Ever Ensemble

Please join us for a special performance by EVER Ensemble, a collective of dynamic Philadelphia-based performers who are dedicated to bringing people together through music. This performance is presented by Ars Nova Workshop and The Woodlands as a featured program in the New Grass series of summer programs.

With an eclectic mix of instrumentation including cello, flute, harp, keyboards and vocals, EVER Ensemble channels its passion for community engagement and wide-ranging love of music into an eclectic and socially conscientious experience. The Ensemble’s performances cast their repertoire, focused on the compositions of black and women composers, in a fresh light, allowing the quartet to serve as cultural ambassadors who bridge gaps by expanding the musical palate of their audience. Just as the word “ever” transcends time, so does EVER Ensemble transcend musical genres and culture: one moment classical, another jazz, and still another pop or gospel or hip hop.

The Broad Street Review said of a recent performance, “Composed of four spectacularly talented women, the EVER Ensemble offered a program embracing a world of musical genres, including classical, hip-hop, Turkish, spiritual, and jazz… [expressing] a fresh, free spirit and an embracing relationship with the audience.”

The members of EVER Ensemble — vocalist and keyboardist Val Gay, flutist and vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd, cellist Ezgi Yargici and pianist, keyboardist and harpist Iris Bu — have played together for several years, coming together as a unified entity in 2017. With diverse musical influences and backgrounds, the members of EVER Ensemble have individually performed for audiences across the globe while also working tirelessly to teach and advance their communities. Each member has dedicated her life to making and sharing music at the highest levels, maintaining musical curiosity and continuing to grow and develop while simultaneously fostering other musicians’ creativity.