Tag: American Symphony Orchestra

American Symphony Orchestra Announces Details of 60th Anniversary Season

The American Symphony Orchestra celebrates its return to the stage and its 60^th anniversary season in 2021-22 with four full-orchestra programs at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, and a free opening concert titled Mahler in New York at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on December 16. The opening program focuses on composers whom Mahler had championed during his years in New York.

Additional highlights comprise the U.S. Premiere of Sergei Taneyev’s massive final work, At the Reading of a Psalm (January 28, 2022); an all-Duke Ellington program—cancelled at the start of the pandemic—featuring jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his Trio with such works as Black, Brown, and Beige Suite; Sophisticated Lady; and Night Creature for Jazz Band and Orchestra (March 24, 2022); and a free closing program of living American PulitzerPrize-winning composers including Melinda Wagner, Richard Wernick, Shulamit Ran, and a world premiere by Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra with legendary electric violinist Tracy Silverman (June 5, 2022). .

Now in its 60^th season, the American Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski, with the mission of providing music within the means of everyone. Music Director Leon Botstein expanded that mission when he joined the ASO in 1992, creating thematic concerts that explore music from the perspective of the visual arts, literature, religion, and history, and reviving rarely performed works that audiences would otherwise never have a chance to hear performed live.

Nothing can compare to the thrill of live performances. We are overjoyed at our return to the stage after the restrictions of the past year and to once again be able to play for our beloved audiences in person. To celebrate this especially meaningful event on the occasion of our 60^th anniversary season makes it even more significant.
American Symphony Orchestra Music Director Leon Botstein

Leon Botstein provides the musical context for most of the concert programs in lively, 30-minute Conductor’s Notes Q&A sessions. These discussions, animated learning opportunities for both new concertgoers and music connoisseurs alike, begin one hour before each concert and are free for all ticket holders.

Leon Botstein has been music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra since 1992. He is also music director of The Orchestra Now, an innovative training orchestra composed of top musicians from around the world. He is co-artistic director of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival, which take place at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, where he has been president since 1975. He is also conductor laureate of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, where he served as music director from 2003–11. In 2018, he assumed artistic directorship of Campus Grafenegg and Grafenegg Academy in Austria. Mr. Botstein also has an active career as a guest conductor with orchestras around the globe, and has made numerous recordings, as well as being a prolific author and music historian. He is the recipient of numerous honors for his contributions to the music industry. In 2019, The New York Times named Leon Botstein a “champion of overlooked works…who has tirelessly worked to bring to light worthy scores by neglected composers.”

Mahler in New York

Thursday, December 16, 2021, 8 pm, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam AveConductor’s Notes Q&A 7 pm. This free 60^th anniversary performance opens the ASO season in the glorious Cathedral of St. John the Divine with a survey of some of the composers whom Mahler had championed during his time in New York, including George Whitefield Chadwick, Alphons Diepenbrock, and Henry Hadley. Mahler’s famous Adagio from his Symphony No. 10 will also be performed.Taylor Raven, mezzo-sopranoGeorge Whitefield Chadwick: Melpomene OvertureHenry Hadley: The Culprit Fay, Op. 62Alphons Diepenbrock: Hymne an die NachtGustav Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 10

Tickets: The performance is free, reservations are required and can be made online at americansymphony.org. Ticket holders will need to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 using a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to enter the venue and details can be found here.

Sergei Taneyev’s At the Reading of a Psalm, U.S. Premiere

Friday, January 28, 2022, 8 pm, Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage) Conductor’s Notes Q&A 7 pm to be confirmed closer to the date as part of the venue’s guidelines The ASO returns to Carnegie Hall for its Vanguard Series with the U.S. Premiere of Sergei Taneyev’s final work, At the Reading of a Psalm. Conceived as a massive statement of Russian Orthodox faith at the onset of WWI, this large-scale cantata for full orchestra, double chorus, and vocal soloists showcases the dramatic effect of Taneyev’s contrapuntal mastery.Wendy Bryn Harmer, sopranoEve Gigliotti, mezzo-sopranoJoshua Blue, tenorHarold Wilson, bassBard Festival ChoraleFirst Movementi. Chorus (Allegro tempestoso)ii. Double Chorus (Andante sostenuto)iii. Chorus. Triple Fugue (Fuga a tre soggetti, Andante – Allegro molto)Second Movementiv. Chorus (Allegro moderato – Fuga. Allegro tenebroso)v. Quartet (Andante)vi. Quartet and Chorus (Adagio ma non troppo)Third Movementvii. Interlude (Allegro appassionato)viii. Aria (Alto Solo) (Adagio piu tosto largo)ix. Double Chorus (Finale) (Adagio pietoso e molto cantabile-Allegro moderato-Allegro molto)

Tickets: Priced at $25–$65, tickets are available at carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800, or visiting the box office at 57th St & 7th Ave. Ticket holders will need to follow the venue’s guidelines and show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 using a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to enter the building.

Duke Ellington + Marcus Roberts Trio

Thursday, March 24, 2022, 8 pm, Carnegie Hall (Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage)Conductor’s Notes Q&A 7 pm to be confirmed closer to the date as part of the venue’s guidelinesThe American Symphony Orchestra toasts the genre-defying genius of Duke Ellington with an evening including New World A-Comin’ and Three Black Kings for jazz trio and full orchestra with renowned jazz pianist Marcus Roberts. Originally scheduled for March 2020 but canceled due to the pandemic, the concert features Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Catherine Russell. Roberts worked with the ASO in United We Play, a short film featuring three world premieres commissioned by ASO and released in December 2020 on the Orchestra’s streaming platform ASO Online.Marcus Roberts Trio Marcus Roberts, piano Rodney Jordan, bass Jason Marsalis, drumsCatherine Russell, vocalistAll-Duke EllingtonBlack, Brown, and Beige Suite (Arr. Maurice Peress)Satin Doll (Arr. Chuck Israels)Harlem (Arr. Luther Henderson & Maurice Peress)Sophisticated Lady (Arr. Morton Gould)New World A Comin’ (Arr. Maurice Peress)Three Black Kings (Completed by Mercer Ellington, Arr. Luther Henderson)Night Creature for Jazz Band and Orchestra (Arr. Luther Henderson, Ed. Gunther Schuller)

Tickets: Priced at $25–$65, tickets go on sale December 22 and are available at carnegiehall.org, by calling CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800, or visiting the box office at 57th St & 7th Ave. Ticket holders will need to follow the venue’s guidelines and show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 using a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to enter the building.

American Masters

Sunday, June 5, 2022, 8 pm, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Broadway at 60th StreetConductor’s Notes Q&A 7 pmThe ASO offers another free performance to close its 60^th anniversary season. In line with the ASO’s long history of championing American artists, the closing concert offers a trio of American Pulitzer Prize-winning living composers including Melinda Wagner and two of her mentors, Richard Wernick and Shulamit Ran. Philadelphia-born Melinda Wagner’s Concerto for Flute, Strings, and Percussion was distinguished for its well-crafted flute solo. Boston native Richard Wernick’s Viola Concerto—written for violist Walter Trampler and Leon Botstein (who conducted the 1987 premiere)—alludes to the well-known Dylan Thomas poem “Do not go gentle into that good night.” Shulamit Ran’s Symphony, commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra, also won the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award the same year as her 1991 Pulitzer. The program’s highlight is the world premiere of Roberto Sierra’s newly commissioned Concerto for Electric Violin, which presents a mixture of Sierra’s Latin-influenced ideas and modern compositional techniques through the voice of the electric violin, performed by the renowned electric violinist Tracy Silverman.Tracy Silverman, violinRoberto Sierra: Concerto for Electric Violin (World Premiere)Melinda Wagner: Concerto for Flute, Strings, and Percussion (work awarded with 1999 Pulitzer Prize)Richard Wernick: Viola Concerto (“Do Not Go Gentle…”)Shulamit Ran: Symphony (work awarded with 1991 Pulitzer Prize)

Tickets are free but required. Ticketing and reservation access information will be available in early 2022 at americansymphony.org and jazz.org. Ticket holders will need to follow the venue’s guidelines and show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 using a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to enter the building.

November 14, 2021
Members of American Symphony Orchestra Perform at Opus 40

On June 24, members of the American Symphony Orchestra played Opus 40 in Woodstock. Winds Among Trees, a wind instrument sextet brought a new layer to experiencing the sculpture park. Both shared a story of creative survival amidst destruction, which made it the perfect time and place for the convergence to occur.

The sextet blending in the shadows

Senses Alive

Bright light, contrasting stone and stunning landscapes made for the perfect atmosphere. Placing the band strategically on the artwork itself, allowed for an elevated way of experiencing both the art and the music.

A welcomed visual obstruction

Ornate hedges and seemingly innocuous smaller sculptures partially obstructed nearly every view the music and the monolith. Senses were heightened as participants were compelled to be more present, and listening with a more focused ear and eye. As the post-solstice afternoon progressed, the sun started to blare into the eyes of the audience, which made viewers feel like they were part of a progressive performance art piece.

Enjoying the experience

Rare Music, Rare Location

The contrasting stone with all of the afternoon’s light made all the of the artist’s intentions clear. The monolith’s sun dial- like beacon of love was built on an old bluestone quarry after the land had been destroyed by construction.

Beautiful works like this achieved though years of manual labor.

The music played by the sextet was extremely rare in that it is not often played or performed, but also in the idea of it being chosen by the musicians. During shutdown, when all sought-after cultural celebrations of art and music were closed, members of the American Symphony Orchestra were given an interesting assignment. Captains were chosen to enlist a team to learn a collection of rare music.

A beautiful venu

This is not common and the idea to perform these collections in different interesting venues made this even more thoughtful. Being able to have creative control as well as the project and accountability hopefully helped some through the incredibly trying time.

Music stands excited they non longer have to socially distance

Visitors to Opus 40 took away a feeling of gratitude. They felt music in a unique environment during a new beginning for our society.

Setlist: Serenade for 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, and 2 Horns (Matyas Seiber),
Sextet No. 1 in Eb (F.H.J. Castil-Blaze), Sextet (Harald Genzmer), Adagio and Rondo (Carl Maria von Weber)

Setlist via americansymphony.org

To see more of what the ASO has done over shutdown, visit their website.

June 27, 2021
American Symphony Orchestra Performing at Opus 40 on June 24
On June 24 at 5 pm at the beautiful sculpture park and museum Opus 40, a wind sextet showcasing acclaimed musicians from the American Symphony Orchestra will offer Winds Among the Trees, a program of rarely-heard classical music that will immerse the audience in a sprawling landscape. The concert will include works by Carl Maria von Weber and Matyas Seiber and explore the evolution of the wind sextet in the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

The wind sexted from American Symphony Orchestra

The musicians will be Shari Hoffmanon and Lino Gomez on clarinet, Lawrence DiBello and David Smith on French horn, and then Marc Goldberg and Gilbert Dejean on bassoon. Most of the players also belong to the American Ballet Theater Orchestra. Dejean however also is a member of the Saratoga Opera and along with Gomez has performed in the orchestra for the Broadway productions of West Side Story.

Opus 40 is a large environmental sculpture park in Saugerties, New York, created by sculptor and quarryman Harvey Fite. It includes a central in-earth bluestone sculpture with dry-stone ramps, pedestals, bridges and platforms. The property also houses the Quarryman’s Museum and hosts a range of artistic events.

The program will include:
- Matyas Seiber – Serenade for 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, and 2 Horns
- F.H.J. Castil-Blaze – Sextet No. 1 in Eb
- Harald Genzmer – Sextet
- Carl Maria von Weber – Adagio and Rondo
Tickets for American Symphony Orchestra at Opus 40 are $20 and can be purchased here.
June 23, 2021
American Symphony Orchestra Announces Free Chamber Music Series in Bryant Park

The American Symphony Orchestra announces plans for free nine-concert chamber music series, taking place in Manhattan’s Bryant Park and 34^th St. Herald Square Plaza and will run through May 3–19, 2021.

The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York-based American orchestra that was founded back in 1962. Their mission is to make orchestral music accessible and affordable for everyone. The musical performances and works are curated around ideas drawn from a variety of disciplines such as history, visual arts, science, politics and literature. They often try to revive works that were rarely-performed in their hay day that audiences would otherwise never have a chance to hear performed live.

The nine concert series will include five different programs curated by American Symphony Orchestra musicians. The performances will feature music ranging from 20^th century Mexican and all-American jazz composers to Afro-Cuban Batá drumming and classical works for horn quartet and woodwind trio. Some of the featured artists include percussionist and composer Javier Diaz, saxophonist Roxy Coss, and oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz.

There will be a limited number of first-come, first-served chairs set up near the Bryant Park Fountain Terrace in front of the stage and at Herald Square for people to watch the live music from American Symphony Orchestra. Artists and audience members will be required to follow current public health guidelines including wearing masks and social distancing. All the concerts will last for at least one hour and will begin at 5:30PM.

For more information on the American Symphony Orchestra and their concert series visit their website.

The full schedule can be read below:

Modernism in Mexico – String Quartet

Monday, May 3 & Tuesday, May 4, at 5:30 pm

Bryant Park Fountain Terrace

Modernism in Mexico explores string quartets by some of Mexico’s most important 20^th-century composers: Manuel Ponce, Silvestre Revueltas, and Carlos Chávez. Ponce was Mexico’s leading classical musician, and this performance of his well-known song Estrellita is a new arrangement for string quartet. Carlos Chávez was his student and heir apparent, touring extensively as a conductor and producing an impressive body of compositions. Chávez’s close colleague, violinist Silvestre Revueltas, was a notable conductor/composer whose work includes the score to the 1936 film Redes (The Wave), commissioned by the Mexican government.

Cyrus Beroukhim, violin

Philip Payton, violin

Will Frampton, viola

Alberto Parrini, cello

Manuel Ponce: Estrellita

Manuel Ponce: Petite suite dans le style ancien

Silvestre Revueltas: Musica de Feria

Carlos Chávez: String Quartet No. 3

Strike Force – Percussion Ensemble

Wednesday, May 5 & Wednesday, May 12 at 5:30 pm

34^thStreet Herald Square Plaza

This percussion ensemble combines Afro-Cuban Batá drumming and poetry with the sounds of contemporary chamber percussion, featuring Grammy-nominated Imani Winds’ oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz in compositions by percussionist and composer Javier Diaz.

Kory Grossman, Javier Diaz, and Charles Descarfino, percussion

Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboe

All-Javier Diaz Program:

“Chandani”

“Canciones del Idalgo”

“Maleza”

“Son Montuno Sinfonia”

“Sakpata”

“Lucumi Cycle”

ASO Salutes NYC/USA – Jazz Ensemble

Monday, May 10 & Tuesday, May 11 at 5:30 pm

Bryant Park Fountain Terrace

A truly American genre, the ASO presents this jazz ensemble as a salute to U.S. healthcare workers who have made it possible for New Yorkers to experience live music once again. The program, including works by Gershwin, Bernstein, Ellington, and Chick Corea, among others, celebrates composers who have defined the sound of this vibrant city.

Lee Musiker, piano

Lou Bruno, bass

Kory Grossman, drums

Eugene Moye, cello

Roxy Coss, tenor saxophone and flute

Harry Warren: “42nd Street”

George Gershwin: “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from Porgy and Bess

Duke Ellington: “Take the A Train”

Leonard Bernstein: “Some Other Time”

Leonard Bernstein: “Cool” from West Side Story

Gustav Holst: I. Mars, the Bringer of War, from The Planets, Op. 32

Chick Corea: Children’s Songs

Charles Mingus: “Nostalgia in Times Square”

Woodwind Trio

Tuesday, May 18 at 5:30 pm

Bryant Park Fountain Terrace

Woodwind chamber music had something of a renaissance in the 1920s; at the same time, works for reed trio—oboe, clarinet, and bassoon—were coming together with the formation of the Trio d’Anches de Paris, a collaboration of three virtuosi reed players. This program offers music from some of the greatest composers of wind music in the 20^th century.

Alexandra Knoll, oboe

Shari Hoffman, clarinet

Marc Goldberg, bassoon

Charles Koechlin: Trio d’anches Op. 206

Jean Françaix: Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon

Alexandre Tansman: Suite for Wind Trio

Claude Arrieu: Suite en trio

Albert Roussel: Andante from an Unfinished Wind Trio: Adagio

Joseph Canteloube: Rustiques – I. Pastorale

Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon, FP 32a

Gilles Silvestrini: Oboe Etude No. 1: Hôtel des Roches Noires à Trouville

Horn Quartet

Monday, May 17 & Wednesday, May 19 at 5:30 pm

Bryant Park Fountain Terrace & 34^th Street Herald Square Plaza

Perfectly at home in the outdoors, the horn quartet has enjoyed a rich history from the forest to the concert hall. This program features composers highlighted by Bard Music Festivals of the past with a few modern classics that will inspire.

Chad Yarbrough, David Smith, Lawrence DiBello, and David Peel, French horns

Nikolai Tcherepnin: Horn Quartet Op. 35

Carlos Chávez: Sonata for Four Horns

Richard Strauss: Fünf Volksliedsätze

Selections of Austrian hunting music

April 12, 2021