Exceptet is an “eclectic” and “quirky” (New Yorker) New York-based 501(c)(3) new music septet that features violin/singer, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, double bass, and percussion. Described as a “cleverly-named…pocket orchestra” that features a “chattering, post-minimalist sound” (New Sounds), “rambunctious, minimalist, alt-pop energy” (I Care If You Listen), and “excellent playing” that makes for “an appealing, imaginative listen” (Fanfare), Exceptet has played in various festivals and venues across America including Le Poisson Rouge, Roulette, Boston Conservatory, The Donald J. Farish Auditorium at the Providence Public Library, and they have been presented by Con Vivo Music in Jersey City, NJ, The Johnstone Foundation for New Music in Columbus, OH, The Ecstatic Music Festival and MATA Interval Series in New York, and more. They will additionally be featured in 2026 by the Bang On A Can Long Play Festival and Con Vivo. Exceptet is dedicated to commissioning new works from young and emerging composers, including a new work by Max Vinetz, which was generously funded by the Koussevitsky Music Foundation, and a new work by Rome Prize recipient Katherine Balch, which was generously funded by the Barlow Endowment. Exceptet’s debut album, which features “three ingenious pieces” (Fanfare) including Balch’s eponymous work, Tree Lines, was generously supported by The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording Grant and released on New Focus Recordings 2025. Exceptet is a recipient of a 2026 grant from Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Forward program, funded through the generosity of the New York Community Trust, and recorded an upcoming album of works by Brendon Randall-Myers which will be released on New Focus Recordings.

Exceptet is:
Chuck Furlong, clarinet
Sarah Goldfeather, violin
Evan Honse, trumpet
Dan Linden, trombone
Allison Nicotera, bassoon
Catherine Deskur, double bass
David Stevens, percussion