With an elastic, everchanging lineup, the New York-based contemporary chamber collective, formed in 2005, have an exploratory nature. Their diverse repertoire is at times complex and thrilling but more often calm and meditative. Founded and led by the Brooklyn cellist Clarice Jensen, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (often abbreviated as ACME) compose, commission, and interpret intricate, boundary-pushing material, and have presented important work by such luminaries of the modern classical world as Max Richter -- 2015's ambitious Sleep project -- and Jóhann Jóhannsson -- 2016's Orphée and 2022's Drone Mass. Alongside this, ACME have also worked with artists from the alternative rock sphere such as Low, Grizzly Bear, and Micachu the Shapes.

In the immediate years after their formation, ACME primarily performed concerts close to their New York base. Carefully chosen pieces by Terry Riley, Steve Reich, John Adams, and Philip Glass were among their repertoire in 2007 and 2008, while 2009 saw them introduce compositions from their own members, namely Timo Andres and Caleb Burhans. Early 2010 brought performances further afield, in New Mexico, Texas, and Vermont, while August saw them present world premieres of William Brittelle's electro-acoustic work, Future Shock and Andres' Thrive on Routine. In 2011, there was another busy itinerary to fulfill, particularly in the latter part of the year, which culminated in a national tour with Dustin O'Halloran and Adam Wiltzie's A Winged Victory for the Sullen.

Their first album release -- 2012's Loving the Chambered Nautilus -- came in collaboration with Brittelle on his New Amsterdam label, and the following year's NYC 1960-1963 saw them tackle previously unrecorded work by the Fluxus artist and contemporary of Yoko Ono, Joseph Byrd. May 2014's On in Love found them delving into their live repertoire from previous years to record slow-building vocal-led pieces on another New Amsterdam release, On in Love. A game-changer for the ensemble, however, was their involvement in the recording of Max Richter's eight-and-a-half-hour concept album, Sleep. Within five years of release, it had enjoyed over 500 million streams, and they returned to it throughout their career, performing it as far and wide and Hamburg, Sydney, and Auckland. Continuing their relationship with Deutsch Grammophon, in 2016 their recording of Jóhann Jóhannsson's Orphée became another popular record in the genre. Building on this momentum, 2017's Thrive on Routine largely presented their own compositions, while recordings in subsequent years collaboratively presented the work of David T. Little, on 2019's Agency, and Mick Barr on 2020's 12th Chamber. As a tribute to Jóhannsson -- who died in 2018 -- ACME released the premiere recording of Drone Mass in early 2022, a choral-led piece that the ensemble had commissioned from the Icelandic composer back in 2015. ~ James Wilkinson, Rovi