Labor Day Here and Now Weekend: Ensemble Dérive

ENSEMBLE DÉRIVE

PROGRAM

• Arrivals and Departures (1994) for two violins                                  Milton Babbitt (1916-2011)
• Sechs Bagatelles, op. 9 (1913) for string quartet                               Anton Webern (1883-1945)
  • Mässig
  • Leicht bewegt
  • Ziemlich fliessend
  • Sehr langsam
  • Äusserst langsam
  • Fliessend
• 9 Bagatelles for solo piano (1996)                                                      William Bolcom (b. 1938)
  • “…the ghost mazurka”
  • “…aimai-je un rêve?”
  • “…forgotten prayers”
  • “…cycle de l’univers”
  • “…la belle rouquine”
  • “…Pegasus”
  • “(…this endernight)”
  • “…recess in hell”
  • “…Circus Galop”

• Fragment No. 1 for String Quartet (1994)                                          Elliott Carter (1908-2012)
• Fragment No. 2 for String Quartet (1999)                                          Elliott Carter
• Fantasy on Puccini’s Turandot                                                            Taige Wang (b. 2010)
• Con Leggerezza Pensosa (1990)                                                         Elliott Carter
• SCAT (2007)                                                                                         Augusta Read Thomas (1964)

with Ensemble Dérive

Alyson Lee, Flute

Michael Sun, Clarinet

Taige Wang, Piano

Tobia Im, Laurentia Woo, Violins

Darren Cai, Viola

Larissa Lakner, Cello

David Fulmer & Laurentia Woo – Co-Directors

•     -ENSEMBLE DÉRIVE-

Good afternoon and welcome to our concert. The Ensemble is a collective of pre-college musicians – the first of its kind –  dedicated to the music of our time. We work microscopically with each musical surface, and look to reveal the unique structures and nuclei of the composer’s design and architecture. Each week we tackle these sophisticated musical gestures in the same way that we would when preparing a Brandenburg Concerto of Bach, a string quartet of Schubert, or a symphonic poem of Brahms. These extraordinary young musicians have come together to give these new and complex musical languages a communicative meaning today, in 2026. It has been such an honor to work with these young virtuosi, and I am very proud to present this concert with them. This is the future of music, and the future of creative art-making and artistic exploration, at its finest. It is my great pleasure to welcome you today.

-David Fulmer

• ARTISTIC STATEMENT

“In the summer of 2024, I reached out to composer and conductor David Fulmer for an interview with the Clexical Project, an organization I founded to make new music more accessible to a wider audience. This conversation sparked the creation of Ensemble Dérive, which would include students at the Juilliard Pre-College to perform contemporary pieces. As co-director, I helped guide the ensemble’s vision, working closely with David to select repertoire, organize rehearsals, and support my peers as we tackled a challenging and rewarding program. It was not only my first time co-directing an ensemble, but also my first time performing the music of Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, Anton Webern, and Augusta Read Thomas. Each piece brought a unique experience. Rehearsing Boulez’s Dérive challenged me to navigate its intricate rhythms and textures, constantly listening for how each fragment wove into the larger picture. Carter’s Fragments pushed me to embrace spontaneity within its tightly constructed gestures, while Webern’s Bagatelles invited me into a world of extreme precision and subtlety, where every note carried weight. Augusta Read Thomas’s Scat was a joyful, kinetic exploration of color and motion, encouraging a playful, vibrant energy in the ensemble. I was also delighted to be able to include my pre-college friend Alex Robertson’s piece. His writing is creative, liminal, and unique, which I realized while premiering his work Nenia with the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra. This experience has shaped me profoundly—both as a musician and as a leader—expanding my perspective, sharpening my skills, and deepening my passion for contemporary music. I am beyond honored to have been given this opportunity, and look forward to many more years of music-making and changemaking in NYC’s classical music scene.”

-Laurentia Woo