Orpheus Chamber Orchestra | Spring 2021 Events

Springtime with the iconic New York City institution includes outdoor concerts, Twitch livestreams, and virtual outreach performances for adults living with dementia and their caregivers

• The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is globally renowned for its commitment to providing access to its outstanding musical offerings for a diverse population of concertgoers, and their Spring 2021 lineup is a testament to its drive to innovate in these endeavors
• The Morris Museum’s Lot of Strings Music Festival, described by The New York Times as "live music splendor in a parking lot," resumes this spring, with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra returning to the Museum’s upper parking deck following a series of successful performances in fall 2020
• The Lot of Strings Music Festival concerts taking place this May and June will feature compelling programs which range from Bach, Ravel, Mendelssohn and Carl Nielsen to Valerie Coleman, Kenji Bunch, and Turina. Audience members are assigned to a socially distanced section of the lot and are encouraged to pack picnics as they safely experience the joy of a live concert at sunset
• The three-concert series in October 2020 was widely attended and praised by critics: “The nearly sold-out audience may have been shivering a bit in the brisk air before the concert started, but the cold was forgotten as soon as the music began…put the audience in a state of bliss” (Broadway World)
• Additionally, on June 13, audiences in Westchester County will have the opportunity to hear the Dvorak and Turina program, also scheduled for the June 20^th performance at the Morris Museum Lot of Strings Festival, at the Reformed Church of Bronxville
• · As the musicians of Orpheus gather for a long-awaited reunion this spring at Riverside Church, their home, they celebrate the excitement of looking ahead to the future while honoring the past genius which shaped the present. In a concert titled Reminicentia, new associate member Gregg August refreshes a melody that has graced sacred spaces for 900 years, and Adolphus Hailstork taps into reverent memories of singing in a cathedral choir. Guest violinists Charles Yang and Geneva Lewis intertwine in Anna Clyne’s Grammy-nominated Prince of Clouds, a meditation on the gifts that pass from generation to generation. This concert will be filmed at Riverside Church on April 23 and begins streaming on IGADIO on May 22
• In addition to concertizing, Orpheus has announced the start of a new initiative utilizing the popular online platform, Twitch. On April 14, 19, and 26, Orpheus will stream an archival performance video alongside two current Orchestra members, who will remark on their memories of that day and location, offer musical musings, and insights in a casual, interactive, and fun setting
• The Twitch livestreams are free and open to the public, and viewers may donate any amount through the platform if they are inclined to do so. The candid nature of these livestreams offer insight into the comradery, democratic spirit, and sheer joy members of the Orchestra share when making music, and which transcends to its audience
• On April 21, tickets go on sale to a world premiere dance collaboration between Orpheus and Caleb Teicher & Company, taking place at Performance Spaces for the 21^st Century (PS21) in Chatham, New York. The performance, scheduled for July 24, is a part of PS21’s Chamber Music and PS21 House Blend Concerts
• The program at PS21 features selections of Bach’s Goldberg Variations arranged by Sitkovetsky, an arrangement of Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Villa-Lobos, and Concerto No. 1 for Marimba and String Orchestra, featuring percussionist Britton-René Collings, by Ney Rosauro
• In the spirit of the Orchestra’s commitment to serving music lovers of all ages, the Orpheus Reflections™ program will continue virtually this spring in order to bring the healing power of music to New Yorkers living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and their caregivers. The virtual program is the latest installment of nearly 50 performances which have been a source of comfort and community
• Although Reflections programs cannot yet happen in-person, the live programs held over Zoom allow audience members to still feel connected to the music and performers while maintaining a safe distance
• The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a self-governing body and notably conductor-less. Their organization functions democratically, with instrumentalists rotating leadership positions and electing musicians to Artistic Director and Board of Trustees roles. Through this model, which formed nearly 50 years ago, the Grammy Award-winning Orchestra has made over 70 recordings, toured in 46 countries on four continents, and collaborated with hundreds of world class soloists

Key dates

Orpheus Reflections™
April 6, 2021

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra World Premiere Collaboration with Caleb Teicher & Company
July 24, 2021

Twitch Streams

Wednesday, April 14 @ 4pm
Orpheus & Nobuyuki Tsujii perform Chopin
plus Tchaikovsky & Arensky
Watch with bassoonist Gina Cuffari & cellist Jim Wilson

Monday, April 19 @ 4pm
Orpheus at Cartagena International Music Festival
featuring Emmanuel Ceysson & Santiago Cañón-Valencia
Watch with violist Dana Kelley & clarinetist Alan Kay

Monday, April 26 @ 4pm
Orpheus at Dresden Music Festival
featuring Jan Vogler and Mira Wang
Watch with violinists Laura Frautschi & Abi Fayette

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Morris Museum Lot of Strings Festival

Sunday, May 23 @ 7pm
Elizabeth Mann, flute
James Austin Smith, oboe
Alan Kay, clarinet
Gina Cuffari, bassoon
Stewart Rose, horn
Featuring works for woodwinds by Bach, Ravel, Nielsen and Valerie Coleman

Sunday, June 6 @ 8pm
Abigail Fayette, violin
Miho Saegusa, violin
Dana Kelley, viola
Dov Scheindlin, viola
Jonathan Spitz, cello
Featuring string quintets by Mendelssohn and Kenji Bunch

Sunday, June 20 @ 8pm
Performers include:
Renée Jolles, violin
Dov Scheindlin, viola
Melissa Meell, cello
Jordan Frazier, bass
Featuring string quintets by Dvořák and Turina

Reformed Church of Bronxville

Sunday, June 13 @ 5pm
Performers include:
Renée Jolles, violin
Dov Scheindlin, viola
Melissa Meell, cello
Jordan Frazier, bass
Works by Turina and Dvorak

For any inquiries:

Hannah Goldshlack-Wolf

hannah@wildkatpr.com

+1 517 648 2339