All-Star Orchestra Series Gets 11/19 DVD Release

Naxos of America will release all eight episodes of Gerard Schwarz's All-Star Orchestra on four DVDs on Tuesday, November 19, 2013. Featuring two complete programs on each disc, the DVDs will be available for individual sale from Naxos and on Amazon for $19.99 each. All-Star Orchestra, the made-for television classical music concert series featuring leading musicians from 22 states, is currently being broadcast on public television stations across the country (check local listings). The series is the winner of the 2013 Deems Taylor Television Broadcast Award for outstanding broadcast and new media coverage of music. A trailer of the series can be found on www.allstarorchestra.org.

Mr. Schwarz's All-Star Orchestra is comprised of musicians from leading orchestras based in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Hartford, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York (the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, the Tampa Bay Area, Washington, D.C., and more.

Each of the eight one-hour episodes was filmed over four days in the Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center in New York City in August 2012. Designed to appeal to the classical music neophyte and connoisseur alike, the programs were filmed with 19 high-definition cameras that were allowed unlimited access to each performance, roaming freely among the musicians to provide the audience with the best visuals and behind-the-scene glances. The Grand Ballroom, chosen for its acoustic integrity, has been the venue of choice for conductors such as Bernstein, Boulez, Mehta, and Toscanini for their own classical music recordings.

Under the leadership of Mr. Schwarz, who served for 26 seasons as music director of the Seattle Symphony, the All-Star Orchestra programs include musical examples, interviews, and educational commentary by Mr. Schwarz, the All-Star musicians, composers, and special guests. The website allstarorchestra.org is being developed to offer additional interviews, footage, and educational resources aimed to bolster the classical music experience.