Progress is a one-hour contemporary chamber ensemble work composed by Ethan Chilton; a mosaic of music, text, and soundbites forming a pointed critique of many faces of progress. Inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass", Progress examines many topics, including the rise and fall of the genius-tech-billionare-superhero-martyrs that we have given limitless technological, and now political, power. With a libretto taken from recent podcasts and interviews of important writers and thinkers, Progress hints at an alternative path through a world that lacks connection, depth, and wisdom

Featuring soloists Kateryna Kravchenko (soprano) and Matthew Brown (tenor), the Progress Ensemble features a stellar cast of LA instrumentalists. It premiered live in February 2025 at Fried Music in Alhambra, California.