![Pat Metheny and drummer Billy Hart perform onstage.](/sites/default/files/styles/400x192/public/2026-03/021725_100271_Cali-Pat-Metheny-and-Billy-Hart_MP.jpg?h=926d89e9&itok=JFVVm7C-) # Immersive Residency Join us for the sixth annual Cali Immersive Residency Program at the John J. Cali School of Music, where week-long residencies with world-class artists and ensembles offer students immersive opportunities to collaborate, learn, and explore the evolving, often nontraditional landscape of music today. ## Cali School of Music 2026-27 Artist-in-Residence ![Gabriel Kahane sitting with back towards piano and hands on keys](/sites/default/files/styles/1120x1120/public/2026-08/Gabriel%20Kahane%20by%20Jason%20Quigley11.jpg?h=7eabb7da&itok=6hFpQEbk) *Photo by Jason Quigley* ### Gabriel Kahane **COMPOSER, SINGER-SONGWRITER, CONDUCTOR, and THEATER ARTIST** **Gabriel Kahane** is a composer, singer-songwriter, conductor, theater artist, and writer whose work moves fluidly between concert music, indie music, and theater. Over the past fifteen years, he has collaborated with artists including Paul Simon, Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, Caroline Shaw, Pekka Kuusisto, and the Danish String Quartet. His concert works have been performed by orchestras across the United States and Europe and include *emergency shelter intake form*, an oratorio exploring economic inequality and homelessness, and *Heirloom*, a piano concerto released by Nonesuch Records in 2025. Kahane has also conducted ensembles including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Oregon Symphony. His theater work includes *The Ambassador*, *February House*, and the Broadway production of *The Waverly Gallery*. His writing has appeared in *The Atlantic*, *The New Yorker*, and *The New York Times*. He received a 2021 Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. - [Visit Gabriel's website](https://gabrielkahane.com/who.html) *Photo by Jason Quigley* ![Gabriel Kahane on stage singing into microphone](/sites/default/files/styles/1120x1120/public/2026-08/Gabriel%20Kahane%20on%20stage%20by%20Jason%20Quigley.jpg?h=1d18c55e&itok=jTZ_kBde) ### Residency Visit Schedule - **Fall 2026** - September 28 - October 1, 2026 - November 10-13, 2026 - December 8-9, 2026 - **Spring 2027** - March 1-3, 2027 - March 22-24, 2027 - March 12-15, 2027 ## 2026-2027 Residency Guests ### [ PUBLIQuartet](https://www.publiquartet.com/) **Genre-bending and Improvising String Quartet** **October 13 – 17, 2026** [View the Schedule of Events](/events/cali-immersive-residency-publiquartet "Cali Immersive Residency: PUBLIQuartet") **PUBLIQuartet** is a multi-GRAMMY-nominated improvising string quartet known for expanding the language of chamber music. Blending classical tradition, improvisation, contemporary music and American multiculturalism, PUBLIQuartet creates performances that feel immediate, exploratory and deeply connected to the present moment. During their Cali Immersive Residency, PUBLIQuartet will work with students on creative collaboration, improvisation, chamber music, new music and genre-expansive performance. Their visit offers students a model for how a 21st-century ensemble can build repertoire, reimagine tradition and engage with urgent cultural questions through sound. *Photo by Lelanie Foster* ![PubliQuartet](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/26-27%20Immersive%20Residency%20Guests%20-%20PubliQuartet-photo-by-Lelanie-Foster.jpg?h=46a87453&itok=x0azdMlt) ### [ The Hands Free](https://www.newamrecords.org/artists/the-hands-free) **Acoustic Quartet, Classical, Folk, Jazz and Improvisation** **November 16 - 22, 2026** [View the Schedule of Events](/events/cali-immersive-residency-hands-free-and-members-dance-heginbotham "Cali Immersive Residency: The Hands Free and Members of the Dance Heginbotham") **The Hands Free** is a whimsical acoustic quartet featuring composer-performers James Moore on guitar and banjo, Caroline Shaw on violin, Nathan Koci on accordion, and Eleonore Oppenheim on bass. Drawing from classical, jazz, folk, theater, and experimental traditions, the group creates a vivid blend of joyful melodies, lush textures, and explosive improvisation. Friends and collaborators for more than 20 years, the members of The Hands Free first came together through New York’s vibrant music and arts scene. The quartet grew out of informal after-hours folk jams and a shared love of creativity, spontaneity, and musical adventure. Individually, the artists have built wide-ranging careers across concert music, theater, dance, opera, recording, and interdisciplinary performance. Their collective credits include Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning work, Broadway productions including *Illinoise* and *Oklahoma!*, collaborations with leading composers and ensembles, and performances across classical, folk, jazz, and experimental music. ![Members of The Hands Free blowing air at a dandelion](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/26-27%20Immersive%20Residency%20Guests%20-%20The%20Hands%20Free.png?h=ada05aa9&itok=He3NBP_X) ### [ Chloe Flower](https://www.chloeflower.com/) **Pianist, Composer, Producer, Activist** **February 9 - 14, 2027** **Chloe Flower** is a pianist, composer and producer who bridges classical music and pop culture through her signature “popsical” style. A classically trained artist with a bold visual and musical identity, Flower has brought piano performance to major mainstream stages while advocating for music education and social change. Her work connects virtuosity, glamour, entrepreneurship and advocacy, offering students a powerful example of how classical training can lead to expansive, contemporary artistic pathways. During her Cali residency, Flower will engage students in conversations and workshops around performance, artistic identity, career-building, media, crossover work and the role of musicians as public voices. ![Chloe Flower poses at piano](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/26-27%20Immersive%20Residency%20Guests%20-%20Chloe%20Flower.png?h=6bd71740&itok=YjK633yX) ### [ Glen Velez and Handance](https://www.glenvelez.com/) **Frame Drummer, Percussionist, Composer, Educator** **February 22 - 24, 2027** **Glen Velez** is a four-time GRAMMY Award-winning percussionist, composer and educator widely regarded as a founding figure in the modern frame drum movement. His work draws on global rhythmic traditions, improvisation, vocalization and decades of teaching, creating an approach to percussion that is physical, expressive and deeply connected to culture. Velez’s residency will offer Cali students an opportunity to explore rhythm as a full-body practice. Through workshops, classes and performances, students will encounter frame drumming, hand percussion, rhythmic language, improvisation and the power of pulse as a foundation for musical connection. ![Glen Velez playing tamborine](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/26-27%20Immersive%20Residency%20Guests%20-%20Glen%20Velez.jpg?h=d17b4b8e&itok=-4UMOXTV) ### [ Jake Runestad](https://jakerunestad.com/) **Composer, Conductor** **February 25 – 27, 2027** **Jake Runestad** is an EMMY-winning and GRAMMY-nominated composer and conductor whose choral, orchestral and wind ensemble works are performed around the world. Known for emotionally direct, community-centered music, Runestad writes works that connect performers and audiences through themes of hope, humanity, resilience and transformation. Runestad’s return to the Cali School of Music will bring students into close contact with a leading contemporary composer whose music is especially meaningful for singers, conductors, composers and ensemble musicians. His residency will include rehearsals, conversations and public events connected to choral music, composition and the creative process. *Photo by Travis Anderson* ![Jake Runestad](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/26-27%20Immersive%20Residency%20Guests%20-%20Jake%20Runestad%20photo%20by%20Travis%20Anderson.jpg?h=a4a64b70&itok=0pbB3v3r) ### [ Lawrence Brownlee](https://www.lawrencebrownlee.com/) **Tenor** **March 21 - 22, 2027** **Lawrence Brownlee** is one of the leading opera singers of his generation, celebrated internationally for his artistry, technical brilliance and expressive power. A major figure in the bel canto repertoire, Brownlee has performed on the world’s leading stages and is also known as an important voice for activism, representation and diversity in opera. During his Cali Immersive Residency, Brownlee will work with voice students, singers, collaborative pianists and the broader Cali community. His visit will offer students rare insight into vocal artistry, operatic style, career development and the responsibility artists can hold as cultural leaders. ![Lawrence Brownlee](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/26-27%20Immersive%20Residency%20Guests%20-%20Lawrence%20Brownlee.png?h=04040552&itok=G5Ok34td) ### [ Terence Blanchard](https://www.terenceblanchard.com/) **Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader, Opera Composer, Film Composer** **April 7-9, 2027** **Terence Blanchard** is an eight-time GRAMMY Award-winning trumpeter and composer whose work moves boldly across jazz, film, opera and contemporary music. A celebrated bandleader and prolific screen composer, Blanchard has created scores for films including *Da 5 Bloods*, *The Woman King* and *Harriet*, while his operas *Fire Shut Up in My Bones* and *Champion* have brought his distinctive musical voice to the Metropolitan Opera. His work is deeply rooted in storytelling, collaboration and the power of music to engage with the world around us. During his Cali Immersive Residency, Blanchard will work with students across disciplines, drawing connections between performance, composition, improvisation, storytelling and creative collaboration. His visit offers students an extraordinary opportunity to learn from an artist whose career demonstrates just how expansive a life in music can be. ![Portrait of Terrence Blanchard](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/Terence-Blanchard-Portrait-Daymon-Gardner.jpg?h=500bbe75&itok=mcZcck1Q) ### [ Seraph Brass](https://www.seraphbrass.com/) **Brass Ensemble** **April 19 - 24, 2027** **Seraph Brass** is a dynamic brass ensemble founded by trumpet soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden with a mission to showcase the excellence of women brass players and highlight musicians from marginalized groups through both personnel and programming. The ensemble has been recognized for its exceptional artistry, adventurous programming and commitment to education. Seraph Brass will work with Cali students through master classes, ensemble coachings, performance and conversation. Their residency will offer brass students and the wider school community an inspiring look at chamber music, professional ensemble life, inclusive programming and the future of brass performance. ![Members of Seraph Brass with instruments outside around a tree](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-06/26-27%20Immersive%20Residency%20Guests%20-%20Seraph-Brass.jpg?h=570d7bef&itok=LSsxFEFe) ## Full Season Schedule ![Hands Free backstage](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-09/HandsFree_-_1200x1200_-_LudovicaBurtone.jpg?h=cd2a7045&itok=6_aydTKq) 16 Nov [Cali Immersive Residency: The Hands Free and Members of the Dance Heginbotham](https://www.montclair.edu/events/cali-immersive-residency-hands-free-and-members-dance-heginbotham) - Nov 16, 2026, 2:00 - 4:00 pm - Location Several Venues in Chapin Hall ![Hands Free backstage](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-09/HandsFree_-_1200x1200_-_LudovicaBurtone.jpg?h=cd2a7045&itok=6_aydTKq) 18 Nov [Cali Immersive Residency: The Hands Free and Members of the Dance Heginbotham](https://www.montclair.edu/events/cali-immersive-residency-hands-free-and-members-dance-heginbotham) - Nov 18, 2026, 2:00 - 3:00 pm - Location Several Venues in Chapin Hall ![Dance Heginbotham on stage, photographed by David Blakeman](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-08/Heginbotham-Dance-Sonata_photo-by-David-Blakeman.jpg?h=ada05aa9&itok=Ui_7H9Na) 18 Nov [Cali Midweek Series: The Hands Free and Dance Heginbotham](https://www.montclair.edu/events/cali-midweek-series-hands-free-and-dance-heginbotham) - Nov 18, 2026, 2:00 - 3:00 pm - Location Leshowitz Recital Hall, Chapin Hall [View all Immersive Residency events](https://www.montclair.edu/events?type%5B365%5D=365) ## About the Cali Immersive Residency Program The Cali Immersive Residency Program brings leading professional artists to the John J. Cali School of Music for sustained, meaningful engagement with students and the public. Each residency contributes to an ongoing exploration of music today, introducing students to a future that will be, at times, less traditional, more collaborative and deeply connected to the world around them. Residency activities may include public performances, master classes, classroom visits, ensemble coaching, workshops, side-by-side collaborations and special projects across the school. ## Previous Season Highlights - [ ![Paquito D'Rivera playing clarinet](/sites/default/files/styles/700x700/public/2026-06/25-26%20Immersive%20Residency%20-%20Paquito%20D%20Rivera.jpg?h=7eabb7da&itok=9ZyuhYkX) View Video and Caption ](%20%20%20%20https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_MjeMCqw8M) - [ ![Pat Metheny plays guitar on stage](/sites/default/files/styles/700x700/public/2026-06/021725_100003_Cali-Pat-Metheny-and-Billy-Hart_MP.jpg?h=6981f79a&itok=GU_WzP3B) View Video and Caption ](%20%20%20%20https://youtu.be/jrc956qzP7c) - [ ![overhead photo of students around a piano with Lara Downes](/sites/default/files/styles/700x700/public/2026-06/Lara-Downes-20231004_163100.jpg?h=926d89e9&itok=4S7lUdPG) View Video and Caption ](%20%20%20%20https://youtu.be/rCR8Dxakteg) - [ ![Cali students on stage with Christina McBride](/sites/default/files/styles/700x700/public/2026-06/Christian-McBride-and-Harlem-Quartet-Workshop-85.jpg?h=7eabb7da&itok=DzrFmkXr) View Video and Caption ](%20%20%20%20https://youtu.be/iEAnZ-xvBNM) - [ ![Wynton Marsalis speaking with a Montclair student](/sites/default/files/styles/700x700/public/2026-06/111021_5418_CALI-Wynton-Marsalis-Residency.jpg?h=926d89e9&itok=css2ua6k) View Video and Caption ](%20%20%20%20https://youtu.be/PdM6ElrG8Ew?si=w9iERTeF9gJ7BBxk) Go to the previous slide 1/ Go to the next slide ## Have Questions? We’re Here to Help. [John J. Cali School of Music](/academics/schools-colleges/john-j-cali-school-music) The John J. Cali School of Music is centered on preparing the creative leaders of tomorrow. The school is dedicated to a premier artistic and academic education, offering exceptional conservatory-level training in best-in-class facilities. - Telephone [973-655-7212](tel:973-655-7212) - Address Chapin Hall