The Orchestra Now Presents ABSTRACTION IN MUSIC & ART At The Met Museum, On May 19

The Orchestra Now (TON) will perform the final performance this season of its frequently sold-out Sight & Sound series at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sunday, May 19 at 2 pm. The concert features the New York premiere of one of Morton Feldman's lesser-known early works, Orchestra, along with Anton Webern's Six Pieces for Orchestra, in a program titled Abstraction in Music & Art.

Painters have often been inspired by music as the ultimate abstract art form. One of the early abstract painters, Kandinsky, was so moved by music that he attempted to compose himself. Musical abstraction started with the radical modernist Anton Webern, who freed the form from the conventions of late Romanticism. At the height of the movement's popularity in America, experimental composer Morton Feldman mirrored Kandinsky and took his inspiration from abstract visual art. The May 19 program will be offered in conjunction with Epic Abstraction: Pollock to Herrera, an exhibition of Abstract Expressionistic artwork at the Met Breuer.

TON conductor and music historian Leon Botstein will explore the parallels between orchestral music and the visual arts in a discussion accompanied by on-screen artworks and musical excerpts performed by the Orchestra. A full performance and audience Q&A will follow.

SIGHT & SOUND SERIES AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Abstraction in Music & Art

Sunday May 19, 2019 at 2 pm

Webern's Six Pieces for Orchestra, Feldman's Orchestra (NY Premiere), and the artwork of the Abstract Expressionists

Tickets start at $30, bring the kids for $1. Tickets are available online at metmuseum.org/sightandsound, by calling The Met at 212.570.3949, or in person at The Great Hall Box Office at The Metropolitan Museum of Art at 5th Ave and 82nd St.

The Orchestra Now

The Orchestra Now (TON) is a group of 60 vibrant young musicians from 13 different countries around the globe: the United States, Bulgaria, China, France, Hungary, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Peru, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, 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. In 2018, he 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.

To post a comment, you must register and login.