New York, N.Y. – On June 6, 2026, Madison Square Park Conservancy (MSPC) premieres a new music commission by composer Jody Redhage Ferber inspired by the park’s unique horticultural collection and by its status as Manhattan’s only accredited arboretum.

The site-specific chamber ensemble concert invites audiences to follow a guided “music trail” through the park, encountering four intimate and interactive ensemble performances near the plants and pollinators that shaped each piece, before gathering on the Oval Lawn for a mainstage performance by all 18 musicians of the EcoTones Ensemble. The concert includes the debut of five new compositions written by Redhage Ferber in homage to the park’s arboretum, its five notable perennial collections—Camellias, Daffodils, Hydrangeas, Redbuds, and Witch Hazels—and the leafcutter bee, an important native pollinator. The whimsical compositions invite visitors to engage with the park’s unique flora and fauna and cultivate a sense of connection to urban nature.

Part of Redhage Ferber’s ongoing EcoTones Concert series, which presents live, original music in conversation with nature, the concert is free and open to the public, with no RSVP required. Permanent QR-coded recordings of the arrangements will be available throughout the park following the June 6 performance. A park guide is available here.

EcoTones Concert at Madison Square Park
June 6, 2026, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Stage 1: Grove of Original Beings

Northeast corner of Redbud Lawn

Celebrating Redbuds, Hydrangea, and Leaf Cutter Bee

Program:

  • Love at Any Scale by Jody Redhage Ferber (premiere)
  • Bee Authentic for Inadvertent Miracles by Jody Redhage Ferber (premiere)

Musicians: Jessica Schmitz (flute); Ben Kono (English horn and soprano saxophone); Chris Dingman (vibraphone); Atao Liu (bassoon); and Jody Redhage Ferber (cello).

Stage 2: Grove of Mutual Benefit

Southeast corner of Sparrow Lawn

Celebrating Daffodils, Witch Hazel, Owlet Moths, and Humans as Symbiotic Fauna

Program:

  • La Modulación by Jody Redhage Ferber (premiere)
  • Grafting Souls arranged by Jody Redhage Ferber (premiere)

 

Musicians: Gino Sitson (voice); Michael Dudley (trumpet); Alan Ferber (trombone); Jesse Lewis (guitar); Adam Chilenski (bass); Rogerio Boccato (percussion); Glenn Schloss (percussion); and audience percussionists.

Stage 3: “Leave the Leaves” Zone of the Free

Dogwood Lawn

Celebrating the Rebounded Native Species on Dogwood Lawn

Program

  • Bird by Gino Sitson

Musicians: Gino Sitson (voice); Michael Dudley (trumpet); Alan Ferber (trombone); Ben Kono (saxophone); Adam Chilenski (bass); Martin Urbach (percussion); Glenn Schloss (percussion); and audience percussionists.

Stage 4: Grove of Past, Present & Future

Farragut Lawn

Celebrating the ancient English Elm (past), Camellias (present), and Artemis I Sweet Gum

(future)

Program:

  • Chipmunk Timmy’s Funny Sunny Day by Miho Hazama
  • Shifting Beauty by Jody Redhage Ferber (premiere)

Musicians: Sara Cawell (violin); Jessica McJunkins (violin); Orlando Wells (viola); Jody Redhage Ferber (cello); and Ben Kono (dizi/wooden flute).

Stage 5: Lawn of Interconnectivity
Northeast Oval Lawn

Program:

  • EcoAlpine Eclipse by Thomas Jostlein
  • Bird by Gino Sitson
  • The Peace of Wild Things by Jody Redhage Ferber
  • Root Loops by Bob Deboo
  • Remember by Gino Sitson
  • Grow to the Sun by Jody Redhage Ferber

Musicians: Alphorn Trio (Thomas Jostlein; Tricia Jostlein; and Barbara Jostlein) and Full EcoTones Ensemble

The EcoTones Ensemble

Gino Sitson (voice); Sara Caswell (violin); Jessica McJunkins (violin); Orlando Wells (viola); Jody Redhage Ferber (cello); Jessica Schmitz (flute); Ben Kono (woodwinds and saxophone); Atao Liu (bassoon); Michael Dudley (trumpet); Alan Ferber (trombone); Thomas Jostlein (alphorn & French horn); Tricia Jostlein (alphorn & French horn); Barbara Jostlein (alphorn & French horn); Chris Dingman (vibraphone); Jesse Lewis (guitar); Adam Chilenski (bass); Rogerio Boccato (percussion); and Glenn Schloss (percussion).

About Jody Redhage Ferber

Performer, composer, and presenter Jody Redhage Ferber creates enchanting performance experiences that encourage open awareness of the natural connections and relationships among performers, listeners, and the surrounding environment, encouraging participants to both listen in a new way, and experience nature in a new way. Redhage Ferber has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, Disney Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Chicago Symphony Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits, among many other major performance venues across the globe.

About Madison Square Park Conservancy

Madison Square Park Conservancy (MSPC) is the nonprofit entrusted by the City of New York to conserve, maintain, and program Madison Square Park, a dynamic 6.2-acre public park in the heart of Manhattan. Through its public art commissions, horticultural stewardship, and engaging programming, MSPC cultivates an urban oasis that welcomes a diverse community of over 60,000 visitors every day. MSPC has led the park to national and international distinction, including its accreditation as a Level 2 arboretum—the only arboretum in Manhattan—as well as its selection as the first public art organization to commission the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2019. Responsible for raising 100% of the park’s operating budget, MSPC ensures that this evolving greenspace continues to be a haven for neighbors, visitors, and artists for generations to come. For more information, visit madisonsquarepark.org.