A Chamber Music Collective Rooted in Expansion

Three women in a recording studio with musical instruments, including a violin, a piano, and a cello, surrounded by microphones and music stands, with bookshelves in the background.

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Founded in 2022 by cellist Molly von Gutzeit (Aronson), Ensemble Mycelium is a chamber music collective dedicated to the performance of new and existing works, expanding the presentation of their field and engaging new audiences through an interconnection of multi-disciplinary mediums. With a versatile roster of highly sought after artists that have performed on stages across the world, Ensemble Mycelium has consistently championed the premiere of new compositions. The ensemble maintains ongoing collaborations with Composer-in-Residence Nick Virzi, composer Anne-Marie Keane, and AVID Dance.

Receiving creation grants from the Queens Council for the Arts, Queen Ballet Collective and Choreographer-in-Residence Billy Blanken, and Virzi collaborated to create Riverdaughter, a multidisciplinary work combining solo cello, electronics, dance, and film which premiered at the Queensboro Dance Festival. The ensemble completed a northeast tour, premiering the concert trio “Awaiting the Next Rebirth,” by Virzi featuring soprano, cello, and percussion, with a residency at Connecticut College. In collaboration with AVID Dance, Ensemble Mycelium premiered trio works by Asher Komor “Adagio & Coda” and Anne-Marie Keane “Human (2025)” and “Untamed Woman (2024)” at Symphony Space Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre. Expanding their musical horizons, they recorded a studio and video album of Keane’s chamber ballet score for viola, cello, voice, and piano.

Ensemble Mycelium has been the featured musical performer for the Australian American Association and has presented a program called Sinister Soirée in collaboration with the Classical Keys Concert Series, blending live music with silent horror film projections. They have also appeared in the Saratoga Salon Series alongside painter Gerald Stulc and Skidmore Poetry professors, showcasing a multidisciplinary approach to performance.

Newest Releases!

UPCOMING Performances

11/14/26, Music for Autism at Brooklyn Public Library

Laura Manko Sahin, violin, Molly von Gutzeit, cello, Taisiya Pushkar, piano

Featuring fanciful music of Beethoven, DaFalla, Rimsky-Korsakov, Clarke, Kreisler, and Shostakovich

Friday 12/4/26, New York Composer’s Circle at Tenri Institute

Emily Duncan, flute, Laura Manko Sahin, violin, Yurika Mihara, piano

Alexa Canales Beginnings for flute & piano
Eric Heilner Short Story Nº 2 for violin & piano
Timothy Miller Cuatro en uno for piano four hands
Matt Krane Opothy for solo flute

Monday 1/25/27, New York Composer’s Circle at Tenri Institute

Laura Manko Sahin, violin, Taisiya Pushkar, piano

Eric Heilner Short Story Nº 3 for Violin & Piano

Friday, 2/26/27, New York Composer’s Circle at Tenri Institute

Arthur Moeller & Judith DeHaas, violins, Laura Manko Sahin, Molly von Gutzeit, cello, Yasmina Spiegelberg, clarinet, Sabeth Perez, soprano

Tim Miller Poets Suite for soprano and string quartet
Emilia Tamburri Good Night for string quartet
Paul Aljian Elegy for flute and string trio
Matt Krane Quintet for Alto Sax & String Quartet
Robert Carl A Taxonomy of Silence for narrator and string quartet
Alon Nechushtan Shedim for clarinet and string quartet
Luca Pasquini Sospira for string quartet

Monday, 3/29/27, Scorca Hall at the National Opera Center

Judith DeHaas, violin, Molly von Gutzeit, cello Alex LoRe, tenor saxophone

Emilia Tamburri String Duos
David Mecionis Tessuto non tessuto for tenor saxophone and cello

Thursday, 4/22/27, Scorca Hall at the National Opera Center

Arthur Moeller & Sam Weiser, violins, Laura Manko Sahin, viola, Molly von Gutzeit, cello, Taisiya Pushkar, piano, Emily Duncan, flute

Barrett Kalellis Quartet in Thirds for string quartet
Alon Nechushtan Secret Chord/s for piano quartet
Robert Paterson Embracing the Wind for flute/alto flute, viola, harp
Hubert Howe Quintet for Flute, Harp, Violin, Viola & Cello
Karl Schultz String Quartet

Wednesday, 5/19/27, Scorca Hall at the National Opera Center

Kai Hirayama, clarinet, Joe Swift, bassoon, Molly von Gutzeit, cello,

Anthony Izzo movements from Three States for flute and clarinet
Emiko Hayashi Spaces for bassoon and piano
Alexa Canales break | through for bass clarinet, bassoon and cello

2026 Roster

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Taisiya Pushkar - Pianist

Described as 'a graceful pianist', with an 'impeccable sense of timing', Taisiya Pushkar enjoys a vibrant career as a collaborative pianist. Having performed extensively in Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, Israel, Canada and the United States as a recitalist and in collaboration with many leading singers and instrumentalists, Taisiya is in demand as a dynamic performer and a sensitive collaborator. She is currently the official pianist of Melodia Women's Choir of NYC and the first full-time collaborative pianist of Young People's Chorus of NYC.

A young woman in a black sleeveless top holding a violin in an indoor setting with large windows and tree branches outside.

Laura Manko Sahin - Violist

Laura Manko Sahin has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Following her concerto debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 2005, she has soloed with the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, New England Repertory Orchestra, Oure Pleasure Singers, and University of North Carolina School of the Arts Symphony Orchestra. Laura was formerly the Principal violist of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra and violist of the Boston Harp Trio. She currently is a substitute with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

A woman in a black dress sitting on a wooden bench outdoors with trees and water in the background, during what appears to be evening or dusk.

Molly von Gutzeit - Cellist, Arranger & Founder

With a passion for collaboration and expansion, cellist Molly von Gutzeit looks to bring people together through the arts. Finding common ties between disciplines, she works with esteemed visual artists, dancers and choreographers, writers, filmmakers, actors, and composers to discover innovative takes on presenting classical music and the arts. She enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and educator, performing across the U.S. and internationally.

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Nick Virzi - Composer

Nick Virzi is a composer whose work includes acoustic, electronic, and electro-acoustic music, as well as intermedia pieces and multichannel installations. His pieces explore the relationships between humans and the natural world, numerology and rhythmic structure, and ethnography and identity. Nick’s music has been performed by Séverine Ballon, Tony Arnold, the JACK Quartet, Splinter Reeds, Ensemble Liminar, Distractfold, the Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble, the TAK Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, and Wild Up. He completed the H&S Dean’s Fellowship at Stanford, and was a Lecturer in the Department of Music and the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).

Past Performers

& Collaborators:

Violin: Edward W. Hardy, Masha Polishuck, Soo-Yeon Kim, Lauren Cauley Calal

Viola: Benni von Gutzeit

Piano: Kyle Walker, Daniel Colalillo

Percussion: Oded Geizhals

Flute: Asher Komor

Composition: Nick Virzi, Oded Geizhals, Anne-Marie Keane, Asher Komor

Dance: Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre, Billy Blanken (Choreographer), AVID Dance

Visual Art: Gerald Stulc

The Australian American Association