Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project Makes Its Carnegie Hall Debut In April

The performance is on April 15, 2023, at 8:00 p.m.

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project Makes Its Carnegie Hall Debut In April

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the nation's premier orchestra dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording new orchestral music, marks its 25th anniversary with its Carnegie Hall debut, April 15, 2023, at 8:00 p.m., on the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The ambitious program caps BMOP's quarter-century celebration with three New York premieres commissioned, premiered, and recorded by BMOP: the Grawemeyer Award-winning pieces Play by Andrew Norman and A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams by Lei Liang, and In medias res by Lisa Bielawa.

Celebrating the orchestra's return to New York City after 15 years, and the 20th anniversary of its New York debut (with the 2003 world premiere of Tod Machover's Toy Symphony at the World Financial Center), this concert marks the first time BMOP has performed in Carnegie Hall's iconic Stern Auditorium. "On behalf of the musicians as well as both the artistic and administrative staff, I cannot overstate how exhilarated BMOP feels to be back in New York City!" exclaimed Gil Rose, Conductor and Artistic Director of BMOP. "We are thrilled to be presenting music by three of BMOP's longtime friends who have established themselves as significant voices in American classical music. Their acclaimed works represent the power and potential of 21st century orchestral music: provocative, meditative, and whimsical."

The evening begins with Play, a 47-minute orchestral work by Los Angeles-based composer Andrew Norman (b.1979). Play was written for BMOP, during Norman's tenure as the orchestra's 2011-13 Music Alive Composer-in-Residence. BMOP premiered the piece in 2013, and later released it on its own record label in 2015. Since then, the piece has garnered considerable attention and critical acclaim, being described by The New York Times as, "the best orchestral work that the twenty-first century has seen thus far...a rich work, a stunning achievement all the more visceral for being heard live...a revolution in music." It won the prestigious 2017 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. "If you've ever wondered how much raw power a symphony orchestra can unleash, you must hear Play...as executed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project under the direction of Gil Rose." (National Public Radio)

Chinese-born American composer Lei Liang (b.1972) is known for his ear-stretching soundscapes and for drawing from Chinese history. His largest orchestral work to date, A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams, was written for BMOP in 2017, premiered then recorded by BMOP in 2018, and later received the 2021 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. "In A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams, Liang's tonal and textural palettes become ever more exquisite, ranging from sonorities at the edge of silence in 'Healing Rain Drops' to full-orchestral might describing the shredding of landscapes. Liang's Chinese-inflected sound world is never less than fascinating and always deeply involving. The BMOP navigate their way through his precisely calculated sonorities with aplomb and accuracy." (Gramophone) Liang currently serves as the Chancellor's Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego.

Completing the program is In medias res by BMOP's 2006-09 Music Alive Composer-in-Residence Lisa Bielawa (b.1968). Premiered by BMOP at the end of her residency in 2009, it was later released on BMOP/sound in 2010. This piece is one of the most intimate and collaborative showcases of BMOP's musicians. During her residency, Bielawa drew inspiration from her relationships with the other musicians, creating short solo pieces especially for and expressing the personality of each core ensemble player. In medias res expertly weaves together these 15 synopses into a larger framework for orchestra. According to Bielawa, "this piece, in essence, is my thank you and farewell gift to Gil Rose, the players of BMOP, and the many wonderful individuals of the Boston music community who welcomed and integrated me into their lives over three years."



Review: MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS CONDUCTS THE NY PHILHARMONIC at David Geffen Hall Photo
What did our critic think of MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS CONDUCTS THE NY PHILHARMONIC at David Geffen Hall? Sunday's performance at the NY Philharmonic was nothing short of a lovefest. From the moment MTT entered the auditorium until after his last standing ovation, curtain call - well over two hours later.

Sound Off: Music For Bail Announces Talent Unlimited High School Residency Photo
Sound Off: Music For Bail announces a first-ever residency and side-by-side performance at Talent Unlimited High School from April 3-5, culminating in a world-first recording, celebratory gala, and reception.

American Folk Art Museum Announces Benefit Concert Featuring Lonnie Holley and Friend Photo
The American Folk Art Museum will host a benefit concert on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at Adler Hall at The New York Society for Ethical Culture (2 West 64 Street, New York, New York).

Review: The Vienna Philharmonic, Bruckner 8th at Carnegie Hall Photo
What did our critic think of THE VIENNA PHILHARMONIC AT CARNEGIE HALL at Carnegie Hall? As I sat in Carnegie Hall on Sunday afternoon, awaiting Christian Thielemann and his mighty Vienna Philharmonic's final performance of a three-concert visit, I waxed nostalgic and drifted back to my very first hearing of the day's featured piece: Bruckner 8th. In 1989, I saw (for the only time live) Herbert Von Karajan with this same Vienna Philharmonic deliver a blistering performance of the piece.


More Hot Stories For You


Sound Off: Music For Bail Announces Talent Unlimited High School ResidencySound Off: Music For Bail Announces Talent Unlimited High School Residency
March 14, 2023

Sound Off: Music For Bail announces a first-ever residency and side-by-side performance at Talent Unlimited High School from April 3-5, culminating in a world-first recording, celebratory gala, and reception.

American Folk Art Museum Announces Benefit Concert Featuring Lonnie Holley and FriendsAmerican Folk Art Museum Announces Benefit Concert Featuring Lonnie Holley and Friends
March 14, 2023

The American Folk Art Museum will host a benefit concert on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at Adler Hall at The New York Society for Ethical Culture (2 West 64 Street, New York, New York).

City Lyric Opera Presents Verdi's LA TRAVIATA in MayCity Lyric Opera Presents Verdi's LA TRAVIATA in May
March 14, 2023

Celebrating its first opera staged at a proscenium theater in its seven-year history, City Lyric Opera (CLO) presents one of the world's most beloved operas, Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata (The Fallen Woman), which has captivated audiences for more than 150 years with its beautiful melodies, dazzling party scenes, and heart-wrenching tragedy.

The North/South Chamber Orchestra To Host St. Patrick's CelebrationThe North/South Chamber Orchestra To Host St. Patrick's Celebration
March 10, 2023

The North/South Chamber Orchestra marks St. Patrick's Day performing a concert featuring a work written especially for the occasion by Frank Corcoran -- the Irish composer celebrating his 80th birthday.

All Classical Portland Extends Pianist María García's Residency, Announces 2023 Young Artist In Residence & MoreAll Classical Portland Extends Pianist María García's Residency, Announces 2023 Young Artist In Residence & More
March 9, 2023

​​​​​​​All Classical Portland, the Pacific Northwest's premier 24-hour classical music radio station, is proud to announce 16-year-old pianist, violinist, and composer Amir Avsker as its 2023 Young Artist in Residence.