Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Encyclopedia
A founding resident company of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia is a 33-member professional ensemble led by Dirk Brossé
. The Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1964 by Marc Mostovoy, has a well-established reputation for distinguished performances of repertoire from the Baroque period through the 21st century.
The Orchestra’s development was motivated in part by the desire to provide performance opportunities to young professional musicians emerging from the Curtis Institute of Music
and other regional training programs but also by a desire to make substantial contribution to the City and region’s cultural life. In addition to presenting its own productions, the Orchestra started to develop an entrepreneurial approach by seeking other performance opportunities among the region’s presenter/producer community, thereby providing additional employment for its members. Maestro Mostovoy and his ensemble also championed new music, focusing on regional composers. In total, the organization has commissioned and premiered over seventy new works.
In 1994, Ignat Solzhenitsyn
, a concert pianist and conducting graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, joined the Chamber Orchestra as Assistant Conductor. In 1998, he was named Principal Conductor and Music Director in 2004. Maestro Solzhenitsyn, in assuming the position of Conductor Laureate in 2010, remains closely associated with the Orchestra.
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia welcomes Maestro Dirk Brossé as its new Music Director, beginning in September 2010. A conductor and composer of international acclaim, Maestro Brossé most recently conducted The Chamber Orchestra in its October 2009 Scandinavian Perspectives program and appeared with the orchestra for its 2008 performance of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Maestro Brossé will conduct four of the Orchestra’s concert programs in his first season as Music Director.
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will perform six pairs of concerts during its subscription season from September through April in the Kimmel Center’s intimate, 600-seat Perelman Theater. Five of the concert programs will also be performed at the new venue, The Baptist Temple at Temple University; an introduction to the 2010-2011 season will happen at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts
; and the final program of the season, Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat, will be performed at the Please Touch Museum. As a participant in the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), the Chamber Orchestra will perform three concerts of L’Histoire in a collaborative production with stage director Robert Smythe. The Orchestra will also perform the world premiere of a PIFA commission, Hope: An Oratorio by Jonathan Leshnoff, with the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, the Mendelssohn Club Chorus of Philadelphia, and soloists, Angelique Kidjo
and David Linx
in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall.
The Chamber Orchestra has performed with such internationally acclaimed guest artists as Plácido Domingo
, Luciano Pavarotti
, Vladimir Ashkenazy
, Mstislav Rostropovich
, Issac Stern, Rudolph Serkin, The Eroica Trio, Jean-Pierre Rampal
, The Romeros Guitar Quartet, Julie Andrews
, Bernadette Peters
, Ben Folds
, Elvis Costello
, Sylvia McNair
, Steven Isserlis
, Joseph Silverstein
, Ransom Wilson
, Gerard Schwarz
, Jahja Ling
and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
, among others. The ensemble travels regularly, having toured the United States, Europe, and Israel.
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue located on Broad Street, along the stretch known as the "Avenue of the Arts", in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Kimmel Center, Inc., an organization which also manages the Academy of Music in...
, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia is a 33-member professional ensemble led by Dirk Brossé
Dirk Brossé
Dirk Brossé is a Flemish Belgian composer and conductor. He’s one of Europe's most talented composers. Since 1999 Brossé is Musical Host of the International Flanders Film Festival in Ghent and he held also the title of Music Director of the Tokyo International Music Festival.Brossé is best known...
. The Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1964 by Marc Mostovoy, has a well-established reputation for distinguished performances of repertoire from the Baroque period through the 21st century.
The Orchestra’s development was motivated in part by the desire to provide performance opportunities to young professional musicians emerging from the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
and other regional training programs but also by a desire to make substantial contribution to the City and region’s cultural life. In addition to presenting its own productions, the Orchestra started to develop an entrepreneurial approach by seeking other performance opportunities among the region’s presenter/producer community, thereby providing additional employment for its members. Maestro Mostovoy and his ensemble also championed new music, focusing on regional composers. In total, the organization has commissioned and premiered over seventy new works.
In 1994, Ignat Solzhenitsyn
Ignat Solzhenitsyn
Ignat Aleksandrovich Solzhenitsyn is a Russian-American conductor and pianist who is the conductor laureate of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the principal guest conductor of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.-Career:...
, a concert pianist and conducting graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, joined the Chamber Orchestra as Assistant Conductor. In 1998, he was named Principal Conductor and Music Director in 2004. Maestro Solzhenitsyn, in assuming the position of Conductor Laureate in 2010, remains closely associated with the Orchestra.
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia welcomes Maestro Dirk Brossé as its new Music Director, beginning in September 2010. A conductor and composer of international acclaim, Maestro Brossé most recently conducted The Chamber Orchestra in its October 2009 Scandinavian Perspectives program and appeared with the orchestra for its 2008 performance of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Maestro Brossé will conduct four of the Orchestra’s concert programs in his first season as Music Director.
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will perform six pairs of concerts during its subscription season from September through April in the Kimmel Center’s intimate, 600-seat Perelman Theater. Five of the concert programs will also be performed at the new venue, The Baptist Temple at Temple University; an introduction to the 2010-2011 season will happen at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Mann Center for the Performing Arts
The Mann Center for The Performing Arts is a 14,000 seat summer musical venue located in Philadelphia's West Fairmount Park. The venue operates as both an indoor performance hall and an outdoor music venue...
; and the final program of the season, Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du soldat, will be performed at the Please Touch Museum. As a participant in the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), the Chamber Orchestra will perform three concerts of L’Histoire in a collaborative production with stage director Robert Smythe. The Orchestra will also perform the world premiere of a PIFA commission, Hope: An Oratorio by Jonathan Leshnoff, with the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, the Mendelssohn Club Chorus of Philadelphia, and soloists, Angelique Kidjo
Angélique Kidjo
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...
and David Linx
David Linx
David Linx is a Belgian jazz singer, composer and songwriter.-As guest:*Diederik Wissels*Trio Bravo*Viktor Lazlo*Maurane*La Grande Formation*Aka Moon- Notes :...
in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall.
The Chamber Orchestra has performed with such internationally acclaimed guest artists as Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian-Icelandic conductor and pianist. Since 1972 he has been a citizen of Iceland, his wife Þórunn's country of birth. Since 1978, because of his many obligations in Europe, he and his family have resided in Meggen, near Lucerne in Switzerland...
, Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
, Issac Stern, Rudolph Serkin, The Eroica Trio, Jean-Pierre Rampal
Jean-Pierre Rampal
Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal was a French flautist. He has been personally "credited with returning to the flute the popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th century."-Early years:...
, The Romeros Guitar Quartet, Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
, Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
, Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Sylvia McNair
Sylvia McNair
Sylvia McNair is an American opera singer and classical recitalist who has also achieved notable success in the Broadway and cabaret genres. McNair, a soprano, has made several critically acclaimed recordings and has won two Grammy Awards....
, Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis
Steven Isserlis CBE is a British cellist. He is distinguished for his diverse repertoire, distinctive sound and total command of phrasing. He studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and was much influenced by the great iconoclast of Russian cello playing, Daniil Shafran...
, Joseph Silverstein
Joseph Silverstein
Joseph Silverstein is an American violinist and conductor.As a youth, Silverstein studied with his father, Bernard Silverstein, who was a public school music teacher...
, Ransom Wilson
Ransom Wilson
Ransom Wilson is an American flutist and conductor. Studying at the Juilliard School in New York City, he formed a close friendship with Jean-Pierre Rampal...
, Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz is an American conductor. He was music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2011.In 2007 Schwarz was named music director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, having served as principal conductor since 2005...
, Jahja Ling
Jahja Ling
Jahja Ling is an orchestra conductor. He is of Chinese descent and is now an American citizen. He began to play the piano at age 4 and studied at the Yayasan Pendidikan Musik School of Music. At age 17, he won the Jakarta Piano Competition and, one year later, was awarded a Rockefeller grant to...
and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg
Nadja Rose Catherine Salerno-Sonnenberg is an Italian-born classical violinist, author, and teacher. She is a United States citizen.-Career:...
, among others. The ensemble travels regularly, having toured the United States, Europe, and Israel.