The New England Philharmonic is a volunteer orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1976. The current music director is Tianhui Ng.
History
The New England Philharmonic, a volunteer orchestra, was founded in 1976, by Michel Perrault, then residing in Winchester, MA and Gervásio de Chaves, a resident of Arlington, MA, as the
Mystic Valley Chamber Orchestra. The first public performances were held in November 1977 in
Arlington, Massachusetts and
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It is a western suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, United States; and is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population stood at 27,295 ...
.
In 1986, the orchestra took up residence at
Framingham State College
Framingham State University (Framingham State or FSU) is a public university in Framingham, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate programs as well as graduate programs, including MBA, MEd, and MS.
History
As the first secretary of the newly ...
under Music Director, Jeffrey Rink and in 1987 adopted its current name. The orchestra’s musical director at this time was Ronald Feldman, then a
cellist
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...
with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...
. The orchestra was the orchestra in residence at
Simmons College
Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include:
* Simmons University, a women's liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts
* Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky
* Har ...
from 1996 through 2014. Richard Pittman served as music director from 1997 to 2022.
Repertoire and awards
The orchestra is known for its premieres of new works by contemporary composers, and its performances of both earlier works of
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 ...
, as well as more
modern music. The orchestra organizes an annual call for scores from emerging composers, and also a young artists competition. The orchestra has received the Award for Adventurous Programming from the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
seven times, most recently in 2011.
The ensemble hosts a composer in residence each season. Past composers in residence include
Marjorie Merryman
Marjorie Merryman (born 1951) is an American composer, author, and music educator. She is a member of the composition faculty at the Manhattan School of Music since 2007, where she also served as Interim President, Provost and Senior Vice Presid ...
,
Peter Child
Peter Burlingham Child (born 6 May 1953) is an American composer, teacher, and musical analyst. He is Professor of Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was a composer in residence with the New England Philharmonic.
Educat ...
,
Michael Gandolfi
Michael James Gandolfi (born July 5, 1956) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He chairs the composition department at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC).
Gandolfi was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. He taught h ...
,
Andy Vores
Andy Vores (born 1956) is a Welsh classical music and opera composer. He has lived in the United States since 1986 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Education
Vores studied composition at Lancaster University in Lancaster, England. He in ...
, Richard Cornell, and
Robert Kyr, the last of whom was the first such composer, appointed in 1985.
The orchestra has received grants and awards from organizations supporting the arts, including the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the Virgil Thomson Foundation. The orchestra is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency of
.
Performances
The orchestra presents an annual series of concerts beginning each fall, appearing at the
Tsai Performance Center
Tsai Performance Center is a concert hall located within Boston University's College of Arts and Sciences building. Constructed in 1989, the facility was made possible by a $5.5 million gift from the Tsai Family, particularly Gerald Tsai, who serv ...
at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
. The orchestra is currently entering its 37th season.
During its 35th anniversary season in 2011-2012, the orchestra gave two well-received performances of the
War Requiem
The ''War Requiem'', Op. 66, is a large-scale setting of the Requiem composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed in January 1962. The ''War Requiem'' was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was b ...
by
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
, together wit
Chorus Pro Musica th
Providence Singersand th
Boston Children’s Chorus One performance, in Boston, was held at the
Cathedral of the Holy Cross. A second performance, in
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
, was held at the
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.
Channing Gray, Providence Journal, “Britten’s ‘War Requiem’ glorious, memorable event”
/ref>
References
External links
nephilharmonic.org
(official website)
{{authority control
Musical groups from Boston
Musical groups established in 1976
1976 establishments in Massachusetts
Orchestras based in Massachusetts