PSO Concert
The Institute for Advanced Study hosts Exponential Ensemble as part of Princeton Symphony Orchestra's Chamber Series on Wednesday, November 12 in Wolfensohn Hall at 7:00 p.m. Pascal Archer, Joshua Butcher, Lillian Copeland, and Anna Urrey will perform works for wind quartet by Bozza, Balliett, Coleman, Schulhoff and more.
Tickets are sold out. However, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra box office can usually accommodate those on the waiting list.
Register here to be added to the waiting list.
Founded in 2011 by clarinetist Pascal Archer, Exponential Ensemble is a mixed chamber music ensemble made of New York City’s top-notch performers and teaching artists. Each season the ensemble presents compelling programs that include both classic masterworks and contemporary masterpieces. Exponential Ensemble’s mission includes commissioning and premiering works by living composers that are inspired by math, science and literacy. Since 2013 they have commissioned new works by composers such as Amy Brandon, Robert Paterson, Jessica Meyer, Gilad Cohen, and Jared Miller. They collaborate regularly with composer Daniel Ott for the Fordham Composers Program at Lincoln Center’s Fordham University. Recent collaborations included new music residencies with the Composers Collective and at the Mostly Modern Festival, during which Exponential Ensemble premiered new works by emerging composers. In 2024 they released their debut album, Matters of Time, featuring commissioned works inspired by science. Additionally, Exponential Ensemble curates interactive educational programs that use music as a way to connect with school curricula. These programs have been delivered to organizations such as Music for Autism, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts and in New York City public schools.
Musicians
Hailed by the New York Times as an “outstanding clarinetist”, Pascal Archer leads an active career as a chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Exponential Ensemble, Principal Clarinet of the Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra, NEPA Philharmonic and Princeton Symphony Orchestra. A former member of the New World Symphony, he served for three seasons as Acting Principal Clarinet for the New Jersey Symphony and is currently a guest musician with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the North Country Chamber Players. Pascal Archer is a Conn Selmer Woodwind Artist. pascalarcher.com
Joshua Butcher is an active freelance chamber and orchestral bassoonist in the New York City area. Receiving his Master’s degree in Music Performance from New York University after attending the Curtis Institute of Music and CUNY Brooklyn College, he has performed as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician with such groups as the Albany Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Exponential Ensemble and Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. He has served as substitute Principal Bassoon with the Albany Symphony since January, 2021. He has been a participant of the Marlboro Music Festival since the summer of 2023.
Oboist Lillian Copeland is a sought-after New York City freelancer who plays with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the American Ballet Theatre, among others. She is currently Principal Oboe with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, CA. Lillian is an adjunct professor at NYU and Montclair State University, and on the pre-college faculties of Juilliard MAP, Manhattan School of Music, and Mannes School of Music.
Flutist Anna Urrey is a versatile solo, chamber, and orchestral musician. She has performed with renowned groups such as The Knights, New Jersey Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra, and the International Contemporary Ensemble. She has also appeared on Broadway in Camelot and Bad Cinderella as a substitute, and was a chair holder of the 2023 and 2024 Radio City Christmas Spectacular productions. Anna is a core member of Exponential Ensemble and Frisson, an acclaimed ensemble that tours nationwide. Recording projects include films Radium Girls and Little Women, and Principal Flute on the Experiential Orchestra’s GRAMMY-winning recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s work, “The Prison.” Anna is a Wm. S. Haynes Artist.