Boston Modern Orchestra Project Unveils Winter–Spring Season As It Approaches 30th Anniversary

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) has announced the wide-ranging program of its Winter–Spring 2026 season as the ensemble approaches its 30th year. Led by Artistic Director and Conductor Gil Rose, BMOP continues its long-standing mission of championing American music of the last century through performances, commissions, and recordings.

Season highlights include Boston performances of three monodramas, the revival of a rarely performed opera, and the world premieres of new orchestral works by leading American composers. The season also continues BMOP’s ongoing partnership with Odyssey Opera and coincides with the anticipated release of multiple recordings on BMOP’s Grammy Award–winning label, BMOP/sound.

“As BMOP approaches its 30th anniversary, the repertoire continues to be at the center of our mission,” said Rose. “Our focus remains on what has always set us apart: embracing both conservative and progressive American orchestral music of the last 100 years. We are the largest ensemble of its kind in America both performing, commissioning, and recording orchestral music. These Winter/Spring offerings are defined by the same spirit of enthusiasm and dedication that has driven us forward these past few decades.”

PARTNERSHIP WITH ODYSSEY OPERA

The Winter–Spring series begins with BMOP partnering with its Boston-based sister organization Odyssey Opera in two major performances. The first is an intimate monodrama concert featuring three acclaimed vocal soloists. The second brings a rarely revived Gian Carlo Menotti opera to Boston audiences.

BMOP IN CONCERT

All performances, programs, and performance dates and times are subject to change.
Tickets are available by visiting BMOP.org or calling 718.324.0396.

MONO E MONO (E MONO)

Sat February 21 at 8:00 p.m. | NEC's Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough Street, Boston)
Gil Rose, conductor
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Odyssey Opera
Julia Mintzer, soprano
Michael Chioldi, baritone
Sarah Coburn, soprano

BMOP and Odyssey Opera bring a trio of monodramas to fire the spirit of mid-winter. William Bolcom's opera Medusa conveys the experience of the only mortal Gorgon. Celebrating the upcoming centenary of Carlisle Floyd’s birth, his rarely performed Flower and Hawk offers an intimate portrait of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Ron Perera’s The White Whale presents a gripping character study of Captain Ahab from Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick.

William Bolcom – Medusa (2023)
RONALD PERERA – The White Whale (1981)
CARLISLE FLOYD – Flower and Hawk (1972)

THE LAST SAVAGE

Fri March 13 at 8:00 p.m. | The Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Avenue, Boston)
Gil Rose, conductor
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Odyssey Opera
Phillip Lopez, bass-baritone
Sharleen Joynt, coloratura soprano
Anay Matanovič, soprano
Omar Najmi, tenor
Gabriel Preisser, baritone
Michelle Trainor, soprano

BMOP collaborates with Odyssey Opera on a fully staged production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Last Savage. Premiered by the Metropolitan Opera in 1964, the satirical opera buffa blends lyrical arias, jazzy rhythms, and operatic pastiche to examine cultural stereotypes, consumerism, and the tension between tradition and progress.

GIAN CARLO MENOTTI / libst. MENOTTI – The Last Savage (1964)

PREMIERE4

Sun April 19 at 3:00 p.m. | NEC's Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough Street, Boston)
Gil Rose, conductor
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Kristina Cooper, cello
Tessa Lark, violin

BMOP presents an evening of new orchestral music featuring world premieres by John Aylward, Avner Dorman, and Anthony De Ritis, alongside the Boston premiere of a new violin concerto by Lisa Bielawa.

John Aylward – History of the World (2025)
AVNER DORMAN – Cello Concerto (2025) – Kristina Cooper, cello
LISA BIELAWA – Violin Concerto No. 2: PULSE (2025) – Tessa Lark, violin
ANTHONY DE RITIS – Jiggedy Jingle Jaunty Jaunty (2026)

BMOP ON RECORD

BMOP/sound releases are subject to change and are available on BMOP.org and all major online retailers.

January – Eric Sawyer: Civil Disobedience (#1108)
Available on SACD and all streaming services

February – Shelley Washington: Both (Singles #2002)
Available to stream in Dolby Atmos

March – Eric Moe: No Time Like the Present (#1109)
Available on SACD and all streaming services

April – Gian Carlo Menotti: Errand into the Maze (Singles #2003)
Available to stream in Dolby Atmos

May – Ulysses Kay: Frederick Douglass (#1110)
Available on SACD and all streaming services

June – Evan Ziporyn: Hard Drive (Singles #2004)
Available to stream in Dolby Atmos

July – Richard Danielpour: The Celestial Circus (#1110)
Available on SACD and all streaming services

ABOUT BMOP

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project is the premier orchestra in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording twentieth- and twenty-first-century music. Founded by Gil Rose in 1996, BMOP presents concerts at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall and maintains an extensive recorded legacy through its BMOP/sound label.

ABOUT GIL ROSE

Gil Rose is internationally recognized for his work as a conductor, curator, and advocate for American contemporary music. He is the founder and artistic director of both BMOP and Odyssey Opera and has received widespread acclaim for his innovative programming and recordings.

ABOUT ODYSSEY OPERA

Founded in 2013, Odyssey Opera presents adventurous operatic repertoire ranging from early works to contemporary commissions, offering audiences rare and rarely heard works in distinctive performance formats.

ABOUT BMOP/SOUND