ALBUM

After 5 years performing together, we are excited to embark on our largest and most ambitious project yet: a full-length album! The primary purpose of our album is to create art in the classical music space that reflects, recontextualizes, and responds to the current moment in our society while inspiring courage in our listeners. Our album, An Opportunity for Courage, takes its title from the third movement of Shane Scott Cook's call it what it is, a piece which we commissioned and premiered in 2025. This work is a direct reaction to the rise of authoritarianism in the United States and offers both a stark critique of the current administration and “an opportunity for courage” in standing up against injustice. Additional repertoire will be presented in conversation with Cook’s piece, exploring the variety of ways that we can be courageous in our everyday lives. In a time when arts funding has been slashed and the Kennedy Center has been overtaken by political actors, it would be easy to fall back into performing and recording music that feels safe. OLEA Ensemble believes in taking the opposite approach: creating art that represents who we are as individuals and doesn’t back down in the face of criticism or potential censorship. By taking this bold stance, we stand in solidarity with artists all over this country who are making equally provocative, and potentially dangerous, statements. 

We hope you will join us in taking this courageous next step in our career!