The Berlin Academy of American Music is a chamber orchestra made of top Berlin-based musicians who share a common focus on performing and promoting the works of American and American immigrant composers. Formed during the height of the pandemic, conductor Garrett Keast conceptualized a way to connect music, performers, and audiences on a deeper level. Transatlantic, BAAM’s first recording receive 5-stars from BBC Music Magazine and das Orchester, and reflects the orchestra’s motivation with a program of Copland, Dorman, Stravinsky, Takemitsu, and Urquhart. The orchestra’s early concerts accentuated social justice themes with the European premiere of Anthony Davis’s You have the Right to Remain Silent, as well as featuring Milhaud’s groundbreaking La Creation du Monde and Caroline Shaw’s fresh and contemporary Entr’acte. Praised for its “successful debut” by Concerti Magazine, the orchestra aims to inspire dialogue exploring the connections between America and Europe.

The Berlin Academy has enjoyed collaborations with acclaimed artists such as Israeli soprano Chen Reiss, American violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley, Greek flutist Stathis Karapanos and French harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet. BAAM celebrated its album debut with concerts in Berlin, in November of 2021 followed by its Elbphilharmonie Hamburg debut in February of 2022. The future is bright for the orchestra, with festival engagements and further recordings on the horizon.