ART OF ELAN CONFIRMS May 29, 2026—Art of Elan today confirms Visions & Dreams, a two-album release marking the organization's 20-year retrospective, via Phenotypic Recordings. The first release, Visions & Dreams Volume 1, will arrive digitally on June 26—presave/preorder HERE. A second album, Visions & Dreams Volume 2, follows on July 10, completing the two-part series. TRACKLIST TRACKLIST
TWO-VOLUME ALBUM VISIONS & DREAMS
VIA PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS
FIRST SINGLE “SHINER” BY SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER
OUT NOW — LISTEN HERE
For nearly two decades, Art of Elan has reimagined what chamber music can be: not confined to the concert hall, but alive within galleries, museums and shared civic spaces—places where sound becomes part of a larger cultural conversation. Since its founding in 2007, the San Diego-based arts organization has cultivated a musical language rooted in collaboration, connection and community, championing the voices of living composers and the stories they carry. Visions & Dreams marks a 20-year retrospective of that journey. It is not a catalog of the past, but a living document of relationships: between composers and performers, between audiences and spaces, between imagination and sound.
“Our shared humanity is at the heart of everything we do,” said Executive and Artistic Director Kate Hatmaker. “What I also hope the album can do is remind people to stay curious—about each other, about other cultures, about who we are as a civilization and what we are capable of.”
The works gathered across both volumes span a wide emotional and stylistic terrain yet are united by a common thread: each piece reflects an act of imagination made tangible through sound. Together, they form a mosaic of voices—playful, searching, contemplative and bold—that define the evolving identity of Art of Elan. Each disc unfolds as a continuous and immersive experience, inviting what Hatmaker calls “intentional listening…not just these fleeting encounters.”
The collection's first single, "Shiner" by Sarah Kirkland Snider, is out now—listen/share here. The piece embodies the album's broader ethos: that contrast itself can be a source of beauty, and that unexpected combinations of voices can open entirely new expressive worlds. The work reflects Art of Elan's longstanding commitment to championing living composers whose music pushes at the boundaries of what chamber music can be and where it can take its listeners.
“Shiner was written for an unlikely cast of characters: trombone, harp, viola and marimba—finding beauty in unexpected places,” said Hatmaker.
Visions & Dreams Volume 1 opens in a spirit of invention and discovery. Paul Wiancko's Toy Bricks establishes a sense of joy and forward motion, inviting listeners into a world where structure and spontaneity coexist. Chen Yi's Sprout, written in the wake of the Cultural Revolution, bridges Eastern and Western musical traditions, treating them as reflections of one another. Michael Oesterle's Selections from “Parlour Games” reimagines musical form as something fluid and reshaped with each encounter. Reena Esmail's Nadiya, drawing on Hindu ragas, becomes a meditation on coexistence—light and dark, structure and surprise, individuality and union. Nahre Sol's Crossroads captures a moment of decision, a musical threshold where paths diverge and converge, while Snider's Shiner reveals beauty in contrast through its unlikely instrumental ensemble. The volume closes with Ljova's Vjola Suite, weaving together global influences into dances that feel both rooted and newly invented.
Visions & Dreams Volume 2 turns toward reflection, memory, landscape and the passage of time. Mason Bates' Life of Birds opens with miniature forms that become windows into fleeting narratives, each movement a study in motion, fragility and survival. Juhi Bansal's Trail of Stars unfolds with a sense of spaciousness and reflection, its repetition and gradual transformation mirroring the slow arcs of light across the night sky. Gabriela Ortiz's Exilios gives voice to displacement and remembrance, carrying both the weight of history and the resilience of those who endure it. Jessie Montgomery's Peace offers a fragile equilibrium between sorrow and acceptance, while Michi Wiancko's Island in the Sky evokes vast geological time and human movement through landscape and journey. Aftab Darvishi's Daughters of Sol unfolds as a mysterious meditation on change, continuity and return. The album closes with Kian Ravaei's Family Photos, a collection of musical snapshots suggesting that memory itself is a form of composition: fragments assembled into meaning, shaped by time and perspective.
Visions & Dreams brings together composers and performers, many of whom are longtime collaborators—artists whose roles as creators and interpreters often overlap, fostering a shared artistic language. As Hatmaker notes, the album embodies “an authentic expression of our values…inclusivity and building community.”
ABOUT ART OF ELAN
Known for its collaborative spirit, Art of Elan has been pioneering unique events in Southern California and building community through music since 2007. Its commitment to commissioning new work, presenting multidisciplinary performances, and collaborating with world class artists and composers has led to innovative partnerships and bi-national initiatives, that have cultivated curious audiences on both sides of the border. By drawing inspiration from the word élan, which represents momentum, style, and spirit, Art of Elan continues to engage and energize audiences in new ways. For more information, visit artofelan.org.
ABOUT PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS
Phenotypic Recordings brings to light new music by world-class musicians and innovative composers, with a focus on music that highlights the most important issues facing the world today. Artists include Kronos Quartet, Osvaldo Golijov, Kenji Bunch, MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble), W4RP and more. As another way of amplifying artistic voices, Phenotypic Recordings donates revenue from streaming and downloads to support humanitarian causes identified by the artists making the music. For more information on the label and artists visit phenotypicrecordings.com.
For more information, please contact
Krista Williams, Christopher Emond or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.
VISIONS & DREAMS VOLUME 1
1. Paul Wiancko—Toy Bricks
Hanah Stuart, violin · Alex Greenbaum, cello
· Andrew Hayhurst, cello · Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, bass
2. Chen Yi—Sprout
Wes Precourt, violin · Kate Hatmaker, violin · Hanah Stuart, viola
Alex Greenbaum, cello
3. Michael Oesterle—Selections from “Parlour Games”
Andrew Hayhurst, cello · Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, bass
i. double
ii. father
iii. spade
iv. whilst
v. run
4. Reena Esmail—Nadiya
Rose Lombardo, flute · Hanah Stuart, viola
5. Nahre Sol—Crossroads
Tina Chong, piano
6. Sarah Kirkland Snider—Shiner
Eric Starr, trombone · Andy Watkins, marimba · Julie Smith Phillips, harp
Hanah Stuart, viola
7. Ljova—Vjola Suite
Wes Precourt, violin · Kate Hatmaker, violin · Hanah Stuart, viola · Alex Greenbaum, cello · Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, bass
i. Bagel on the Malecón
ii. Plume
iii. Ori’s Fearful Symmetry
iv. Crosstown
v. Budget Bulgar
VISIONS & DREAMS VOLUME 2
1. Mason Bates—Life of Birds
Rose Lombardo, flute · Max Opferkuch, clarinet · Kate Hatmaker, violin
Alex Greenbaum, cello
i. Moving Parts
ii. Parakeet Daydream
iii. The Caged Bird Sings
iv. On a Wire: Mating Dance
v. Old World Flycatcher
vi. Moving Parts
2. Juhi Bansal—Trail of Stars
Julie Smith Phillips, harp
3. Gabrila Ortiz—Exilios
Max Opferkuch, clarinet · Wes Precourt, violin · Kate Hatmaker, violin · Hanah Stuart, viola · Alex Greenbaum, cello
i. A Pepe
ii. A Lydia
iii. A Julian
4. Jessie Montgomery—Peace
Ben Solomonow, cello · Tina Chong, piano
5. Michi Wiancko—Island in the Sky
Max Opferkuch, clarinet
6. Aftab Darvishi—Daughters of Sol
Wes Precourt, violin · Kate Hatmaker, violin · Hanah Stuart, viola
Alex Greenbaum, cello
7. Kian Ravaei—Family Photos
Wes Precourt, violin · Kate Hatmaker, violin · Hanah Stuart, viola
Alex Greenbaum, cello
i. At the Carnival
ii. On the Tehran Tower
iii. In Arcadia
artofelan.org
www.phenotypicrecordings.com
