Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Presents Virtual Event, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jul. 20, 2020
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra will present a free virtual concert, A Midsummer Night's Dream, on Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 7:00 P.M. Eastern. The event features Orpheus musicians performing in small chamber groups for the first time since February 2020, and the exclusive online premiere of Orpheus' 2015 Dresden Music Festival performance of Felix Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, filmed at the Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany in celebration of the ten year anniversary of the reconstruction of the Dresden Frauenkirche after it was destroyed in World War II.
The evening will also feature free A Midsummer Night's Dream-themed party packs mailed to those who RSVP by July 24 (available while supplies last), a pre-show happy hour with cooking videos by Orpheus musicians, illustrations of how Orpheus is taking its education and community engagement programs online, special messages from Orpheus board members and musicians, and appearances by guest artists including saxophonist Branford Marsalis and pianist Khatia Buniatishvili.
In addition to the Dresden Mendelssohn performance, the program includes Valerie Coleman's Danza de la Mariposa [Dance of the Butterfly] for solo flute; Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Clarinet Quintet Op. 10, mvt. IV; Jessie Montgomery's Duo for Violin and Cello, mvt. III; and Rossini's "Di Piacer mi Balza il Cor" from La Gazza Ladra for bassoon, voice, and string quartet performed by Orpheus musicians cellist Eric Bartlett, bassoonist and vocalist Gina Cuffari, clarinetist Alan Kay, violist Dana Kelley, flutist Elizabeth Mann, and violinists Richard Rood and Eric Wyrick.
Performance Information
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Thursday, August 6, 2020 at 7:00 P.M. Eastern
Watch on the Orpheus Website, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram
Tickets: Free
More Information: https://orpheusnyc.org/tickets-and-concerts/virtual-gala-august-2020
*RSVP by July 24 to Alexandria Bocco at abocco@orpheusnyc.org to receive a complimentary Party Pack before the event via U.S. mail (available while supplies last)
Program:
Valerie Coleman - Danza de la Mariposa [Dance of the Butterfly] for solo flute
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Clarinet Quintet Op. 10, mvt. IV
Jessie Montgomery - Duo for Violin and Cello, mvt. III
Rossini - "Di Piacer mi Balza il Cor" from La Gazza Ladra for bassoon, voice, and string quartet
Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture
Performers:
Eric Bartlett, cello
Gina Cuffari, bassoon and voice
Alan Kay, clarinet
Dana Kelley, viola
Elizabeth Mann, flute
Richard Rood, violin
Eric Wyrick, violin
In 1972, a group of young artists made history by creating an orchestra without a conductor in which musicians led themselves democratically. Since then, the Grammy Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has recorded over 70 albums on all major classical labels, toured to 46 countries across four continents, and collaborated with hundreds of world-class soloists.
Orpheus' 34 member musicians work together as a collective and rotate leadership roles for all works performed, giving flight to unconventional interpretations. This democratic structure also extends to organizational functions including programming and governance: the orchestra elects three members to Artistic Director positions and three to the Board of Trustees.
Orpheus' 2020-21 season features collaborations with soprano Karen Slack; guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas; saxophonist Branford Marsalis; pianists Fazil Say, and Angela Hewitt; and violinist Christian Tetzlaff.
An essential part of New York City's cultural landscape, Orpheus presents annual series at Carnegie Hall and 92nd Street Y. Orpheus tours to major international venues and has appeared regularly in Japan for 30 years; recent engagements include the Prague Spring and Dresden Music Festivals and a 12-concert tour of Asia. The orchestra's extensive discography includes a February 2019 release on Deutsche Grammophon of Mendelssohn concertos with pianist Jan Lisiecki. Champions of chamber orchestra repertoire, Orpheus has commissioned and premiered over 50 new works.
Orpheus shares its collaborative model through education and community engagement initiatives that promote equity and access to the arts for listeners of all ages around the world. These include programs for K-12 students, opportunities for emerging professional musicians, and a music and wellness program for people living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
For more information about Orpheus please visit www.OrpheusNYC.org or call 212-896-1700.
Photo Credit: Fadi Kheir
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