The Orchestra Now

The Orchestra Now will return to Bard College at Simon’s Rock on Friday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Daniel Arts Center. The Orchestra Now (TŌN), a pre-professional orchestra in residence at Bard College, will perform an all-Beethoven program under the baton of conductor Leon Botstein and pianist Peter Serkin. The Bard College Chamber Singers, and the Bard Festival Chorale will join TŌN for the Choral Fantasy. The orchestra will perform the 5th symphony, one of the most famous works in all of classical music. There will be a pre-concert discussion with Dr. Botstein at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but you must register and have a reservation to attend. Reserve your tickets online in advance here.

You don’t need to bring tickets with you to the event, we will hold them for you at the front door. Please arrive at least a half hour prior to showtime to pick them up. Unclaimed tickets will be released back to the box office 15 minutes prior to showtime.

LEON BOTSTEIN  - Leon Botstein brings a renowned career as both a conductor and educator to his role as music director of The Orchestra Now. He has been music director of the American Symphony Orchestra since 1992, artistic codirector of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival since their creation, and president of Bard College since 1975. He was the music director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra from 2003 to 2011, and is now conductor laureate. Mr. Botstein is also a frequent guest conductor with orchestras around the globe, has made numerous recordings, and is a prolific author and music historian. He has received many honors for his contributions to music.  More info online at leonbotsteinmusicroom.com

PETER SERKIN The American pianist Peter Serkin's musical heritage extends back several generations: his grandfather was violinist and composer Adolf Busch and his father pianist Rudolf Serkin. He has performed with the world's major symphony orchestras and is a dedicated chamber musician. He has collaborated with Alexander Schneider; Pamela Frank; Yo-Yo Ma; the Budapest, Guarneri, Orion and Shanghai String Quartets; and TASHI, of which he was a founding member.

Mr. Serkin’s orchestral appearances for the 2014-2015 season included concerti by Mozart, Bartók, and Beethoven with the San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, and Sydney Symphonies and the Florida Orchestra. In April, he gave the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize- and MacArthur Fellowship-winning composer Charles Wuorinen’s new piano concerto with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He gave solo recitals in New York, Sydney, Brisbane, and New Haven at Yale University, and joined the Orion String Quartet at the Ravinia and Toronto Summer Music Festivals and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. Mr. Serkin currently teaches at Bard College Conservatory of Music and the Longy School of Music.

BARD FESTIVAL CHORALE - The Bard Festival Chorale was formed in 2003 as the resident choir of the Bard Music Festival. It consists of the finest ensemble singers from New York City and surrounding areas. Many of its members have distinguished careers as soloists and as performers in a variety of choral groups; all possess a shared enthusiasm for the exploration of new and unfamiliar music.

For tickets, click here.

As mentioned above, you don’t need to bring tickets to event. We will be holding them for you at our box office. Please arrive at least a half hour prior to showtime to pick them up. Unclaimed tickets will be released back to the box office 15 minutes prior to showtime.

For venue and ticket related questions contact Sandy Cleary scleary@simons-rock.edu 413.644.4220

For questions about The Orchestra Now (TON) contact Brian Heck brian@theorchestranow.org 646.237.5033

Have questions about THE ORCHESTRA NOW (TON) • Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and Symphony No. 5 • Conducted by Leon Botstein with Pianist Peter Serkin? Contact The Daniel Arts Center at Bard College at Simon's Rock