Thursday Night Music
Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians
Ensemble Signal
Thursday
February 26, 2026
7 - 8:30 pm
Calderwood Hall
Thursday
February 26, 2026
7 - 8:30 pm
Calderwood Hall
The Gardner’s new series, Thursday Night Music, launches with a bang. Making their Gardner debut, Ensemble Signal performs Steve Reich’s seminal minimalist work, Music for 18 Musicians.
Music for 18 Musicians is an hour-long work featuring four grand pianos, three full-size marimbas, two xylophones, three singers, clarinet, violin, and cello. Drawn from a wide variety of influences including Balinese gamelan, plainchant, and jazz, it premiered 50 years ago in 1976. Music for 18 Musicians continues to loom large in today’s musical landscape; David Bowie included the 1978 recording among his 25 favorite albums of all time. This will likely be the first time the piece has been performed by a professional ensemble in Boston, just in time for the anniversary of its premiere and Reich’s 90th birthday. You won't want to miss it!
Thursday Night Music concerts are open seating, single-set performances with no intermission.
Photo by Stephanie Berger
Ensemble Signal
Brad Lubman, Co-Artistic Director/Music Director
Lauren Radnofsky, Co-Artistic Director/Executive Director
Click on the link below to listen to Ensemble Signal’s Recording of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians.
Tickets are extremely limited for this one-night-only event. Experience this masterpiece in the Gardner’s iconic Calderwood Hall.
Pricing: open seating
$50 for adults
$40 for members
45 for seniors
$20 for college students and children 5–17
Thursday Night Music at the Gardner is sponsored by Barbara and Amos Hostetter.