MoVE (MODERN VIOLIN ENSEMBLE) CONFIRMS DEBUT ALBUM MoVE PREMIERES SET FOR JUNE 12 VIA PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS

FIRST SINGLE “AS SNOW FALLS” BY AFTAB DARVISHI OUT NOW — LISTEN HERE

May 1, 2026—MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble) today confirms its debut album, MoVE Premieres, set for release June 12 via Phenotypic Recordings—pre-order/pre-save here.

Spanning twelve world premiere recordings, MoVE Premieres is the culmination of more than ten years of collaboration, curiosity and trust—a journey that started with relationships rather than a concept. The groundbreaking four violinist ensemble, comprised of Lina Bahn, Livia Sohn, Carolyn Stuart and Janet Sung, posed a simple but radical question to each composer: What matters to you?

The result is an album that unfolds as a tapestry, with each piece rooted in a distinct urgency: memory, identity, nature, social justice, love, grief. Spanning twelve works by composers Aftab Darvishi, Josh Henderson, Daniel Wohl, Golfam Khayam, Zoltan Almashi, Veronica Jang, Jessica Meyer, Evan Chambers, Jarosław Kapuściński, Jordan Nelson, Jess Julian and Tommy Dougherty, the album's astonishing range reveals the full spectrum of what four violins can express.

“When we listened to the full album, it was amazing… every piece sounded completely different. You wouldn’t even know it was the same instrumentation,” Sung shares.

Recorded over nearly a decade, the double album brings together performances captured across the San Francisco area at Schumann Music Studio and Skywalker Sound, as well as Zinober Concert Hall at the University of South Florida and at Stanford University's CCRMA. Proceeds from sales of the recording will be donated to the Sarah Gibson Foundation to support the development of the next generation of musical voices.

The collection’s first single, “As Snow Falls” by Tehran-born composer Aftab Darvishi, is out now—listen/share here. To craft the track’s intimate sound world, the ensemble immersed itself in the kamancheh, an ancient Persian instrument that informs the piece. This approach of absorbing and translating cultural sound reflects the album’s broader exploration of identity.

Darvishi shares, "Have you ever seen a familiar face in a crowd, run toward it so as not to miss it, only to realize you were mistaken? This piece is about that moment, about the spark in your eyes, the hope, the longing, and the shifting emotions along the journey, translated into sound."

Other works on the album span an extraordinary breadth of subject and approach. Josh Henderson's Rain, Sleet, Gloom and Heat is a vivid, almost cinematic portrait of Mary Fields—known as Stagecoach Mary, the first African-American woman to work for the U.S. Postal Service—rendered through instrumental writing, spoken text and singing. Golfam Khayam's Lullaby, based on the Persian mystical text "Conference of the Birds" by Attar, gestures toward peace with poignant contemporary resonance. Zoltan Almashi's Almost Variations, composed while sheltering underground during the bombing of Ukraine, searches for the existence of God through shifting musical voices. Daniel Wohl’s Collapse examines information overload and the search for stillness, juxtaposing dense, chaotic textures with moments of stark clarity. Veronica Jang’s Gobi—Desert Splendor draws from Inner Mongolian folk traditions, while Jessica Meyer’s In Equal Measure commemorates Iceland’s landmark 2018 equal pay legislation and explores the fight for women’s rights.

The album’s second chapter opens with Evan Chambers' what the trees know, a composition that evokes a primordial sonic landscape through paper, pencils and unconventional techniques. Jarosław Kapuściński's Woven strips music to its basic elements, inviting deep listening as a meditative and connective act. Jordan Nelson's Ember I Miss You interweaves texts from love letters by Eleanor Roosevelt, Oscar Wilde and Margaret Mead, alongside a poem by Gertrude Stein, with the four ensemble members speaking as well as playing. Jess Julian’s Life as a Lily, honoring Iranian-American guitarist Lily Afshar, unfolds from a hushed, pulse-like opening into layered complexity. Tommy Dougherty's Extraordinary Instruments confronts American gun culture through an accumulation of sound that mirrors the weight and complexity of its subject.

Taken together, MoVE Premieres is more than a collection of new works; it is a portrait of humanity told through twelve distinct voices. Each piece stands alone in its urgency and vision, yet together they form a continuous conversation across cultures, generations and lived experiences.

ABOUT MOVE MODERN VIOLIN ENSEMBLE

Driven to expand violin ensemble models through new repertoire, collaborations, and formats, the internationally acclaimed violinists of MoVE: Lina Bahn, Livia Sohn, Carolyn Stuart, and Janet Sung, united to create a fresh and unexpectedly diverse sound world. Through commissions with renowned and emerging composers, MoVE’s emphasis on freedom of expression has inspired works of cultural influence, social equality, political justice, environmental awareness, personal stories, sound explorations, and multi-media experiences.

MoVE has premiered works at Areté Venue and Gallery, the American University Museum Katzen Arts Center, Stanford Live: Daniel Pearl World Music Days Concert, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and at various universities and conservatories nationwide.

The members of MoVE are celebrated soloists, chamber musicians, and pedagogues. They are deeply devoted to the next generation of performers and teachers, to passing along their rich experiences and expanding opportunities for artists, while strengthening connection and advancing inclusivity in the field and beyond. To learn more about MoVE, visit modernviolinensemble.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.

TRACKLIST
MOVE PREMIERES DISC 1
1. Aftab Darvishi—As snow falls, I search for your eyes amongst
All the strangers of this city
2. Josh Henderson—Rain, Sleet, Gloom and Heat
3. Daniel Wohl—Collapse
Daniel Wohl, Electronic Sound Production
4. Golfam Khayam—Lullaby
5. Mahsa Zoltan Almashi—Almost Variations
6. Mahsa Veronica Jang—Gobi—m>Desert Splendor
7. Jessica Meyer—In Equal Measure
Gabriela Diaz, violin


MOVE PREMIERES DISC 2
1. Evan Chambers — what the trees know
Evan Chambers, vocals
2. Jarosław Kapuściński—Woven
3. Jordan Nelson—Ember I Miss You, I. The Corner Of Your Mouth
4. Jordan Nelson—Ember I Miss You, II. But They Don't Understand Us
5. Jordan Nelson—Ember I Miss You, III. And Every Memory (Interlude)
6. Jordan Nelson—Ember I Miss You, IV. Do You?
7. Jess Julian—Life As A Lily
8. Tommy Dougherty—Extraordinary Instruments

modernviolinensemble.org
www.phenotypicrecordings.com