Deeply influenced by American folk and jazz traditions while incorporating the intimacy and precision of chamber music, The Westerlies’ brand-new program highlights the style of shape-note music—a body of work written with a notation system designed to facilitate congregational and social singing. The program includes four world premieres commissioned by Baryshnikov Arts Center, one by each of the quartet members and inspired by shape-note music, which showcase the group’s talent for improvisation while cutting new trails across the vast expanse of the American musical landscape.