Founded by Daniel Barenboim, the Boulez Ensemble has its artistic home in the Pierre Boulez Saal at the Barenboim-Said Akademie, where it made its first appearance in June 2015 as part of the topping-out ceremony of the academy building. Its international debut followed in January 2017 at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall in New York as part of a memorial concert for Pierre Boulez. As a flexible group not bound by a permanent roster of performers, the Boulez Ensemble brings together musicians primarily drawn from the ranks of the Staatskapelle Berlin and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, as well as faculty and students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie and international guest artists for each individual project. The ensemble’s artistic identity is expressed in its concert programs, which combine works of the Classical and Romantic repertoire with masterpieces of the 20th century and works by contemporary composers.