In Tuesday’s (11/15) San Francisco Classical Voice, Brett Campbell writes, “As the traditional city orchestra model faces powerful challenges in changing times, new orchestras have been springing up over the past few years, often populated by younger, freelance performers who are paid by the gig (if at all), sometimes performing in nontraditional venues—rock clubs, churches, college auditoriums—rather than concert halls, and frequently playing nonstandard repertoire, ranging from contemporary postclassical music to pop covers. Even though the number of chamber orchestras are fewer than alternative chamber music groups, there are plenty (too many to name all)—Boston Modern Orchestra Project, A Far Cry, The Knights, String Orchestra of New York, and a variety of large contemporary music ensembles. Together, they’re reinventing classical music in the 21st century. Often mentioned by today’s young orchestra entrepreneurs as the model or inspiration for their efforts, BMOP (as it’s usually known) was founded in 1996 by Gil Rose, then a young conductor looking for a sustainable model for an orchestra that could play the new and unusual music he cherished. … Rose attributes BMOP’s longevity in part to its flexibility: He can muster 90 musicians, but also uses smaller aggregations when necessary.” Campbell goes on to profile Boston’s A Far Cry, San Francisco-based Magik*Magik Orchestra, and New York City’s The Knights.
Posted November 17, 2011
