Newton's New Philharmonia Orchestra Presents NEW PHIL REAWAKENED - MUSIC FOR MAY, May 22

Newton's New Philharmonia Orchestra (New Phil) continues their 27th season of "Music for All" with New Phil Reawakened - "Music for May" on Sunday, May 22rd at 3 p.m. at Brown Middle School in Newton, MA.

Led by Principal Conductor Jorge Soto, New Phil Reawakens will feature works by Saint-Saëns and Brahms. The performance will include acclaimed cellist and long-time Newton resident Allison Eldredge, who has toured with the world's leading orchestras. Tickets for New Phil Reawakened - Music for May are available now at www.newphil.org.

New Phil Reawakens will begin with Camille Saint-Saëns's masterpiece Cello Concerto No. 1. Arranged for a solo cellist and scored for a small orchestra, this dramatic piece is structured in one continuous movement containing three different progressing sections. Feature soloist, Allison Eldredge, will perform in the dramatic and musical foreground.

Cellist Allison Eldredge has appeared as a soloist in 30 major American orchestras and innumerable major international orchestras. Her rare musical sensitivity and perfect technique has landed her the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant and Musical America's "Young Artist of the Year" award. Some of her most notable accomplishments include a critically-acclaimed sold-out debut as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, a command performance at the White House and special performances in tribute to cellist Pablo Casals at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico. A champion of living composers, Ms. Eldredge was deeply honored to tour North America, Europe and Israel with the late composer Krzysztof Penderecki performing his Viola Concerto transcribed for cello and orchestra. She has frequently appeared on radio and television stations internationally showcasing why she is accredited as a "cellist afraid of nothing".

"We are so excited to have Allison Eldredge join New Phil. She's a world renowned talent and her presence among us will be sure to leave everyone at New Phil inspired" said New Phil Executive Director Adrienne Hartzell Knudsen.

The concert also includes Johannes Brahms' famous, grand and great Symphony No. 1. Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work with sketches dating back to 1854. The First Symphony was not performed until 1876, some 20-plus years after Brahms made his first symphony efforts.

For this concert, New Phil will be requiring masking for all audience members.

New Phil Reawakened will be held on Sunday, May 22 at 3:00 PM at Brown Middle School, 125 Meadowbrook Road, Newton, MA. Tickets range from $40 - $50 for adults and $10 for students under 25 and available online now at http://newphil.org/.

Jorge Soto is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist with an active and diverse career both in North and South America. Currently, he is the Principal Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, the Principal Guest Conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, and the Music Director of the Sistema Side-by-Side Orchestra at Longy School of Music. In addition to his regular posts, Mr. Soto has collaborated with several orchestras. He has twice conducted the Boston Symphony Chamber Players: first in October 2019 for a performance of Stravinsky's Octet at Jordan Hall, and again at Symphony Hall in December 2020, leading the ensemble in Elena Langer's Five Reflections on Water. The latter performance was filmed and released as part of a BSO streaming concert in January 2021. Mr. Soto also served as assistant or cover conductor on several occasions throughout the BSO's 2020-21 online season.

Born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Mr. Soto is a product of El Sistema, an innovative program that uses classical music as a vehicle for social change. He began his musical studies in Venezuela at the Vicente Emilio Sojo State Conservatory, later studying violin at the Latin American Academy of Violin under Rhio Sanchez and Joseì Francisco Del Castillo. Mr. Soto graduated with a Master of Music degree in conducting from the New England Conservatory.

The New Philharmonia Orchestra, founded in 1995, is a 75-member nonprofessional regional orchestra based in Newton. The orchestra's mission to perform "music for all" has been advanced by presenting programs of diverse repertoires of classical music for the enjoyment of audiences of all ages and experiences. The orchestra also strives to provide its nonprofessional players the opportunity to achieve a high level of ensemble performance not otherwise available.

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