The Orchestra Now Continues its Popular Free Concert Series In and Around NYC this December

The Orchestra Now's (TON) popular series of free concerts at multiple venues in and around New York City will offer two performances led by associate conductor James Bagwell and one led by resident conductor Zachary Schwartzman during the holiday season: the first at Peter Norton Symphony Space with tenor Eric Carey in a performance of Britten's song cycle Les Illuminations and works by Dvorak and Chabrier (December 2); a second program showcasing Mozart's Symphony No. 25 at Bard College (December 20), and the final concert at Hudson Hall (Hudson, NY) featuring Corelli's Christmas Concerto with works by Mozart and Beethoven (December 21).

These free community outreach events have become engaging neighborhood activities and are a great opportunity to introduce families and new explorers to the joys of classical music.

Details of the Orchestra's full season are available here.

FREE CONCERTS SERIES

TON's popular series of free concerts

Dvorak's Sixth Symphony

Sunday, December 2, 2018 at 4 pm at Peter Norton Symphony Space

James Bagwell, conductor

Eric Carey, tenor

Emmanuel Chabrier: España

Britten: Les illuminations

Dvorak: Symphony No. 6

Mozart's Symphony No. 25

Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 7:30 pm at Olin Hall at Bard College

Zachary Schwartzman, conductor

Luigi Cherubini: Médée Overture

Mozart: Symphony No. 25

Beethoven: Incidental Music to Egmont

Beethoven & Mozart

Friday, December 21, 2018 at 7 pm at Hudson Hall in Hudson, New York

James Bagwell, conductor

Corelli: Christmas Concerto

Mozart: Sinfonia concertante

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2

Tickets: These concerts are FREE. Advance RSVP is suggested. For concerts at Symphony Space, RSVPs can be made at theorchestranow.org or symphonyspace.org, or by calling the Symphony Space box office at 212.864.5400. For concerts at Hudson Hall, RSVPs can be made at theorchestranow.org or hudsonhall.org, or by calling the Hudson Hall box office at 518.822.1438. No RSVP is necessary for concerts at Olin Hall.

The next free concert is Pictures at an Exhibition with resident conductor Zachary Schwartzman at Peter Norton Symphony Space in Manhattan on January 27, 2019.

The Orchestra Now

The Orchestra Now (TON) is a group of more than 60 vibrant young musicians from 14 different countries around the globe: the United States, Bulgaria, China, France, Hungary, Malaysia, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Venezuela. All share a mission to make orchestral music relevant to 21st-century audiences. Hand-picked from hundreds of applicants from the world's leading conservatories - including The Juilliard School, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Royal Conservatory of Brussels, and the Curtis Institute of Music - the members of TON are not only rousing audiences with their critically acclaimed performances, but also enlightening curious minds by presenting on-stage introductions and demonstrations at concerts, offering program notes written from the musicians' perspective, and connecting with patrons through one-on-one discussions during intermissions. To date, members of TON have earned positions with orchestras across the United States and in Europe. Some play regularly with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Baltimore Symphony.

Conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein founded TON in 2015 as a master's degree program at Bard College, where he also serves as president. The Orchestra is in residence at Bard's Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, offering multiple concerts there each season as well as participating in the annual Bard Music Festival. The Orchestra also performs numerous concert series at major venues in New York, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as a schedule of free performances across New York City boroughs. TON has collaborated with many distinguished conductors, including Fabio Luisi, Neeme Järvi, Gerard Schwarz, and JoAnn Falletta.

For upcoming activities and more detailed information about the musicians, visit theorchestranow.org.

Leon Botstein

Leon Botstein brings a renowned career as both a conductor and educator to his role as music director of The Orchestra Now. He has been music director of the American Symphony Orchestra since 1992, artistic co-director of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival since their creation, and president of Bard College since 1975. He was the music director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra from 2003-2011 and is now conductor laureate. This year he has assumed artistic directorship of Campus Grafenegg and Grafenegg Academy in Austria. Mr. Botstein is also a frequent guest conductor with orchestras around the globe, has made numerous recordings, and is a prolific author and music historian. He is the editor of the prestigious The Musical Quarterly and has received many honors for his contributions to music. More info online at LeonBotstein.com.