Wildflower Composer students during a classroom session. Photo Credit: Rec.Today. Pulled from reports written by Dr. Erin Busch, organized by Abby Rolland* As part of The Presser Foundation’s drive to be more transparent and to amplify the work of its partners, it uses information from grant reports to highlight its grantees. Each post will spotlight…
Photo Description: Presented by Ars Nova Workshop, the band Bitchin’ Bajas performs at The Venue at Solar Myth. Photo Credit: Charlie Hall Pulled from reports written by Celeste DiNucci, organized by Abby Rolland* As part of The Presser Foundation’s drive to be more transparent and to amplify the work of its partners, it has begun…
Photo Description: A performance at Esperanza Arts Center in 2020-2021 Pulled from reports written by Bill Rhoads and Daniel de Jesús, organized by Abby Rolland* As part of The Presser Foundation’s drive to be more transparent and to amplify the work of its partners, it uses information from grant reports to highlight its grantees. Each…
A photo of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra at their recent spring performance. By Baker Purdon In the final installment of this Tour of Regional Orchestras series (See Part I and Part II), I wanted to step away from the orchestra as a whole and tell the story of what it takes to join one…
By Baker Purdon Chamber music is a classical music genre performed by a smaller group of musicians than you would see in an orchestra. Historically (and contemporaneously), these concerts can often be performed in what we used to call chambers, or small rooms, in a home. More often than not, however, chamber music is now…
From top, clockwise: Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra By Baker Purdon A symphony orchestra is a shapeshifting ensemble capable of transporting listeners through time, space, and emotion. Comprising a large group of musicians playing a variety of instruments (including strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and more), symphony orchestras are known for their…
Photo Credit: Torello Productions By Baker Purdon “Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” When famous painter Pablo Picasso said this, he critiqued the progressive stripping of creativity and freedom from a person’s life as they grow up. In an effort to solve this problem, a multi-year…
By Baker Purdon It feels appropriate to disclose my bias and profound love for Margaret Bonds’ Credo early in this review. It has become one of my most loved pieces of music from the 20th Century, partly because of its powerful sentiment and the sheer beauty and partly because of my personal connections to it.…
By Baker Purdon The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia recently presented Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons paired with Max Richter’s revisionist imagining of the same work, The Four Seasons, Recomposed. I’d like to tell you a little bit about each work, the performance, and share my thoughts about how recomposing, as Richter has done with this piece,…
By Baker Purdon, Music Fellow History Since the inception of the United States, the American orchestra has been predominantly local in scope. Before the Civil War, most American orchestras operated within the boundaries of a single city and its immediate vicinity. They were generally either standing orchestras in local theaters, ad hoc orchestras for special…