical Review for her “reflective tone”, Jas Ogiste is a New York City-based classical pianist. Jas currently serves as a Staff Pianist for The Harlem Chamber Players and Sugar Hill Salon Chamber Music and previously served as a Researcher for WQXR’s podcast, “Every Voice with Terrance McKnight”. Jas has been heard in performance halls throughout New York City, including the United Palace Theater, Kaufman Music Center’s Merkin Hall, The Harlem School of the Arts, and Lincoln Center. Music by Margaret Bonds, Tania León, Florence Price, Brahms, Bach, Haydn and Poulenc.
April 25th & April 26th
ETHEL
Friday ONLY:
6 PM to 7 PM: The Harlem Chamber Players’s Jasmine Ogiste, piano
7:20 PM to 8 PM: ETHEL
Ralph Farris, viola
Kip Jones, violin
Dorothy Lawson, cello
Corin Lee, violin
Performing the infectiously engaging music of ETHEL (your House Band!), as well as audience favorites by the group’s eclectic crew of contemporary composers — Marcelo Zarvos, Ulysses Owens Jr., and Hye-Kyung Lee.
May 2nd & May 3rd
Francisco Roldán, guitar
Colombian classical guitarist Francisco Roldán is internationally recognized for his mastery of repertoire from the Renaissance to the Contemporary. He is Executive Director of Música de Cámara, a presenter of the nation’s leading Latin American chamber music performers and composers.
May 9th & May 10th
Booked by The Met
May 16th & May 17th
Verbena Duo
Mona Tian, violin
Carson Rick, viola
Verbena Duo met through Wild Up, a Los Angeles based contemporary music ensemble. Together, they explore a diverse repertoire, from timeless masterpieces to modern works, bringing fresh interpretations to each piece. When they are not rehearsing and performing, you can find us at a neighborhood wine bar enjoying a glass of pinot & tinned fish.
May 23rd & May 24th
Caballero-Koebbe Duo
Paola Caballero, violin
Jessica Koebbe, piano
Internationally acclaimed violin-piano duo perform celebrated selections of the classic and contemporary repertoire, from Mozart to Bolcom, Gershwin and Oliva.
May 30th & May 31st
Musicians from Longy: Trio Fabula with Ralph Farris
Formed in September 2024 at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, Trio Fabula unites three extraordinary young musicians all hailing from countries affected by war: pianist Leyla Zeynalova, cellist Arol Rzayev (both from Azerbaijan), and violinist Tetiana Zhmendak (from Ukraine). The trio’s work is shaped by real-life struggles and a deep sense of purpose. They are joined this weekend by their mentor and coach, ETHEL’s Ralph Farris. Music by Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Stanyslav Lyudkevych and Uzeyir Hajibeyov.
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: