BAROQUE TO THE FUTURE Comes to Tempe Center For The Arts in February

MusicaNova Orchestra will present BAROQUE TO THE FUTURE, a dynamic concert that transforms Baroque era inspiration into bold contemporary sound.

True to MusicaNova's mission, the program pairs overlooked gems with inventive modern works, revealing how composers across centuries have drawn on Baroque forms to create something new. Each piece reflects a dialogue between past and present, honoring tradition while pushing musical boundaries.

The concert features guest soloist Peter Eom, a Phoenix native and graduate of Highland High School, on cello. An internationally recognized artist, Eom is known for pushing classical music beyond traditional concert formats. He is the creator and director of PRIMORDIAL, an interdisciplinary performance project that merges contemporary cello, avant-garde fashion, and modern dance and is set to debut at New York Fashion Week in 2027. A former United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Eom has appeared as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, and MusicaNova Orchestra.

Eom is featured in Giovanni Solima's L.B. Files for Cello and Ensemble, a virtuosic work inspired by 18th-century composer and cellist Luigi Boccherini. Solima employs modern techniques to propel Boccherini's music into striking new sonic territory.

The program also includes Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson's Sinfonietta No. 2 for Strings, “Generations,” an unjustly neglected masterpiece that intertwines the BACH motif with the American folk song Mockingbird. Lera Auerbach's Dialogues on Stabat Mater offers a contemporary reflection on Pergolesi's sacred work, reimagined through a modern emotional lens.

The concert concludes with Edvard Grieg's Holberg Suite, a beloved homage to Baroque dance forms infused with Romantic warmth and energy, bringing the program full circle.

“BAROQUE TO THE FUTURE captures MusicaNova's belief that the most exciting discoveries often come from music audiences have not yet encountered,” said Warren Cohen, Founder and Music Director of MusicaNova Orchestra. “By reexamining the past through contemporary voices, we invite listeners to hear classical music in fresh and unexpected ways.”