New England String Ensemble
Encyclopedia
New England String Ensemble was founded in 1993 by violinist Peter Stickel and cellist John Bumstead to champion strings
in performance
and education
and is one of the country’s leading professional string orchestras. The ensemble consists of 26 professional string musicians who perform four concert programs a year at both the Rogers Center for the Arts in North Andover, Massachusetts
and New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. It is led by conductor and music director, Federico Cortese
, and performs music from the 17th century to the present.
and resident of Seattle, who commuted to Boston for four years to help build the orchestra
. Mr. Chagnard is also co-founder and music director of Seattle’s award-winning Northwest Sinfonietta.
The inaugural performance, A Musical Journey into Night, in September 1994 at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts
received international attention, including pieces in the New York Times and newspapers in Seattle, Paris and Tel Aviv as well as a feature by Paul Harvey, for its life-imitating-art triumph over a thunderstorm
-induced power failure.
In its fifth season, the 1998–99 season, the New England String Ensemble featured four finalists in its search for a local music director from which vocalist and conductor, Susan Davenny Wyner, was chosen to lead the orchestra into its sixth season, 1999–2000. That sixth season also featured a move into Cambridge, Massachusetts
, with a series at the First Church Congregational at the invitation of keyboard artist Peter Sykes. A gradual migration into the Sanders Theatre at Harvard University
and then to the Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory in Boston completed the progression.
Under the direction of Ms. Wyner, the artistic success of the New England String Ensemble was evidenced locally by growing audiences, high critical acclaim, and performance invitations, such as an invitation to the Bank of America Celebrity Series
in 2004–05. National recognition included a Koussevitzky
commission, one of seven in the United State awarded in 2003–04. Ms. Wyner resigned her position in April 2005 to pursue opera
.
In July 2005, Federico Cortese was engaged as conductor for the 2005–06 season and named music director in 2006. From the moment of his debut as assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
in 1998, stepping in at short notice to conduct Beethoven Symphony No. 9
in place of an ailing Seiji Ozawa
, Cortese’s work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra was widely praised. His other appointments include music director and associate conductor of the Spoleto Festival
in Italy
; assistant conductor to Daniele Gatti
at the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
in Rome
; and assistant conductor to Robert Spano
at the Brooklyn Philharmonic
. Additionally, he has served as music director of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras
since 1999.
Initially starting with a String Competition in 1996, the New England String Ensemble's educational programs have expanded to support four community initiatives for students in grades K-12 that provide a progression from beginning to advanced students. The programs include:
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
in performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and is one of the country’s leading professional string orchestras. The ensemble consists of 26 professional string musicians who perform four concert programs a year at both the Rogers Center for the Arts in North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. North Andover is the home of Merrimack College, a private, Catholic four-year institution ....
and New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall in Boston, Massachusetts. It is led by conductor and music director, Federico Cortese
Federico Cortese
Federico Cortese has served as Music Director of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras since 1999. He is currently also the Music Director of the New England String Ensemble and the newly-appointed Conductor of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra at Harvard University. In summer 2009, he was appointed...
, and performs music from the 17th century to the present.
History
The New England String Ensemble began its inaugural concert season in 1994 under the guidance of founding music director, Christophe Chagnard, a native of ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and resident of Seattle, who commuted to Boston for four years to help build the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. Mr. Chagnard is also co-founder and music director of Seattle’s award-winning Northwest Sinfonietta.
The inaugural performance, A Musical Journey into Night, in September 1994 at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly, Massachusetts
Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 39,343 on , which differs by no more than several hundred from the 39,862 obtained in the 2000 census. A resort, residential and manufacturing community on the North Shore, Beverly includes Beverly Farms and Prides...
received international attention, including pieces in the New York Times and newspapers in Seattle, Paris and Tel Aviv as well as a feature by Paul Harvey, for its life-imitating-art triumph over a thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
-induced power failure.
In its fifth season, the 1998–99 season, the New England String Ensemble featured four finalists in its search for a local music director from which vocalist and conductor, Susan Davenny Wyner, was chosen to lead the orchestra into its sixth season, 1999–2000. That sixth season also featured a move into Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, with a series at the First Church Congregational at the invitation of keyboard artist Peter Sykes. A gradual migration into the Sanders Theatre at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and then to the Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory in Boston completed the progression.
Under the direction of Ms. Wyner, the artistic success of the New England String Ensemble was evidenced locally by growing audiences, high critical acclaim, and performance invitations, such as an invitation to the Bank of America Celebrity Series
Celebrity Series of Boston
The Celebrity Series of Boston is a non-profit performing arts presenter established in Boston, Massachusetts by Boston impresario Aaron Richmond in 1938 as Aaron Richmond's Celebrity Series....
in 2004–05. National recognition included a Koussevitzky
Koussevitzky
Koussvitzky is a surname, may refer to:*Moshe Koussevitzky , Belarusian-born cantor*Sergei Koussevitzky , Russian-born conductor...
commission, one of seven in the United State awarded in 2003–04. Ms. Wyner resigned her position in April 2005 to pursue opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
In July 2005, Federico Cortese was engaged as conductor for the 2005–06 season and named music director in 2006. From the moment of his debut as assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
in 1998, stepping in at short notice to conduct Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
in place of an ailing Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa
is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
, Cortese’s work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra was widely praised. His other appointments include music director and associate conductor of the Spoleto Festival
Festival dei Due Mondi
The Festival dei Due Mondi ' is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; assistant conductor to Daniele Gatti
Daniele Gatti
Daniele Gatti is an Italian conductor.Official website: He is currently Music Director of the Orchestre National de France, a role he assumed in September, 2008 , and also Chief Conductor of the Zurich Opera, a position he began in September, 2009; his contract is for three seasons, after which...
at the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
The Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is one of the best-known orchestras in Italy. It is based at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. At various times it has been known as the Symphony Orchestra of the Augusteo and Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia and the...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
; and assistant conductor to Robert Spano
Robert Spano
Robert Spano is an American conductor and pianist. Since 2001 he has been Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra , and he served as Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic from 1996 to 2004...
at the Brooklyn Philharmonic
Brooklyn Philharmonic
The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, commonly known as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, is an American orchestra based in the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City...
. Additionally, he has served as music director of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras
Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras
The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras is a youth orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts under the artistic leadership of Music Director Federico Cortese...
since 1999.
Mission and educational programs
The mission of New England String Ensemble is to "engage, educate, and inspire with passionate string orchestra performances and innovative community programs."Initially starting with a String Competition in 1996, the New England String Ensemble's educational programs have expanded to support four community initiatives for students in grades K-12 that provide a progression from beginning to advanced students. The programs include:
- String Fever — a program for elementary age students that introduces them to string instruments and classical musicClassical musicClassical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. - Kids to Concerts — middle school string players are invited to attend a New England String Ensemble concert free of charge and to participate in the pre-concert talk led by music director Federico Cortese and a post-concert reception to meet the musicians.
- New England Musical Heritage Initiative — this program unites composers, high school string players, and local historians as they explore and celebrate the rich diversity of New EnglandNew EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
culture and history. - String and Flute Competitions — competition for advanced string and flute students (18 and under) from the New England area. Scholarships are awarded to the top three winners in the Open Division and the First Place winner in the Under-12 Division. The First Place Winner of the Open Division also wins a solo performance with the orchestra in a regular season subscription concert.
External links
- New England String Ensemble
- Rogers Center for the Arts
- New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall
- Northwest Sinfonietta
- Endicott College
- Paul Harvey
- First Church Congregational
- Peter Sykes
- Sanders Theatre
- Celebrity Series of Boston
- Spoleto Festival
- Brooklyn Philharmonic
- String Fever
- Hear New England String Ensemble in concert from WGBH Radio Boston