Gabriela Ortiz Unveils Four New Works at Carnegie Hall Residency

Gabriela Ortiz introduces four new works during the 2024-2025 season, which will each be programmed during her season-long position as Carnegie Hall’s Debs Composer’s Chair.

Gabriela Ortiz is Carnegie Hall’s Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair during the 2024-2025 season. Seven concerts across the season celebrate the wide breadth of her artistry, featuring four brand new works: Dzonot, a cello concerto for Alisa Weilerstein, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Gustavo Dudamel; De Cuerda y Madera for violinist Maria Dueñas and pianist Alexander Malofeev; a new vocal ensemble work for Roomful of Teeth; and a new string quartet for the Attacca Quartet. The residency coincides with Carnegie Hall’s season focus, Nuestros sonidos: Celebrating Latin Culture in the US.

> Explore Ortiz's residency at Carnegie Hall

Ortiz’s residency kicks off with three concerts in October. Dzonot (Oct 9, New York premiere)— performed by cello soloist Alisa Weilerstein, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Gustavo Dudamel—is inspired by the cenotes of the Yucatán Peninsula, which hold cultural and ecological significance in Mayan tradition. These cenotes, considered sources of life and spiritual portals, contain unique biodiversity and are essential for the region’s drinking water. Co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the Philharmonia Orchestra, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon, Dzonot protests environmental neglect and serves as a call to preserve these vital ecosystems amidst the climate crisis. The LA Phil presents Dzonot on both the West and East coasts—the world premiere of Dzonot takes place at Disney Hall on October 3-4, one week before traveling to Carnegie Hall.

Next in the Carnegie Hall residency is Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness (Oct 18, New York premiere), a groundbreaking collaborative project that merges music, visual art, dance, movement, and spoken word. Inspired by James Drake’s epic drawing of the same title, Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness features music by Gabriela Ortiz performed by The Crossing led by Donald Nally; text by bestselling author Benjamin Alire Sáenz; a performance by flutist Alejandro Escuer; and collaborators who include local military veterans with choreographer Harrison Guy, curator Leila Hamidi, and director of photography Adam Holender. Journeying from violence to forgiveness and healing, this production, directed by Steve Jiménez, seeks hope in divisive times.

Rounding out the month, De Cuerda y Madera (Oct 22, North American premiere) is performed by violinist María Dueñas and pianist Alexander Malofeev in the duo’s Carnegie Hall recital debut. This is Ortiz’s second work for Dueñas, who premiered, toured, and recorded her violin concerto Altar de Cuerda to acclaim. Dueñas and Malofeev perform Ortiz’s new work for violin and piano in Schwarzenberg, Austria (Oct 12, world premiere) and Berlin, Germany (Oct 15, German premiere) before giving the North American premiere at Carnegie Hall.

Ortiz’s residency continues January 25 with a double-bill program featuring Roomful of Teeth, who perform the world premiere of a new vocal ensemble work by Ortiz; and longtime Ortiz collaborators Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, who perform Ortiz’s Liquid Borders alongside works by other contemporary Latin American composers—all part of the Nuestros sonidos focus.

Also in January, Ortiz serves as artistic partner for an Ensemble Connect Up Close concert (Jan 27), featuring a world premiere by Colombian composer Carolina Noguera.

In the spring, Ortiz unveils a new string quartet (May 1, North American premiere) written for the acclaimed Attacca Quartet. The ensemble also performs Ortiz’s Altar de muertos on the program, inspired by Mexico’s Day of the Dead and exploring the internal search between the real and the magical.

The series concludes on June 18 with a performance by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Met Orchestra, featuring Antrópolis, one of Ortiz’s most beloved works. Antrópolis is a tribute to the legendary dance halls of Mexico City, capturing the nostalgia of rumberas and live dance orchestras in iconic spaces like El Bombay, Salón Colonia, and Los Infiernos.

During this season, Gabriela Ortiz also holds prestigious residencies with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, and at the Curtis Institute of Music.