Ensemble ATL has announced its 2025/2026 season, presenting two concerts that pair exceptional artistry with engaging, historically inspired programs. Led by conductor and music director Robert J. Ambrose, the ensemble brings together distinguished musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, Ballet Orchestras, and top freelance artists. This year’s performances include a celebration of British and French musical traditions in September and a rare reconstruction of Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 for nonet in January. Both concerts will be held in Kopleff Recital Hall at Georgia State University and are free to the public.

September 15, 2025 – 7 p.m.
Entente Cordiale: A Cordial Agreement

The season opens on September 15, 2025, at 7 p.m. with Entente Cordiale: A Cordial Agreement, marking the 120th anniversary of the historic Entente Cordiale alliance between Britain and France. The program’s centerpiece is George Onslow’s Nonet, Op. 77. Onslow, whose father was British and mother French, embodied the cultural connection between the two nations that this concert celebrates.

Ambrose notes, “We are equally excited to perform the Onslow Nonet, perhaps the most significant piece written for that combination of instruments, along with several other lesser-known works by outstanding composers, both established and emerging.”

The evening will also feature Henri Tomasi’s Concert Champêtre, Joseph Bologne’s Sonata No. 1 in B-flat for Two Violins and Anna Clyne’s Hopscotch, offering a vibrant mix of works that showcase the rich, intertwined musical traditions of Britain and France.

January 12, 2026 – 7 p.m.
Brahms (Re)constructed: The Serenade No. 1, Op. 11 for Nonet

The season continues with a rare opportunity to hear Johannes Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 in a form few have ever experienced—a reconstructed version for nonet. Although Brahms originally conceived the work for nine instruments, he set this version aside and destroyed the score, later expanding the piece into the full orchestral work that is widely performed today. The absence of an original manuscript has left modern scholars and arrangers to piece together what the nonet might have sounded like, drawing on Brahms’ orchestral score, his other chamber works and educated speculation.

This performance will present one such imaginative reconstruction in its entirety, offering audiences a fresh perspective on a beloved masterpiece. Dr. Marie Sumner Lott, Associate Professor and Musicologist at Georgia State, will provide commentary before the performance and between movements, guiding listeners through the history, context and unanswered questions surrounding Brahms’ original concept.