Big Screen, Great Outdoors The Chamber Orchestra of New York headed to the great outdoors on October 6, when it played a free concert at the Eventi Hotel’s al fresco plaza. Nestled adjacent to the hotel in Manhattan’s gritty, fragrant wholesale Flower District, the Big Screen Plaza features waterworks, greenery, exhibition areas, seating, and—true to its name—a 30- by 15-foot HD screen on which live events are projected. Led by founder Salvatore Di Vittorio, the Chamber Orchestra of New York performed selections from their debut CD on Naxos, as well as works by Vivaldi, Corelli, Respighi, and Mozart. Di Vittorio established the orchestra in 2006 to feature young professional musicians in the early stages of their careers; programs center on the Italian classical repertoire. The orchestra played at the edge of a reflecting pool, but the splash it made was purely aesthetic—for appreciative crowds.
Awards to van Zweden, Salonen, and More
americanorchestras.org
“I’ve admired Dan Kamin’s work for many years. The tremendous fun he introduces into concerts belies the serious thought behind them. He has a unique talent for physical comedy and wonderful feel for music.” — Ted Wiprud Director of Education New York Philharmonic
Jennifer Taylor
On December 5 Musical America presented its 2012 Conductor of the Year Award to Jaap van Zweden, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, at the Kaplan Penthouse of New York’s Lincoln Center. Other Musical America honors went to cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han, the first double recipients of its Musician of the Year Award; and to Meredith Monk as Composer of Esa-Pekka Salonen the Year, violinist Gil Shaham as Instrumentalist of the Year, and tenor Jonas Kaufmann as Vocalist of the Year. The University of Louisville’s annual Grawemeyer Award for music composition, which comes with a $100,000 prize, was announced November 28 and went to Esa-Pekka Salonen for his Violin Concerto. Co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and New York City Ballet, the concerto was given its world premiere by the Philharmonic and violinist Leila Josefowicz in April 2009.
Park Avenue Chamber Symphony led by Music Director David Bernard in Avery Fisher Hall, May 2011
Eventi, A Kimpton Hotel
Salvatore Di Vittorio leads the Chamber Orchestra of New York in a free outdoor concert at the Eventi Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
China Times Nine Beijing is not an unusual destination for Western orchestras. But Chaoyang, Dalian, and Jinzhou? Those are just four of the nine Chinese cities the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony visited December 23 through January 5 at the invitation of the Beijing Concert Hall Corporation. This was the first international concert tour for the orchestra, which was founded in 1999 in New York City and consists of dedicated amateur musicians. “In addition to being a huge honor, this tour is a major milestone for the orchestra,” Music Director David Bernard said before the tour. “Music is a universal language, and we look forward to a rewarding cultural exchange with a new audience across the globe.” Visit SymphonyNOW to read first-person blogs by musicians from the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony about their experiences in China.
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Dan Kamin
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