DECODA
by DECODA
2025 GRAMMY® NOMINEE
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Valerie Coleman, Revelry
“These kinds of off-kilter rhythmic patterns [in Valerie Coleman’s Revelry] have been prominent in jazz for some time, and there’s no doubt they are also going to be part of the future of American chamber music. Decoda shows that the performers are finally ready.”
ABOUT
LISTEN
DECODA is the debut album of the chamber music collective, Decoda. Marking the ensemble’s first decade of eclectic and impactful concert experiences, this record features the world premiere recording of Revelry by Valerie Coleman, original arrangements of Three Rags by William Bolcom, and Reza Vali’s captivating duo, Folk Songs (Set No.9). Together, these works reflect the human desire to connect through revelry and celebration.
ABOUT Valerie Coleman
Valerie Coleman is regarded by many as an iconic artist who continues to pave her own unique path as a composer, GRAMMY®-nominated flutist, and entrepreneur. Highlighted as one of the “Top 35 Women Composers” by The Washington Post, she was named Performance Today’s 2020 Classical Woman of the Year, an honor bestowed to an individual who has made a significant contribution to classical music as a performer, composer, or educator. Her works have garnered awards such as the MAPFund, ASCAP Honors Award, Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning Program, Herb Alpert Ragdale Residency Award, and nominations from The American Academy of Arts and Letters and United States Artists. Chamber Music America chose Umoja (Anthem for Unity) as one of the “Top 101 Great American Ensemble Works” and is now a staple of woodwind literature.
Coleman commenced her 2021/22 season with the world premiere of her latest work, Fanfare for Uncommon Times, at the Caramoor Festival with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. In October 2021, Carnegie Hall presents her work Seven O’Clock Shout, commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra, in their Opening Night Gala concert featuring The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. This follows on the success of the world premiere of Coleman’s orchestral arrangement of her work Umoja, commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra and performed in Philadelphia and at Carnegie Hall in 2019, marking the first time the orchestra performed a classical work by a living female African-American composer.
ABOUT DECODA
Photo by Kevin Kinzley
Decoda is an artist-led collective seeking to create a more compassionate and connected world through music. By thoughtfully curating outstanding performances of live chamber music and facilitating creative community projects, Decoda strives to inspire the next generation of musical artists to rethink and reimagine their role in society.
Decoda’s versatile musicians are equally committed to virtuosic performance and audience engagement. Its flexible instrumentation, from duos to large mixed ensembles, allows for unique, inspiring and engaging concert experiences for a vast array of audiences, from concert halls to schools, hospitals, shelters, and correctional facilities. As alumni of Ensemble Connect and in recognition of its members’ ongoing success as artists, educators, and advocates for music, Decoda is the only independent ensemble to be recognized as an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall.
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“With performances of this quality, you can see why Carnegie — which just named Decoda its first affiliate ensemble — would want to continue an association with these musicians” - The New York Times
