The GRAMMY®️-winning Experiential Orchestra (EXO) led by by founding Music Director James Blachly opens its season with Toward the Sea: A Concert for Climate Change Awareness. Toward the Sea reflects on the urgency for environmental protection of the ocean and features music inspired by the sea. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Oceana, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the world's oceans.

This immersive performance is designed for the unique acoustics of All Souls Unitarian Church – the same church that Herman Melville attended in the 19th century. Co-curated by James Blachly and EXO Creative Partner Catherine Gregory, the concert includes Blachly’s songs Delight and Insular Tahiti, commissioned for All Souls Unitarian Church with texts drawn from Moby Dick; frequent EXO collaborator, violinist and composer Michelle Ross’s meditative composition The Whale Song; a reimagined version of Maurice Ravel’s Une barque sur l’ocean performed by pianist David Kaplan with strings surrounding the audience; Toru Takemitsu’s Toward the Sea II with Catherine Gregory and virtuoso harpist Bridget Kibbey (a piece commissioned by Greenpeace and inspired by Moby Dick); and a performance of Welsh composer Grace Williams’s energetic Sea Sketches, a little known tour-de-force for string orchestra and a reflection of the sea’s power. The concert concludes with George Crumb’s landmark work Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) for Three Masked Players (Electric Flute, Electric Cello and Amplified Piano) featuring Catherine Gregory, flute; Mihai Marica, cello; and David Kaplan, piano.

EXO's 2025-2026 season, titled Origins, runs from November 2025 through May 2026 and includes four immersive programs, each reflecting the origins and mission of the organization – to curate programs that embrace the unique acoustics and characters of each venue, creating a one-of-a-kind listening environment and a new experience of sound.