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

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 Singers
and 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