When composer (and pianist, and leader of acclaimed indie rock collective San Fermin) Ellis Ludwig-Leone moved into a new apartment, he had an old upright piano that helped him begin to feel at home in the space. That experience grew into Quiet Hours: nine nocturnes written for nine friends – who also happen to be among NYC's top pianists – each of whom was invited to record on an instrument that felt like home to them. For the world premiere complete performance of the work, amidst the serene Gothic intimacy of Christ Chapel, we've gathered all nine pianists together: Ludwig-Leone himself, along with Timo Andres, Han Chen, Aaron Diehl, Simone Dinnerstein^†, David Kaplan^†, Lisa Kaplan, Dan Schlosberg^†, and Adam Tendler^†.

As Brian Seibert explored in his profile of the project in The New York Times, a pianist’s relationship with an instrument is unusually fleeting, and concert pianists are constantly making themselves at home at unfamiliar keyboards. But for Quiet Hours, Ludwig-Leone asked what might happen if each performer began with a piano they knew and trusted, and the resulting pieces are inventive, tender, sometimes strange – songs and near-lullabies whose lyrical surfaces give way to unexpected turns.

This is deeply personal music, shaped for particular people yet open to anyone who has ever found comfort in a familiar sound.

‍( ^† Denotes a Death of Classical veteran!)