Brooklyn Philharmonic
From Sequenza21/NetNewMusic Wiki
One of the nation's groundbreaking music ensembles, the Brooklyn Philharmonic continues to celebrate its vital presence in the cultural life of the New York metropolitan area. The Philharmonic is devoted to serving Brooklyn's cultural and educational communities through partnerships with New York City's Department of Education, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library and Brooklyn Academy of Music, among other organizations. For the past five decades, the Brooklyn Philharmonic has played a leading role in presenting innovative and thematic programming, receiving 21 ASCAP Awards over the last 26 years for "Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music." Since its 1954 inception, audiences have embraced the Brooklyn Philharmonic's commitment to the concept of the orchestra as a contemporary performance ensemble, emphasizing important present-day music, as in the decades of Beethoven and Brahms. The Philharmonic has premiered over 350 works, including 61 commissions. As the Philharmonic enters its 52nd season, it heralds the arrival of new Music Director Michael Christie. Christie made his Brooklyn Philharmonic debut in April 2005 with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon's Dooryard Bloom (commissioned for the orchestra's 50th anniversary), and was commended by The New York Times for leading a "shapely, persuasive performance." In addition to his post in Brooklyn, the conductor is the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of the Phoenix Symphony and has been Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival since September 2000, where he earned praise for innovative programming and all-time attendance highs. Additionally, he served as the Assistant Conductor of Zurich Opera in the 1997-1998 season, a position created for him by Franz Welser-Möst.
In addition to its main stage season at BAM, the Brooklyn Philharmonic has been attracting attention for an eclectic and exciting group of programs held each season at the Brooklyn Museum. These programs, titled Music Off The Walls have been prepared by Curator of Education and Community Engagement Theodore Wiprud and correspond to specific exhibits displayed at the Brooklyn Museum. This season, Music Off The Walls comprises four programs: Jewish Mosaic on Sunday, November 13, 2005 in conjunction with the special exhibition "Tree of Paradise: Jewish Mosaics from the Roman Empire"; Manufactured Landscapes on Sunday, January 15, 2006 to coordinate with "Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky"; Carnival of the Animals on Sunday, March 19, 2006 which focuses on the special exhibition "Funney/Strange: William Wegman" and includes the world premiere of a commissioned work by Brooklyn composer Aaron Grad; and Homespun on Sunday, April 23, 2006 which references "Symphonic Poem: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson."
In 2001, the Brooklyn Philharmonic launched an ambitious series of Community Concerts and Partnerships for Music Education, holding musical events in schools, museums, churches and other sites across the borough. In its 50th Anniversary season, the Philharmonic continued to increase its circle of community partnerships through programs like Music Off The Walls and First Saturdays with the Brooklyn Museum, Music Off The Shelves with the Brooklyn Public Library and Music In The Sanctuaries with diverse houses of worship.
The Brooklyn Philharmonic has been featured twice on CBS's Late Night with David Letterman, as well as on CBS Sunday Morning, PBS's City Arts, NBC News and A&E's Breakfast with the Arts.
The Brooklyn Philharmonic is now on myspace! Link up here!
