Co-founded by Angel Gil-Ordóñez and Joseph Horowitz in 2003, PostClassical Ensemble (PCE) challenges and redefines what an orchestra does by radically rethinking the concert experience. That’s why The Washington Post has called PCE “wildly adventurous.”
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PostClassical Ensemble's humanities-infused thematic programming tells stories -- exploring music in its cultural and historical context. It integrates theater, dance, film, and visual art, as well as folk, indigenous, and popular music and instruments.

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PCE partners with museums and educational institutions and produces films and radio documentaries. The group prioritizes the story of American music, with special attention to its African-American roots.
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PCE champions works and composers (for instance, Silvestre Revueltas, Lou Harrison, and Bernard Herrmann) deserving greater advocacy for their cultural influence and social significance.
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PCE explores a contemporary “postclassical” musical landscape that supersedes outdated notions of “classical” versus “popular.” By flexibly expanding and contracting, PCE becomes an adaptable medium for instrumental music, ranging from chamber repertoire to full-orchestra compositions both old and new.
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It is the group's conviction that once such flexibility is achieved, buttressed by a breadth of humanities content, orchestras can continue to flourish as an instrument of human expression.

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