Even frequent attendees at Art of Elan concerts may have trouble describing this nonprofit. A dynamic presence in San Diego’s vibrant chamber-music scene, it has no consistent roster of musicians and the locations of its concerts vary widely. The concerts offer refreshments and encourage socializing.
“Some people refer to us as a group, some refer to us as a series and others see us as a presenting organization,” said Art of Elan co-founder Kate Hatmaker. “That may be the closest description. We curate and present concerts, that’s what we do.”
Kate Hatmaker is the executive and artistic director and co-founder of the San Diego music nonprofit Art of Elan. (Kate Hatmaker)
But Art of Elan does those things in its own unique way. And it is celebrating its 20th anniversary season by being even more challenging and inventive than in its previous two decades.
Its new compelling double album, “Visions & Dreams,” will be released Friday. The ambitious retrospective showcases the works of living composers that Art of Elan has performed over the past two decades.
The new season, “Collective Wisdom,” will include concerts by New York’s acclaimed Brooklyn Rider string quartet and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and singer Carolyn Shaw. Art of Elan’s intrepid crew of musicians will perform a notoriously demanding Messiaen piece under the stars in Borrego Springs. TAnd the October to June season will culminate in a daylong festival of jubilation at Balboa Park’s Mingei International Museum.
“The driving force for these different types of concerts and different venues over the years is our desire to bring people together,” Hatmaker explained.
“We want to build community, which we increasingly need in this world. We need to get off our couch, get off our phones and come physically rub shoulders with one another at an event, and recognize that there is more that we have in common than what divides us.”
Art of Elan gave its first concerts in 2007. It was the brainchild of two San Diego Symphony musicians, violinist Hatmaker and flutist Demarre McGill.
Their goal was to expose diverse audiences to classical music by presenting exceptional chamber music concerts in unconventional venues. The programing would be a mix of traditional chamber-music works and commissioned contemporary pieces. Personal connections with audiences were encouraged.
McGill, currently principal flutist of the Seattle Symphony, serves on Art of Elan’s advisory board and will perform at the last concert of the new season. Hatmaker, who still plays with the symphony, is the nonprofit’s executive and artistic director.
Art of Elan musicians in a recording session for the group’s upcoming double album “Visions & Dreams,” being released July 10 by Phenotypic Recordings. (Art of Elan)
New album: ‘Visions & Dreams’
Last fall, Art of Elan recorded its double album that will be released by Phenotypic Recordings. “Visions & Dreams: 20th Anniversary Retrospective” didn’t originate from Art of Elan, but from Phenotypic.
The San Francisco-based company, which has distributed albums by the Kronos Quartet and San Diego’s Hausmann Quartet, heard about Art of Elan through the classical-music grapevine. Phenotypic was especially interested in recording music that had rarely been recorded — if at all.
“Visions & Dreams” features a remarkably wide variety of original works expertly played by Art of Elan musicians. It includes composer Gabriela Ortiz’ “Exilios” and works by other composers that have not been recorded before.
The double album is beautifully paced.
“I agonized over this more than I have over any individual concert in 20 years,” said Hatmaker. “And I spend a fair amount of time agonizing over each concert!
“It was important to me that the individual tracks not exist in a vacuum — this is a sonic journey we’re taking listeners on, and there is an arc to each of the volumes.”
The diverse group of composers on “Visions & Dreams” includes Grammy-winning composers Ortiz, Mason Bates and Jessie Montgomery. Also featured is music by Kronos Quartet’s Paul Wiancko, keyboardist and YouTuber Nahre Sol, award-winning Chinese-American Chen Yi (who is in her 70s) and Iranian-American Kian Ravaei (who is in his 20s).
The double album includes such high-profile San Diego musicians as Hausmann Quartet cellist Alex Greenbaum, trombonist Eric Starr and pianist Tina Chong, who each teach at SDSU. Like Hatmaker, “Visions & Dreams” viola/violinist Hanah Stuart, cellist Andrew Hayhurst, bassist Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, flutist Rose Lombardo, harpist Julie Phillips and Associate Concertmaster Wesley Precourt are members of the San Diego Symphony.
“I feel really fortunate that I have such superstar colleagues here who can commit to recording all this terribly difficult music,” Hatmaker said. “We are very lucky. It’s an abundance of artistic riches here in San Diego.”
High school and college composers in Art of Elan’s Young Artists in Harmony program in the Jason Mraz Music Studio at (ARTS) A Reason to Survive in National City. Works by this year’s composers will be performed there on Nov. 21. (Vincent Martinez)
New season: ‘Collective Wisdom’
That wealth of talent will be on frequent display during Art of Elan’s 20th season. Art of Elan launches “Collective Wisdom” on Oct. 6 by presenting the ever-evolving Brooklyn Rider string quartet. Its “Citizenship Notes” program, co-commissioned by Art of Elan, traces the history of democracy through music from Haydn to Bob Dylan to Puerto Rican-born composer Angélica Negrón.
The concert will be held at the JAI, an intimate, cabaret-style space at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. Art of Elan is one of the four Resident Companies @ The Conrad, an honor bestowed in May 2025 by La Jolla Music Society.
A week later, Art of Elan will perform at La Casa del Zorro’s star-gazing outdoor theater in Borrego Springs (an International Dark Sky Community). It seems an ideal place to play the rarely performed Des canyons aux étoiles (From the Canyons to the Stars) by Olivier Messiaen. The French composer was inspired to write the massive work by his 1972 trip through Bryce Canyon and Zion Park.
UC San Diego professor and percussionist Steven Schick will conduct a percussion-heavy chamber orchestra of about 30 musicians in Borrego Springs. Longtime friends, Schick and Hatmaker first performed the Messiaen opus in La Jolla about 10 years ago.
“Steve’s dream was to do it again, but in a more immersive way,” Hatmaker said. “You’ll be under the stars watching the sky change over the course of these 90 minutes. You’ll literally be hearing the stars come out as you’re looking up at them.”
In November, Art of Elan returns to the Mingei International Museum, one of its longtime stomping grounds. In a concert tied to the museum’s “Painted Prayers” folk art exhibit, Hatmaker and Hausmann Quartet’s Greenbaum, who are married, will play two commissioned world premieres.
Los Angeles-based Jory Herman, an Art of Elan advisory board member and producer of “Visions & Dreams,” composed a violin/cello/electronics piece for them. The companion piece is by Eunike Tanzil, a young Indonesian composer, also based in L.A.
“When you commission new music, you have no idea what it’s going to sound like,” Hatmaker said. “But it will celebrate this 20th anniversary milestone, so that’ll be fun.”
With or without a commission, Herman was planning to compose a piece for the event honoring Art of Elan’s achievements.
“Working with Kate is a reminder that great art is ultimately about people and the community we build together,” he said via email.
“Her dedication to fostering connections, championing new voices, and creating meaningful experiences has made Art of Elan a model for what an arts organization can be.”
Free noon concerts
Slightly overlapping Art of Elan’s regular season are two programs that are integral parts of its overall approach.
In collaboration with the San Diego Public Library, Art of Elan presents “Midday Music,” a free, noon concert series held on select Fridays at the Central Library downtown. This past season closed with a June 12 concert. The new “Midday Music” series begins August 14.
Young Artists in Harmony (YAH), Art of Elan’s composition program in partnership with (ARTS) A Reason To Survive in National City, will start a 10-week session in mid-September. Now in its 12th year, YAH offers in-person mentoring to advanced music students from professional Art of Elan musicians on Saturdays and via Zoom during the week.
At a November 21 concert, the fall crop of YAH composers will witness their works premiered and receive a professional recording of the event. Hatmaker said many former YAH students are pursuing composition in college and continue to stay in touch.
Art of Elan will kick off 2027 with a January concert called “Sounds & Swells” at The Baker-Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad. Conceived by trombonist and surfer Eric Starr, the popular series features live music played by the Hausmann Quartet carefully synced with surfing footage.
Among the other Art of Elan offerings next spring is an April 18 concert by its resident HAWK Quartet at a to-be-determined venue. HAWK members Hatmaker, Hausmann, Wesley Precourt and Hanah Stuart will perform Beethoven’s epic String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130.
“When we take on bigger projects, we know each other so well and can so instinctively play easily with each other,” Hatmaker noted. “There’s a built-in trust. Wes and Hanah are married, and Alex and I are married, so we all sort of intimately know each other.
“We were the quartet that recorded most of the works on the ‘Visions & Dreams’ album. We’ve talked about doing the Beethoven piece for a while and I think it’s going to be pretty memorable.”
Art of Elan will close the 2026-27 season with its characteristically community-oriented Collective Wisdom Festival at the Mingei International Museum on June 27. The daylong event will showcase works by a range of local organizations, from Camarada and Bach Collegium to Malashock Dance and the Myriad Trio, which includes Art of Elan co-founder Demarre McGill.
“It’s going to be a daylong love fest to say thank you to all these art organizations that paved the way for us,” Hatmaker said. “We will be celebrating this collective wisdom that we’ve gathered from so many over these years.
“It’s going to be a testament to what our region is capable of and the generosity of spirit that exists here.”
Art of Elan will present “Sounds & Swells,” a multimedia concert with a string ensemble performing music synchronized to surf films, on Jan. 17 at The Conrad in La Jolla. (Todd A. Davidson)
Art of Elan’s 2026-27 season: Collective Wisdom
Fridays on Sept. 18, Oct. 16, Nov. 20, Jan. 22, Feb. 12, March 12, April 16, May 21 and June 18, noon: Midday Music invites audiences to enjoy curated chamber-music performances during the lunch hour while taking in panoramic views of downtown San Diego. Shiley Special Events Suite at San Diego Central Library. 330 Park Blvd. Free
Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.: Acclaimed string quartet Brooklyn Rider will perform its celebrated “Citizenship Notes” program. Along with Carnegie Hall, Art of Elan served as a co-commissioner of the project, which explores themes of civic engagement, belonging and shared responsibility through the music of Haydn, Beethoven and more contemporary voices. The JAI at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla. $18-$53.
Monday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m.: Olivier Messiaen’s epic masterpiece From the Canyons to the Stars gets a rare outdoor performance beneath the desert sky. Conducted by Steven Schick, the performance will feature acclaimed soloists including pianists Conor Hanick and percussionists Fiona Digney and Andrew Watkins. Stargazing Theater at La Casa del Zoro Resort & Spa, 3845 Yaqui Pass Road, Borrego Springs. $23-$50.
Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.: Inspired by Mingei International Museum’s Painted Prayers exhibition, this colorful program will feature world premiere commissioned compositions by Jory Herman and Eunike Tanzil, alongside music by Kian Ravaei and Toru Takemitsu. Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. $18-$48.
Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m.: Art of Elan musicians will premiere original compositions created by local high school and college students who participate in the organization’s Young Artists in Harmony program. (ARTS) A Reason To Survive ARTS, 200 East 12th St., National City. Free.
Sunday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.: The popular multimedia “Sounds & Swells” series pairs live string quartet music with surf films commissioned by Art of Elan in collaboration with filmmakers from around the world. The program celebrates California’s coastal culture while exploring the relationship between music, movement and the natural world. The Conrad, La Jolla. $18-$53.
Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.: Guest ensemble Wind Sync will join Art of Elan musicians for the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Kian Ravaei, plus music written by Jeff Scott and Astor Piazzolla that highlights connections between classical, jazz and tango traditions. Union Hall Gallery, 2323 Broadway, Suite 201, San Diego. $18-$48.
Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m.: Inspired by Mingei’s Skate Craft exhibition, this retrospective concert will revisit some of Art of Elan’s most memorable musical collaborations and audience favorites from the past 20 years, including works by Missy Mazzoli, Eve Beglarian, Kevin Puts, Osvaldo Golijov and Marco Granados. Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. $18-$48.
Sunday, April 18 at 7 p.m.: Art of Elan’s resident HAWK Quartet performs Beethoven’s monumental String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130, exploring one of classical music’s most daring and influential artistic statements. Venue to be announced. $18-$48.
Tuesday, May 18 at 8 p.m.: Grammy Award-winning composer Caroline Shaw and songwriter Danni Lee will present their celebrated project, Ringdown, which blurs the boundaries between contemporary classical music, indie folk and electronic music. Presented in collaboration with UC San Diego’s ArtPower. The Loft at UC San Diego. 3151 Matthews Lane, La Jolla. $18-$78.
Wednesday, May 19 at 7 p.m.: One of the most praised composers of her generation, Caroline Shaw will join Art of Elan musicians for an intimate evening featuring selections from her extensive body of work. The JAI at The Conrad, La Jolla. $18-$78.
Saturday, May 29 at 2 p.m.: The spring Young Artists in Harmony will present newly composed works developed through Art of Elan’s intensive mentorship program. (ARTS) A Reason To Survive, National City. Free.
Sunday, June 27 from 12-7 p.m.: The “Collective Wisdom” festival will celebrate the artists, organizations and creative partnerships that have helped define Art of Elan’s first 20 years. Inspired by Mingei’s Heartbeats exhibition, the festival will feature various performances throughout the museum in collaboration with Camarada, Bach Collegium, San Diego New Music, Hausmann Quartet, Malashock Dance, SACRA/PROFANA and others. Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. Free to $150.
More information available at artofelan.org.