Riverside Symphony
Encyclopedia
Riverside Symphony is a New York-based professional orchestra founded in 1981 by conductor George Rothman and composer Anthony Korf. The orchestra performs a three-concert series at Alice Tully Hall
, Lincoln Center and is recognized for programs which integrate an international array of contemporary works with lesser-known compositions by the great masters. The orchestra provides an ongoing forum for emerging soloists of exceptional promise and has showcased numerous instrumental and vocal talents over its 30-year history.
George Rothman continues to serve as Riverside Symphony's Music Director and Conductor. In addition to guest conducting appearances in Asia, Europe and South America, he was the Director of Music Performance at Columbia University and conductor of its orchestra and was Music Director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves as Music Director and Conductor of Brooklyn College's Conservatory Orchestra and Associate Professor of Music.
Artistic Director Anthony Korf, a 2008 Guggenheim
Fellow, has been commissioned by The American Composers Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, the Koussevitsky Music Foundation, the NEA, and the New York State Council on the Arts. His honors also include a Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from The American Academy of Arts and Letters. Korf was co-founder of the noted New York-based new music ensemble Parnassus, for which he served as conductor and artistic director from 1975 through 2002.
, Prokofiev
and Ravel
.
in 2000.
Robert Ingliss, oboe & English horn; Greg Hesselink, cello; Oren Fader, guitar; Stacey Shames, harp; Christopher Oldfather, piano; Anthony Korf, conductor:
---Six Miniatures for Flute with Piano (1997); Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; Christopher Oldfather, piano
---Three Movements for Clarinet Solo (1992); Alan R. Kay, clarinet
---Symphony No. 3 (2007); Riverside Symphony, George Rothman, conductor
Bridge Records, Cat. No.: 9294.
Riverside Symphony; George Rothman, conductor; Lisa Saffer, soprano; Alan Feinberg, piano; New York Virtuoso Singers
Bridge Record, Cat. No.: 9091.
Riverside Symphony/George Rothman, conductor; Michelle Makarski, violin
New World Records, Cat. No.: 80533.
Riverside Symphony/George Rothman; Fred Sherry, cello;
---Night Scenes - Maurice Wright;
---Divertimento - Mario Davidovsky;
---Symphony No. 2 (Blue Note) - Anthony Korf
New World Records, Cat No.: 80383.
Malmö Symphony; Ola Rudner, conductor
Riverside Symphony; George Rothman, conductor; Rolf Schulte, violin
Speculum Musicae; David Starobin, guitar and conductor; Lucy Shelton, soprano;
Bridge Records, Cat. No.: 9057.
Susan Narucki, soprano; Riverside Symphony; George Rothman, conductor;
Parnassus; Anthony Korf, conductor
Bridge Records, Cat. No.: 9112.
Riverside Symphony's International Composer Reading Program has sought to expand the field of opportunity for living composers worldwide. While several of the readings have been devoted solely to American works chosen from an open competition process, several installations of this project have also focused on works by composers from a designated country such as France, Norway or Switzerland.
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. It is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assisted in the construction of the hall...
, Lincoln Center and is recognized for programs which integrate an international array of contemporary works with lesser-known compositions by the great masters. The orchestra provides an ongoing forum for emerging soloists of exceptional promise and has showcased numerous instrumental and vocal talents over its 30-year history.
George Rothman continues to serve as Riverside Symphony's Music Director and Conductor. In addition to guest conducting appearances in Asia, Europe and South America, he was the Director of Music Performance at Columbia University and conductor of its orchestra and was Music Director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves as Music Director and Conductor of Brooklyn College's Conservatory Orchestra and Associate Professor of Music.
Artistic Director Anthony Korf, a 2008 Guggenheim
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
Fellow, has been commissioned by The American Composers Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, the Koussevitsky Music Foundation, the NEA, and the New York State Council on the Arts. His honors also include a Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from The American Academy of Arts and Letters. Korf was co-founder of the noted New York-based new music ensemble Parnassus, for which he served as conductor and artistic director from 1975 through 2002.
Repertory
Riverside Symphony has thrived on a diet of innovation and exploration. It frequently play new works, including world premieres, as well as unjustly neglected and orphaned orchestra repertory by older masters such as HaydnJoseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
, Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
and Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
.
Recordings
Riverside Symphony has released Six recordings, one of which was a nominee for a Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 2000.
- Anthony Korf: Presences from Aforetime (1999):
Robert Ingliss, oboe & English horn; Greg Hesselink, cello; Oren Fader, guitar; Stacey Shames, harp; Christopher Oldfather, piano; Anthony Korf, conductor:
---Six Miniatures for Flute with Piano (1997); Tara Helen O’Connor, flute; Christopher Oldfather, piano
---Three Movements for Clarinet Solo (1992); Alan R. Kay, clarinet
---Symphony No. 3 (2007); Riverside Symphony, George Rothman, conductor
Bridge Records, Cat. No.: 9294.
- Andrew Imbrie; Requiem (1984); Piano Concerto No. 3 (1991):
Riverside Symphony; George Rothman, conductor; Lisa Saffer, soprano; Alan Feinberg, piano; New York Virtuoso Singers
Bridge Record, Cat. No.: 9091.
- Stephen Hartke: Concerto for Violin & Orchestra "Auld Swaara"/ Symphony No. 2:
Riverside Symphony/George Rothman, conductor; Michelle Makarski, violin
New World Records, Cat. No.: 80533.
- DavidovskyMario DavidovskyMario Davidovsky is an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the US, where he lives today...
/Korf/Wright:
Riverside Symphony/George Rothman; Fred Sherry, cello;
---Night Scenes - Maurice Wright;
---Divertimento - Mario Davidovsky;
---Symphony No. 2 (Blue Note) - Anthony Korf
New World Records, Cat No.: 80383.
- The Christmas Gospel (1994); Violin Concerto, No. 1 (1981) Etude & Ricercare (1994) (for guitar); The Bells (1993) (soprano and ensemble)
Malmö Symphony; Ola Rudner, conductor
Riverside Symphony; George Rothman, conductor; Rolf Schulte, violin
Speculum Musicae; David Starobin, guitar and conductor; Lucy Shelton, soprano;
Bridge Records, Cat. No.: 9057.
- Shulamit's Dream; Scenes from Shir ha-Shirim; Biblical Songs:
Susan Narucki, soprano; Riverside Symphony; George Rothman, conductor;
Parnassus; Anthony Korf, conductor
Bridge Records, Cat. No.: 9112.
Educational programs
In 1999 Riverside Symphony launched Music Memory, a citywide music education program for third- through sixth-graders which annually serves between 8,000 and 10,000 public school children throughout the five boroughs. Students, guided by their music teachers, engage in a wide range of artistic activities including creative and structured movement, singing, and performing on rhythm and melody instruments. The program culminates each spring with The Music Memory Citywide Finals Competition, where students identify works and composers upon hearing brief excerpts performed onstage by Riverside Symphony. The program is endorsed by the New York City Department of Education’s Director of Music.Riverside Symphony's International Composer Reading Program has sought to expand the field of opportunity for living composers worldwide. While several of the readings have been devoted solely to American works chosen from an open competition process, several installations of this project have also focused on works by composers from a designated country such as France, Norway or Switzerland.
Support
Riverside Symphony performances are made possible by public funds from The New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency, and The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Major support for Riverside Symphony's programs is provided by The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Disney Worldwide Outreach and The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. Additional funding is provided by The Edward T. Cone Foundation; The Aaron Copland Fund for Music; The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation; The Bay and Paul Foundations; Amphion Foundation and The Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University.External links
- Riverside Symphony website
- Artistic Director Anthony Korf's website
- The New York Times, Music Review; June 10, 2010
- The New York Times, Music Review; February 14, 2010
- The New York Times, Music Review; June 5, 2009
- The New York Times, Music Review; June 20, 2008
- The New York Times, Music Review; February 7, 2008
- The New York Times, Music Review; April 21, 2007
- The New York Times, Music Review; June 17, 2006