American Classical Orchestra Presents Bach Concert, Today

On Tuesday, November 29 at 8:00PM at the St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, 552 West End Ave. at 87th St, American Classical Orchestra presents a program of J.S Bach's cantatas; Es wartet alles auf dich, opening chorus BWV 187; Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland, opening chorus BWV 62; Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4; Cantata: Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, BWV 131; Cantata: Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich BWV 150 , Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, opening chorus BWV 10 and Sinfonia from Cantata: Ich habe meine Zuversicht, BWV 188. Cantatas were the daily work of the master composer. A selection of Bach's most uplifting cantatas will be sung by the acclaimed American Classical Orchestra Chorus with selected soloists in the ideal acoustic hall of St. Ignatius of Antioch Church. This concert is conducted by Thomas Crawford.

Thomas Crawford says, 'No other repertoire inspires and challenges a musician more than the works of J.S. Bach. For the listener, only Bach can draw us out of ourselves, into a world that is neither from the 18th century nor the present. Bach's music isn't really connected to his own time, even as the American Classical Orchestra strives to access his genius by performing it on period instruments from his era. The cantatas are based on new and old testament texts, and they are set to music that provides a unique perspective on the life lessons of these ancient words. Bach's craft is unsurpassed by any musician and his emotional understanding is deeper than any other composer. I approach an all-Bach concert as an aspiration that involves all that I am as a musician and a human being.

For this program, we present a carefully excerpted program made of some complete works and fragments of others. The range of sentiments is vast. We have music that is gripping, light, strong, loud, innocent, inquiring, probing, yearning and exuberant. It is a 90 minute journey, without intermission, like a walk into another dimension

PRE - CONCERT LECTURE

Maestro Thomas Crawford will present a Pre-Concert Lecture at 7:00PM on November 29.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

THOMAS CRAWFORD, Conductor

Artistic Director and Founder of the American Classical Orchestra, Thomas Crawford is a champion of historically accurate performance styles in Baroque, Classical and Early Romantic music.

Mr. Crawford holds a Bachelor of Music in composition and organ performance from Eastman School of Music, where he studied choral and orchestral conducting under Samuel Adler. After graduation, he went on to train with Hugo Fiorato, Conductor of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and to earn an MA in composition from Columbia University.

During the 1980s, Mr. Crawford founded and led two Connecticut orchestras: the Fairfield Orchestra and the period instrument Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy. In 1999 Mr. Crawford founded the American Classical Orchestra, bringing along the internationally recognized period musicians already performing in his Connecticut ensembles.

Over the years, Thomas Crawford has attracted top guest artists including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, André Watts, Dawn Upshaw, Richard Goode, Monica Huggett and Vladimir Feltsman; and Mr, Crawford has produced recordings with - among others - the great American pianists Malcolm Bilson and Keith Jarrett.

A passionate activist determined to bring the beauty of period music to a wider audience, Mr. Crawford has been recognized for the orchestra's dynamic music outreach to New York City schoolchildren, and for the lively and informative talks he gives, that precede each ACO concert.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA

American Classical Orchestra, New York's Leading Period Instrument Orchestra, enriches the cultural landscape of the City through inspired performances of 17th, 18th, and 19th century music on the instruments for which it was composed. Sitting in a church, salon or great concert hall, ACO audiences experience music history coming to life, and feel closer to the sound world of composers they love - of the Classical, Baroque and early Romantic periods.

Founded by Artistic Director Thomas Crawford in 1984 as the Old Fairfield Academy in Fairfield, Connecticut, the American Classical Orchestra has made its permanent home in New York City. Since moving to New York in 2005, the ACO has established itself as a leading orchestra in Manhattan, with performances at Alice Tully Hall, St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, David Geffen Hall, the New York Society for Ethical Culture, and more.

Some highlights of the orchestra's past thirty-one years include the Lincoln Center Great Performers Series, a sold-out 25th Anniversary performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, staged performances of Handel's opera Alceste and Haydn's opera L'Isola disabitata at Alice Tully Hall, and internationally acclaimed commercial recordings. The American Classical Orchestra programs pieces ranging from audience favorites, such as Mozart's Symphony No. 40 and Bach's B Minor Mass, to rarely heard gems such as George Philipp Teleman's Der Tag des Gerichts and British composer Cipriani Potter's Symphony No. 10.

During the American Classical Orchestra's 2016-2017 season, the Lincoln Center Series will include performances at Alice Tully Hall, and a premiere performance at David Geffen Hall of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The Orchestra's new organization of young professionals, the American Classical Orchestra's Cadenza Circle, has scheduled monthly social programs and live performances for New Yorkers under 45 who enjoy classical music.

AMERICAN CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA CHORUS

American Classical Orchestra Chorus is a renowned vocal group that joins American Classical Orchestra for larger productions and works. Comprised of professional vocalists from the New York Metro area, the ACO Chorus has quickly become of the pre-eminent period vocal groups in the City. Under the direction of Founder and Music Director, Thomas Crawford, the chorus has recently performed Handel's 'Samson' and 'Jubilate' Michael Haydn's 'Requiem', Bach's B-minor Mass and St. John's Passion, and has received glowing reviews in the New York Times and New York Classical Review at Alice Tully Hall. "The best thing about the Jubilate is that it brought the ACO Chorus to the stage - and they are as fine as the Orchestra." New York Classical Review.

MISSION STATEMENT

The American Classical Orchestra recreates the sound world of the master composers.

The ACO is devoted to preserving and performing the repertoire of 17th, 18th and 19th century composers. By playing the music on original instruments and using historic performance technique, we attempt to recreate the sounds an audience would have experienced when the music was written and first performed. We pass along skills and appreciation for this practice to future generations through concert performances and educational programs.

Because period instruments were made of different materials, they produce a profoundly different sound from the 20th century instruments used in modern orchestras. Historical instruments, with their softer and more transparent, yet sometimes edgier tone, produce a delicacy in the gentler phrases and a pungent bite in the stronger passages. Using period instruments, the ACO can, in the 21st century, bring audiences closer to the musical genius of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and other master composers.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets can be purchased on www.aconyc.org $50 Standard I, $25

WEBSITE

www.aconyc.org

PRESS CONTACT

DAN DUTCHER PUBLIC RELATIONS, Dan Dutcher, 917- 566 -8413, dan@dandutcherpr.com

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29

7:00PM PRE-CONCERT LECTURE

8:00PM CONCERT

Thomas Crawford, conductor

St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, 552 West End Ave. at 87th St.

J.S. Bach - Cantata Program

American Classical Orchestra and Chorus

Soloists to be announced

St. Ignatius is not Handicap Accessible.

This concert will be performed without intermission.

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