(le) poisson rouge

The Knights are a fellowship of adventurous musicians who creatively engage audiences in the shared joy of musical performance. Based in New York City, The Knights perform in a wide spectrum of concert venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Le Poisson Rouge, Celebrate Brooklyn, Baryshnikov Arts Center and Central Park as well as the Dresden Musikfestspiele and Dublin’s National Gallery. The orchestra's extensive repertoire features traditional and contemporary music and they have collaborated with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Gil Shaham, singer-songwriter (and Knights violinist) Christina Courtin, Iranian ney virtuoso Siamak Jahangiri, and composers Osvaldo Golijov and Lisa Bielawa.

The orchestra grew from informal chamber music readings at the home of brothers Eric and Colin Jacobsen, now the group’s conductor and rotating concertmaster, respectively. The collaborative spirit of chamber music continues within the ensemble, which provides a forum for individual ideas and radical inquiry. Members of The Knights are soloists, orchestral players, and chamber musicians as well as composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters, and improvisers who bring a range of cultural influences to the group.

The Knights recently recorded two albums for SONY Classical. The first project featured internationally recognized cellist Jan Vogler in the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 from a live recording at New York's cutting-edge concert venue, Le Poisson Rouge. Also on the album are arrangements of Shostakovich waltzes and the Jimi Hendrix song "Machine Gun." Their second album, "New Worlds," is just being released and features works by Copland, Dvorak, Ives, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Osvaldo Golijov.

The Knights are represented by Opus 3 Artists. More information is available at www.theknightsnyc.com.