The New Century Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1992 by cellist, Miriam Perkoff, and violist, Wieslaw Pogorzelski. The goal of the founders was to present
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
in a fresh and unique way in the San Francisco Bay Area. The
music director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...
chooses the programs and guides the artistic vision and leads the seventeen members of the
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
as part of a
conductorless orchestra
The conductorless orchestra, sometimes referred to as a self-conducted orchestra or unconducted orchestra, is an instrumental ensemble that functions as an orchestra but is not led or directed by a conductor. Most conductorless orchestras are sma ...
. Musical decisions are made collaboratively, in the goal of enhancing the level of commitment on the part of the musicians and increasing the precision, passion and power of their playing.
In addition to performing classic pieces of chamber orchestra repertoire, New Century commissions new works, revives neglected works from the past, and brings pieces from other genres such as
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
into the chamber orchestra setting. New Century's mission is to bring outstanding chamber orchestra performances to Bay Area communities. They perform in intimate venues in four cities:
Berkeley
Berkeley most often refers to:
*Berkeley, California, a city in the United States
**University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California
* George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher
Berkeley may also refer ...
,
Palo Alto
Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
The city was estab ...
,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
San Rafael.
Former Music Directors
Stuart Canin
Stuart Canin (born 1926 in New York City) is an American violinist and conductor. On December 30, 1936, at the age of 10, he performed on the Fred Allen radio hour.Alex Walsh, "STUART CANIN: "...An Excellent Violinist." — Harry Truman," Dec. 10, ...
served as New Century's first Music Director from 1992 to 1999, and formerly as
Concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...
of the
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...
, the
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California.
History
Gaetano Merola (1923–1953)
Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he ...
, and the
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.
Leadersh ...
under Music Director
James Conlon
James Conlon (born March 18, 1950) is an American conductor. He is currently the music director of Los Angeles Opera, principal conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, and artistic advisor to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Early ...
and General Director
Plácido Domingo
José Plácido Domingo Embil (born 21 January 1941) is a Spanish opera singer, conductor, and arts administrator. He has recorded over a hundred complete operas and is well known for his versatility, regularly performing in Italian, French, ...
. He also served as Concertmaster of the
New Japan Philharmonic
The is a symphony orchestra based in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1972 with Seiji Ozawa as honorary conductor laureate. The Philharmonic's primary concert venue is the Sumida Triphony Hall. From 2003 to 2013 its music director was Christi ...
in the 1990s, performing and touring under
Seiji Ozawa
Seiji (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese ski jumper
*, Japanese racing driver
*, Japanese politician
*, Japanese film directo ...
and
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...
. Mr. Canin was born in New York City and studied at
Juilliard
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
, where his principal teacher was
Ivan Galamian
Ivan Alexander Galamian ( hy, Իվան Ղալամեան; April 14, 1981) was an Armenian-American violin teacher of the twentieth century who was the violin teacher of many seminal violin players including Itzhak Perlman.
Biography
Galamian w ...
. Mr. Canin won the International
Paganini Competition
The Paganini Competition (aka Premio Paganini or Paganini Concore) is an international violin competition named after the famed virtuoso and founder of contemporary violin technique Niccolò Paganini. Created in 1954 it has been carried out ever s ...
in Genoa and the Handel Medal from the city of New York. He served as Concertmaster in Hollywood for
studio orchestra
A studio orchestra is an orchestra that exists only for the purpose of studio recording. That is, it does not perform in public concerts or for audiences generally. Studio orchestras are typically run by movie and television studios to produce fi ...
s, performing on such films as ''
Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film fo ...
'', ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'' and ''
Forrest Gump
''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and ...
''. Mr. Canin was scheduled return to the NCCO in April 2008 to lead a program of
Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...
,
Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...
, and
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
.
A native of Menlo Park, California,
Krista Bennion Feeney served as New Century's Music Director and
Concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...
from 1999 to 2006. She is currently Concertmaster of the
Mostly Mozart Festival
The Mostly Mozart Festival is an American classical music festival based in New York City.
Venues
The festival presents concerts with its resident ensemble, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, principally at David Geffen Hall of the Lincoln C ...
at
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
during the summer and Co-Concertmaster of the Orchestra of St. Luke's year-round at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
and throughout the summer at the
Caramoor Festival
The Caramoor Summer Music Festival is a music festival founded in 1945 that is held on the estate of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, which includes a Mediterranean-style stucco villa and is located about north of New York City in Ka ...
in Katonah, New York. Ms. Feeney has performed as a soloist with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the
St. Louis Symphony
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...
, the
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...
, the New York String Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, the
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
, the Brandenburg Ensemble and the
Elgin Symphony Orchestra
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra is a regional orchestra founded and headquartered in Elgin, Illinois. Its Music Director is Andrew Grams, who was named the 2015 Conductor of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. The Orchestra's season inc ...
, among others. As a member of the Loma Mar quartet, she recorded new quartet compositions by
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
for his 1999 CD entitled Working Classical (EMI Records). She was a student of Isadore Tinkelman and Stuart Canin's at the
San Francisco Conservatory
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students.
History
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodg ...
, and later studied with
Jaime Laredo
Jaime Laredo (born June 7, 1941) is a violinist and conductor. He was the conductor and Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and he began his musical career when he was five years old.
Laredo was born in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In 1948 ...
and Felix Galimer at the
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship.
Hi ...
.
American violinis
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenbergserved as New Century's Music Director from 2008 to 2017. Her professional career began in 1981 when she won the Walter W. Naumburg International Violin Competition. In 1983 she was recognized with an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and in 1999, she was honored with the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg was born in Rome and immigrated to the United States at the age of eight to study at The Curtis Institute of Music. She later studied with Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School. In addition to her solo career with orchestras all over the world, she has hosted the Backstage/Live from Lincoln Center program for PBS and was the subject of the 2000 Academy Award-nominated film, Speaking in Strings, a documentary on her life, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Further TV interview appearances include 60 Minutes, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and The Charlie Rose Show. She currently serves as Extraordinary Faculty/Director of Chamber Orchestra Loyola University, College of Music and Fine Arts, New Orleans after previously serving as Resident Artist.
Current Music Director
British violinis
Daniel Hopehas performed as a soloist, chamber artist, artistic director and recording artist for over 25 years. He has served as an exclusiv
Deutsche Grammophon artistsince 2007 and his recordings have been awarded the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d’Or of the Year, the Edison Classical Award, the Prix Caecilia, six ECHO-Klassik Awards and GRAMMY nominations. In the 2016–2017 season, Hope succeeded Sir Roger Norrington as Music Director of th
Zurich Chamber Orchestraand in 2019 he began his appointment as the Artistic Director of th
Dresden Frauenkirche The 2019 season was Hope's last as Associate Director of th
Savannah Music Festivalafter serving for 16 years.
Recordings
The Orchestra has released seven compact discs. Three albums were recorded with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg on her own NSS Music Label including ''Together'' (November 2009) ''LIVE: Barber, Strauss, Mahler'' (November 2010) and ''A to Z: 21st Century Concertos'' (May 2014). Other recordings include a 1996 collaborative project with
Kent Nagano
Kent George Nagano GOQ, MSM (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 20 ...
and the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra featuring the work of 20th-century Swiss composer
Frank Martin, and ''Written With the Heart’s Blood'', a 1997
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
finalist featuring works by
Dimitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...
, both on the New Albion label. A year later, the Orchestra recorded and released ''Echoes of Argentina'', featuring works of Argentine composers
Alberto Williams and
Alberto Ginastera
Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas.
Biography
Ginastera was born in Buen ...
on the d’Note label. In 2004, the Orchestra recorded and released ''Oculus'', a CD of Kurt Rohde's compositions on the Mondovibe label. In 2009, the Orchestra recorded and released ''Together'' featuring works by
Astor Piazzolla
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed ''nuevo tango'', incorporating elements from ...
and 2008-2009 Featured Composer
Clarice Assad
Clarice Assad (born February 9, 1978) is a Brazilian-American composer, pianist, arranger, singer, and educator from Rio de Janeiro. She is influenced by popular Brazilian culture, Romanticism, world music, and jazz. She comes from a musical fami ...
on the NSS Music label. All of the recordings have been distributed both internationally and in the United States.
Touring
In February 2011, New Century toured nationally across the Midwest, East Coast and Southern California. In January and February 2013, the Orchestra toured nationally throughout eight states including Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois and Michigan. In June 2019, the Orchestra embarked on its first international tour across Germany and Poland with performances at Philharmonie Essen, Essen; Grand Hotel, Heiligendamm; Filharmonia Szczecin, Szczecin; Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ulrichshusen, Stolpe & Schwerin;
Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden
The Stiftung Frauenkirche Dresden is a Stiftung, legally capable foundation under civil law in Dresden established on 28 June 1994. Its purpose was initially the reconstruction of the Dresden Frauenkirche according to George Bähr's historical mode ...
, Dresden; Kissinger Sommer, Bad Kissingen; and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rendsburg/Budelsdorf.
Highlights
In December 1996,
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
Frederica von Stade
Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
performed at the group's season opening with a new piece by composer Jake Heggie, entitled ''On the Road to Christmas'', written specifically for von Stade.
In 2000, New Century performed in a multimedia multi-ethnic collaboration with Chinese composer Gang Situ entitled ''Strings Calligraphy''. The composition examines the parallels between string music and calligraphy, the control of the
erhu
The ''erhu'' (; ) is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a ''Southern Fiddle'', and is sometimes known in the Western world as the ''Chinese violin'' or a ''Chinese two-s ...
bow and calligraphy paintbrush and musical renderings and the flow of calligraphy on paper. The uses of shape and line—dance, string instruments and visual imagery— were interwoven as elements of the performance. Chinese characters were projected on downstage screens, as dancers on a platform imitated the shape of the characters.
Sir
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal ...
conducted the New Century Chamber Orchestra's 10th Anniversary Celebration concert in June 2002 in a co-presentation with Marin Academy. He led the orchestra in music by
Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
,
Schoenberg and
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
. This was only the second time that Rattle had conducted in the Bay Area since 1980.
In January 2008, the New Century Chamber Orchestra performed REWIND at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a sold out special event conceived of and conducted by Paul Haas. The concert traced music backwards in time from the 20th century to the Baroque and featured violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, DJ Mason Bates, and kinetic installation artist
Reuben Heyday Margolin.
New Century Chamber Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary during the 2016–2017 season which also featured the orchestras first-ever festival. Three unique concerts were presented in San Francisco that highlighted Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg in her final appearances as Music Director.
In May 2018, New Century Chamber Orchestra presented the West Coast Premiere o
Philip Glasss Piano Concerto No. 3 as part of the composer's 80th birthday celebrations
Simone Dinnerstein for whom the work was written, featured as soloist.
In January 2020, New Century Chamber Orchestra made its debut at the newly-renovate
Presidio Theatrewith its second festival titled "Beethoven in the Presidio." The two-day festival featured orchestral and chamber works by Beethoven as part of the global celebrations honoring the composer's 250th birthday. Music Director Daniel Hope, pianist Simone Dinnerstein and cellist Lynn Harrell featured as soloists.
Education and Community Outreach
New Century is committed to being a vital part of the community and to educational outreach in the communities where it performs. Through its "Hall Pass" initiative, the orchestra offers free performance and rehearsal access to students and at-risk seniors at schools and service organizations throughout the Bay Area.
Orchestra members
Daniel Hope, Music Director
Violin
* Daniel Hope, concert master
* Dawn Harms, associate concert master
* Candace Guirao, principal second
* Robin Mayforth
* Anna Presler
* Karen Shinozaki Sor
* Iris Stone
* Deborah Tien Price
* Michael Yokas
Viola
* Anna Kruger, principal
* Cassandra Lynne Richburg
* Jenny Douglass
* Elizabeth Prior
Cello
* Robin Bonnell
* Michelle Djokic
* Isaac Melamed
Bass
* Anthony Manzo, principal
References
*http://ncco.org
*http://ncco.org/about.htm
External links
New Century Chamber Orchestra Official SiteDaniel Hope Official Site
{{authority control
Chamber orchestras
Contemporary classical music ensembles
Culture of San Francisco
Musical groups established in 1992
Musical groups from San Francisco
String orchestras
Orchestras based in California