American Classical Orchestra Closes 18-19 Season With EROICA At Lincoln Center

American Classical Orchestra (ACO) concludes its season at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center on Friday, May 17, 2019 at 8:00pm with Eroica, led by Music Director and ACO founder Thomas Crawford. The performance features Beethoven's monumental Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," preceded by his Coriolan Overture, Op. 62. The evening begins at 8pm with ACO's unique concert preview, including musical and historical context from Maestro Crawford, illustrated by the full orchestra playing excerpts from the works on the program.

Beethoven's Third Symphony, "Eroica," arguably his greatest work, is an overt political statement. Though Beethoven originally intended the work as a musical homage to French Revolution hero Napoleon Bonaparte, when the leader declared himself Emperor of France in May 1804, the disillusioned composer replaced the dedication with "Sinfonia Eroica... [composed to celebrate the memory of a great man.]" ACO's use of period instruments invites the listener to experience the sonic palette of the composer's time: the military trumpets and drums, the openly resonant gut strings, and the profound dynamic and timbre contrasts from softest flute to blazing brass.

In addition to Symphony No. 3, the orchestra presents Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, a thrilling early example of program music. The overture musically depicts the story of semi-legendary figure Gaius Marcius Coriolanus's struggle between desire for war and peace.

In addition to its Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center concerts this season, ACO also presents a salon concert in a private venue: A Ladies' Journey 1876 on Thursday, June 6, 2019, featuring Alex Cook (horn), Christina Kay (soprano), and Gwendolyn Toth (fortepiano).

Program Information
Eroica
Friday, May 17, 2019 at 8:00pm
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center | 1941 Broadway, New York, NY
Tickets: Tickets start at $35 and are available for purchase at www.lincolncenter.org.
Link: https://aconyc.org/concert-event/eroica/

Program:
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, "Eroica"

About Thomas Crawford
Artistic Director and Founder of the American Classical Orchestra, Thomas Crawford is a champion of historically accurate performance styles in Baroque, Classical and Early Romantic music. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with renowned soloists including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, André Watts, Dawn Upshaw, Richard Goode, and Vladimir Feltsman; and has produced recordings with great American pianists Malcolm Bilson and Keith Jarrett.

A passionate activist determined to bring the beauty of period music to a wider audience, Crawford has been recognized for the ACO's dynamic music outreach to New York City schoolchildren. He holds a Bachelor of Music in composition and organ performance from Eastman School of Music, where he studied choral and orchestral conducting under Samuel Adler. After graduation, he went on to train with Hugo Fiorato, conductor of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and to earn a Master of Arts in composition from Columbia University.

About American Classical Orchestra
Described as "simply splendid" by The New York Times, the American Classical Orchestra (ACO) is a leader in the field of historically accurate performance. A period instrument ensemble devoted to preserving and performing the repertoire of 17th, 18th, and 19th century composers, ACO recreates the sound world of the masters using priceless historic instruments, as well as era-specific performance techniques. Comprised of the world's top period instrumentalists, the ACO provides audiences with the opportunity to experience classical music in the specific way it was intended to be heard.

Highlights of the ACO's history include a concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with the Museum's exhibition Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825 - 1861, a debut concert on the Lincoln Center Great Performers Series, a sold-out 25th Anniversary performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and a staged performance of Handel's opera Alceste as part of the ACO's Handelfest 2014.

Founded by Artistic Director Thomas Crawford in 1984 as The Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy in Fairfield, Connecticut, the American Classical Orchestra moved to New York City in 2005, emerging as the City's premier period instrument ensemble.

The ACO is dedicated to the appreciation and understanding of classical music through educational programs, and spreading historically-informed performance practices to new generations. In order to provide audiences with first-hand insight into the music, Music Director Thomas Crawford gives informative concert previews with live musical examples from the orchestra at the beginning of each concert. In 2019, ACO launched The Sfzp Project, a three-year initiative to elevate the study and performance of the fortepiano, including an international concerto competition, whose winner is given a featured appearance with the orchestra, among other prizes. Finally, through its immersive in-school program, Classical Music for Kids, the orchestra has inspired hundreds of thousands of young students and musicians. For this work, the ACO was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant and Early Music America prize. For more information, visit www.aconyc.org.

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