The Chelsea Symphony Announces 'Sea Change' 2017-18 Season
By: BWW News Desk Aug. 28, 2017
The Chelsea Symphony, featured in the hit Amazon show Mozart in the Jungle, announces its 2017/18 season, entitled Sea Change.
Offering seven concerts series from September 2017 through June 2018, each performance features orchestral works with a focus on nature and environmental stewardship.
Every concert by The Chelsea Symphony features soloists, composers, and conductors taken from the ensemble. This is a collective of New York City professional freelancers coming together to create meaningful, self-governed concerts-a unique model in the classical world.
Highlights of the 2017/18 Season include:
- Claude Debussy's La Mer
- Five World Premieres by emerging New York City composers
- John Luther Adams' Become Ocean at the American Museum of Natural History on Earth Day (April 22, 2018)
- Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 ("Pastoral")
- Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, op. 82
Reserved seating tickets for each concert can be purchased individually for $25, or are available at a discount by buying a season subscription. Pay-what-you-wish general admission tickets available at the door.
The Chelsea Symphony 2017-18 Season: SEA CHANGE
September 15 and 16, 2017 Concert
Friday, September 15th at 8:30 PM
Saturday, September 16th at 7:30 PM
Conducted by Matthew Aubin and Mark Seto
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music (450 West 37th Street)
Tim Kiah, Endangered Song (World Premiere)
Ralph Vaughan Williams, Oboe Concerto, featuring oboist Phil Rashkin (9/15 only)
Sally Beamish, Viola Concerto No. 2 ("The Seafarer"), featuring violist Elise Frawley (9/16 only)
Claude Debussy, La Mer
October 27 and 28, 2017 Concert
Friday, October 27th at 8:30 PM
Saturday, October 28th at 7:30 PM
Conducted by Matthew Aubin and Nell Flanders
St. Paul's Church (315 West 22nd Street)
Aaron Dai, World Premiere TBA
Camille Saint-Saëns, Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring cellist Alicia Furey (10/27 only)
Ludwig van Beethoven, Romance No. 2, featuring violinist Jessica Lightfoot (10/28 only)
Carl Maria von Weber, Bassoon Concerto, featuring bassoonist Anna Keelin Fitzgerald (10/28 only)
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral")
December 1, 2017 Concert
Friday, December 1st at 8:00 PM
Conducted by Reuben Blundell, Nell Flanders, and special guest Pam Aubin
St. Paul's Church (315 West 22nd Street)
Carl Nielsen, Sanct Hansaftenspiel, arranged by Warren Wernick
Carl Reinecke, Flute Concerto, featuring flutist Dirk Wels
Bed?ich Smetana, The Moldau
Maurice Ravel, Tzigane featuring violinist Megan Hilands
Leroy Anderson, Sleigh Ride, with guest conductor Pam Aubin
Aaron Dai, The Night Before Christmas, with special guest narrator TBA
January 26 and 27, 2018 Concert
Friday, January 26th at 8:30 PM
Saturday, January 27th at 7:30 PM
St. Paul's Church (315 West 22nd Street)
Conducted by Reuben Blundell and Mark Seto
Eric Lemmon, World Premiere TBA
Camille Saint-Saëns, Violin Concerto No. 3, featuring violinist Deborah Nixon (1/26 only)
Michael Colina, Isles of Shoals, featuring flutist Michelle Stockman (1/27 only)
Jean Sibelius, Symphony No. 5
March 9 and 10, 2018 Concert
Saturday, March 10th at 7:30 PM
St. Paul's Church (315 West 22nd Street)
Conducted by Mark Seto and Nell Flanders
Seth Bedford, World Premiere TBA
Aaron Copland, Clarinet Concerto, featuring clarinetist Alicia Bennett (3/9 only)
Anna Clyne, Prince of Clouds, featuring violinists Gina Dyches and
Lars-Erik Larsson, Trombone Concertino, featuring bass trombonist Sara Mayo (3/10 only)
Antonio Vivaldi, Spring from The Four Seasons, featuring violinist Juliana Periera
Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring
April 22, 2018 Concert
American Museum of Natural History (Central Park West at 79th Street)
Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life
Admission to concert will be included with museum admission
AMNH scientists will be featured as guest speakers throughout the concert
Conducted by Matthew Aubin and Mark Seto
Michael Boyman, The Howling Wilderness (World Premiere)
Alan Hovhaness, And God Created Great Whales, Op.229, No.1
John Luther Adams, Become Ocean
June 2 and 3, 2018 Concert
The DiMenna Center for Classical Music (450 West 37th Street)
Conducted by Matthew Aubin and Reuben Blundell
TBA, TCS 2017-18 Composition Competition Winner
Victor Bruns, Contrabassoon Concerto, featuring Contrabassoonist Susanne Chen (6/2 only)
Samuel Barber, Canzonetta, featuring oboist Sarah Scruby (6/2 only)
Erich Korngold, Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Emanouil Manolov (6/3 only)
Jonathan Bruce Brown, Skyward! (NYC Premiere)
The Chelsea Symphony, hailed as an "enterprising group of young musicians" by Time Out, upends the traditional hierarchy of the classical orchestra: members rotate as featured soloists, conductors, and composers. The self-governing ensemble aims to be a cultural focus for Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood and to present vibrant concerts of inspiring symphonic music both old and new. In recent years, The Chelsea Symphony has expanded its reach with performances at Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Symphony Space, Bargemusic, the United Palace Theatre, and New York Fashion Week. In December 2014, The Chelsea Symphony performed at Alice Tully Hall for the premiere of the Golden Globe winning Amazon Original Series Mozart in the Jungle. Musicians from the orchestra can also be seen in the critically acclaimed series: seasons 1-3 are now available on Amazon.com. In the 2016-17 season, The Chelsea Symphony launched an ambitious outreach initiative in collaboration with the New York City Department of Correction, becoming the first orchestra to present programming at Rikers Island Correctional Facility.
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