The Orchestra Now to Livestream Two Free Symphonic Concerts on April 10 and May 1, 2021

Music director Leon Botstein will lead The Orchestra Now in two spring concerts livestreamed free from the Fisher Center at Bard on April 10 and May 1.

More details from The Orchestra Now (www.theorchestranow.org):

These two concerts represent an exciting return to performing symphonic works with a larger orchestra on stage. The April 10 program features Tania León’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated work Ácana, alongside music by Bernstein, Stravinsky, and Mendelssohn. The May 1 performance is the first concert of a belated two-part tribute to Beethoven’s 250th birthday. The second part will be performed by the Bard Conservatory Orchestra on May 8.

On April 10, Leon Botstein conducts TŌN in Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony and Bernstein’s Serenade featuring violinist Zongheng Zhang, a winner of the 2020 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition. Also on the program is Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments with pianist Blair McMillen, hailed by The New York Times as “prodigiously accomplished and exciting,” and the 2008 work Ácana by Cuban-born composer, conductor, and educator Tania León. León’s honors include an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and commissions from the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, among many others.

On May 1, Leon Botstein will lead the Orchestra in the first of two concerts dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven. After the pandemic shutdown, many celebrations planned for the 250th anniversary of his birth were cancelled. The first program in the Belated Beethoven Birthday Celebration series presents the composer’s beloved 5th and 7th Symphonies, as well as his Triple Concerto for violin, cello, and piano featuring Australian-American violinist Adele Anthony, first-prize winner of the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in 1996; cellist Peter Wiley, a member of the Beaux Arts Trio from 1987 to 1998; and internationally acclaimed pianist Shai Wosner. The commemoration continues on May 8 at 8PM with Beethoven’s Wellington’s Victory and Symphonies No. 3 and 4, performed by the Bard Conservatory Orchestra.

More details:

Mendelssohn & Bernstein

Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 8PM ET
The Orchestra Now
Leon Botstein, conductor
Zongheng Zhang, violin (Bard class of 2021)
Blair McMillen, piano
Tania León: Ácana
Bernstein: Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium)
Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56 “Scottish”

Access: Free concert, with a suggested donation of $25-50. RSVP to receive a direct link to the livestream on the day of the concert. This concert will be available for delayed streaming on TŌN’s digital portal STAY TŌNED, starting on April 15.

Belated Beethoven Birthday Celebration (Part I*)

Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 8PM ET
The Orchestra Now
Leon Botstein, conductor
Adele Anthony, violin
Peter Wiley, cello
Shai Wosner, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Triple Concerto in C Major, Op. 56
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Stuart Stritzler-Levine, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Emeritus Dean of Bard College, who passed away on May 1, 2020. Stritzler-Levine joined the Bard faculty in 1964 and devoted 56 years of continuous service to the College.

*Part 2 of the Beethoven celebration will be presented on May 8 at 8PM and performed by the Bard Conservatory Orchestra.