Talea Ensemble
Talea Ensemble is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) non-profit contemporary music organization founded in 2008 that performs and commissions new works by living composers through a core ensemble, while running composer-development programs (commissioning, Recording Workshop, Access Project), a podcast, and community events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Talea Ensemble does
Talea Ensemble is a New York-based 501(c)(3) non-profit contemporary music organization founded in 2008 in Brooklyn. It presents live performances of new works by living composers through a core ensemble of 17 musicians plus conductor, operating a year-round NYC performance season out of its home venue at the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew in Brooklyn, with additional concerts at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in Manhattan, Miller Theatre at Columbia University, and National Sawdust. The ensemble's core products include its performance season (with curated series such as TIME:SPANS, Written for Talea, Miller Portraits, and Talea Synchronisms), an Early Career Composer Commissioning Program, an annual Recording Workshop, the Open Forms podcast, and Open Stage community performance events — coordinated under the Talea Access Project umbrella since 2020.
The organization has commissioned at least 80 major new works since founding and received the Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Its technology stack is essentially performance-and-content: the underlying platform is its roster of musicians, rehearsal/performance venues (including a Kawai 6-foot grand piano at its Brooklyn home), and recording infrastructure that has produced releases on six major new-music labels (KAIROS, Wergo, Gravina Musica, Tzadik, Innova, New World Records) with broadcast on ORF, HRF, and WQXR Q2. Its digital layer is modest — a Wix-hosted website, email newsletter, podcast on Anchor.fm, and YouTube video content.
Talea's revenue is diversified across three streams: philanthropic donations from individuals and foundations (Amphion Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund, Fromm Music Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung), public arts funding (New York State Council on the Arts and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs), and earned ticket revenue ($20 general admission, $10 student/senior, with some free community events). Its go-to-market is event-driven: live performances, international festival engagements, educational residencies (Hamilton College, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities New Music Festival), and composer-support programs that double as pipeline development.
Talea Ensemble firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Talea Ensemble
- Legal name
- Talea Ensemble
- Website
- https://taleaensemble.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Talea Ensemble is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) non-profit contemporary music organization founded in 2008 that performs and commissions new works by living composers through a core ensemble, while running composer-development programs (commissioning, Recording Workshop, Access Project), a podcast, and community events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Talea Ensemble industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Music Performance
- NAICS
- Musical Groups and Artists (71113), Performing Arts Companies (7111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Session Musicians & Vocalists (MPAIAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing) (EDAMAAAF), Music Producers & Production Teams (MPAIAHAB)
Keywords
Where Talea Ensemble is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Talea Ensemble business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Talea relies heavily on donor support from individuals and foundations including Amphion Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund, Fromm Music Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, and Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung.
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for concerts and performances, with general admission priced at $20 and discounted tickets for students and seniors at $10.
- Government and Public Funding: Supported by New York State Council on the Arts and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission tickets |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Student tickets |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Senior tickets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Talea Ensemble product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Talea Ensemble is a Brooklyn-based contemporary music ensemble that performs and commissions new works by living composers, presenting a NYC performance season and festival engagements. The organization supports early-career composers through a commissioning program, recording workshop, and the Talea Access Project, and distributes recordings on multiple international new-music labels.
Product overview
Talea Ensemble is a New York-based contemporary music organization offering a unified portfolio of performing, commissioning, and educational programs. The core ensemble provides NYC performance seasons and commissions major new works from contemporary composers. Supporting programs include the Recording Workshop (offering professional recording opportunities for early-career composers), the Early Career Composer Commissioning Program ($2,000 commissions with travel reimbursement), the Open Forms podcast series, and Open Stage community performance events. The Talea Access Project coordinates these early-career support initiatives. The ensemble also presents curated concert series including TIME:SPANS Festival, Written for Talea programs, Miller Portraits, and the Talea Synchronisms series.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Early Career Composer Commissioning Program: Program commissioning early career composers to create 10-15 minute chamber ensemble works, providing a $2,000 commissioning fee and up to $800 travel reimbursement.
- Recording Workshop
- Open Forms
- Open Stage
Products and services
- Talea Ensemble Performance Season New York-based contemporary music ensemble founded in 2008 that performs and commissions major new works by living composers, presented through a NYC performance season, festival engagements, and curated concert series.
- Recording Workshop Annual program working with early-career composers to workshop recently written pieces and produce high-quality professional recordings, held for one week in New York City and free of cost to participants.
- Early Career Composer Commissioning Program Program commissioning selected early-career composers to create a 10-15 minute work for the ensemble, providing a $2,000 commissioning fee, up to $800 travel reimbursement, audio documentation, and promotional support.
- Open Forms Podcast
Quantifiable outcome
- 80+ commissions of major new works since 2008
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Talea Ensemble
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Talea Ensemble technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Talea Ensemble partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- DiMenna Center for Classical MusiccorePrimary performance venue for TIME:SPANS festival and Talea concerts. Mary Flagler Cary Hall provides professional performance space in Manhattan.
- TIME:SPANS FestivalcoreAnnual contemporary music festival produced by the Earle Brown Music Foundation Charitable Trust. Talea is a featured ensemble performing US premieres of works by composers like Rebecca Saunders and Wolfgang Rihm.
- Church of St. Luke and St. MatthewcoreHome venue for Talea Ensemble in Brooklyn. Provides St. Bartholomew Hall for performances and ensemble headquarters at 520 Clinton Avenue.
- Queens CollegeminorPartner venue for 2026 Recording Workshop in New York City.
- KAIROSminorMajor new music label distributing Talea's recordings worldwide.
- WergominorGerman record label distributing Talea's recordings worldwide.
- New World RecordsminorAmerican record label distributing Talea's recordings worldwide.
- Miller TheatrecoreColumbia University venue hosting Talea's Miller Portraits series featuring world premieres including Suzanne Farrin's Macabéa.
- National SawdustcoreBrooklyn venue hosting portrait concerts including Felipe Lara's Mazes and Portals with pianist Conrad Tao.
- Twin Cities New Music Festival / 113 CollectivemajorAnnual festival in Minneapolis-St. Paul featuring Talea performances including Sivan Cohen-Elias' Whistle Town and student composition premieres.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Talea Ensemble competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- JACK Quartet: NYC-based string quartet dedicated to contemporary music commissions and premieres, with international touring and educational residencies. Directly comparable in commissioning pipeline and new-music festival circuit to Talea.
- Yarn/Wire: Two-piano/two-percussion ensemble specializing in contemporary commissions, premieres, and recordings. Operates at similar scale in the same new-music commissioning ecosystem as Talea.
- Flux Quartet: NYC-based contemporary string quartet with strong commissioning and recording activity in the new-music space. Comparable in niche specialization and festival positioning to Talea Ensemble.
- Ensemble Signal: Flexible contemporary music ensemble performing premieres and new works with international touring. Comparable in programming philosophy and scale to Talea Ensemble.
- Bang on a Can All-Stars: NYC-based contemporary music ensemble with strong commissioning, recording, and festival presence. Operates in the same niche of new-music performance and shares Talea's presenter and audience overlap.
- Alarm Will Sound: Contemporary chamber orchestra performing new works and premieres with international touring and recordings. Closely mirrors Talea's commissioning, recording, and festival-presentation model at a comparable ensemble size.
- Eighth Blackbird: Chamber ensemble specializing in contemporary commissions, premieres, and recordings with extensive touring. Highly comparable in repertoire focus, ensemble structure, and nonprofit funding model.
- Either/Or: Contemporary music ensemble performing new works and premieres with an NYC base and international festival activity. Comparable in scale, programming approach, and commissioning activity to Talea.
- Wet Ink Ensemble: NYC-based large ensemble dedicated to contemporary music commissions and premieres. Shares Talea's commissioning model, NYC base, and presence on the new-music festival circuit.
- International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE): NYC-based chamber ensemble of similar scale focused exclusively on contemporary music commissions, premieres, and recordings. Directly comparable in mission, programming, and target presenters/festivals to Talea Ensemble.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Talea Ensemble social profiles
Digital presenceTalea Ensemble compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Talea Ensemble financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Talea Ensemble leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Talea Ensemble funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Talea Ensemble M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Talea Ensemble
What does Talea Ensemble do?
Talea Ensemble is a Brooklyn-based contemporary music ensemble that performs and commissions new works by living composers, presenting a NYC performance season and festival engagements. The organization supports early-career composers through a commissioning program, recording workshop, and the Talea Access Project, and distributes recordings on multiple international new-music labels.
Is Talea Ensemble a public or private company?
Talea Ensemble is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Talea Ensemble founded?
Talea Ensemble was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Talea Ensemble based?
Talea Ensemble is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does Talea Ensemble make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales and government and Public Funding.
Who are Talea Ensemble's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are JACK Quartet, Yarn/Wire, Flux Quartet, Ensemble Signal, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Alarm Will Sound, Eighth Blackbird, Either/Or, Wet Ink Ensemble and International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).
Does Talea Ensemble have an API?
No public API is recorded for Talea Ensemble.
What industry is Talea Ensemble in?
Talea Ensemble's product category is Contemporary Music Performance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAHAC, Session Musicians & Vocalists, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAF, Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing). Its NAICS code is 71113.