Press Releases
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Press Releases
Boston Landmarks Orchestra Announces 20th Anniversary Programming--on the Esplanade and in Boston Neighborhoods
July 8, 2021 | By Stephanie Janes
BOSTON LANDMARKS ORCHESTRA CELEBRATES 20th SEASON WITH RETURN TO LIVE MUSIC AT THE DCR HATCH MEMORIAL SHELL ON THE ESPLANADE AND IN BOSTON NEIGHBORHOODS
The free concerts and events bring the joy of live music to Boston audiences and beyond, highlighting community, diversity, accessibility, and the joy of sharing great orchestral music
For Immediate Release—July 8, 2021—Boston Landmarks Orchestra under the direction of Music Director Christopher Wilkins celebrates its 20th anniversary season with the return of live orchestral music to the iconic DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade this summer—the first live and free professional symphony concerts in Boston since the pandemic began. Landmarks Orchestra is thrilled to present a six-week summer concert series which showcases a diversity of music and cultures both at the Hatch Shell and in Boston neighborhoods.
Programming this summer celebrates the authentic musical and community partnerships Landmarks Orchestra has built over its 20-year history. Rooted in uniquely American music, audiences will hear works by composers such as Jessie Montgomery, George Gershwin, John Philip Sousa, Nkeiru Okoye, Aaron Copland, William Grant Still, Florence Price, Omar Thomas, J. Rosamond Johnson, Duke Ellington, and more. Music from Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela light up the summer nights, alongside masterworks such as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Music Director Christopher Wilkins says, "We can't wait for our season to start. It will be a mix of well-loved classics and the kind of discoveries that help us aspire to be a voice for the whole community."
The season begins with two performances at historic churches, Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain and Arlington Street Church in the Back Bay July 16 and 18 before the first performance on the Esplanade on August 4.
Choreographer Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion (PDM) will bring his “Postcards From the Front” to the Hatch Shell stage in the August 11 “Music & Healing” performance. This piece pairs the recorded experiences of those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic with the movement responses of PDM collaborators. These “postcards” use the words of invited guests - medical workers, teachers, bartenders - each offering a postcard's worth of thoughts on what they need and want to hold onto from this time. Joining Landmarks for the first time is Urbanity Dance, showcasing one of their signature programs “Dance with Parkinson’s.”
Longwood Symphony Orchestra and Mercury Orchestra co-present a concert on August 18 before the world premiere commission, “A Walk in Her Shoes” by composer and Berklee College of Music professor Francine Trester gives voice to Boston women who lived along the Women’s Heritage Trail at the season-closing concert on September 1.
American Sign Language (ASL)
An ASL interpreter will be present at the performances on August 4, 25, and September 1.
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Lift Ev’ry Voice
Friday, July 16, 2021, 7:00pm ET | Bethel AME Church, 40 Walk Hill St, Boston
Sunday, July 18, 2021, 4:00pm ET | Arlington St. Church, 25 Arlington Street, BostonBoston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Annie Rabbat, violinThomas Cooper, violin
Jason Amos, viola
Francesca McNeeley, cello
Ralph Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Rosamond Johnson Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing) lyrics by James Weldon Johnson, arr. William Grant Still)
William Grant Still Danzas de Panama (string orchestra version)
Clarice Assad Fusion: Dança Brasileira from Impressions
Aldemaro Romero Fuga con Pajarillo
Jessie Montgomery Strum
Michael Abels Delights and Dances
To celebrate the return of live music, the strings of the Landmarks Orchestra perform in two historic Boston churches. The welcoming tones of Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis offer inspiration and comfort. Then, a string quartet joins the orchestra in music rooted in American soil.
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TUNE UP PARTY/COMMUNITY DAY
July 31, 2021, 2-5pm ET | Mozart Park, 10 Mozart St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130Landmarks annual Tune Up party moves to Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain for an afternoon of family fun and musical games. Attendees can try out an instrument at the “Musical Playground” hosted by Johnson String Instruments, learn to conduct at “Maestro Zone,” enjoy a performance by Aashka Dance Company, visit interactive bucket drumming exhibits from the Beat Bus, and explore the jungle gym hosted by Knucklebones. All ages are welcome.
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BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH & AMERICAN ICONS
August 4, 2021, 7pm ET | Hatch ShellBoston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Sigourney Cook, soprano
Adrian Anantawan, violinLudwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
George Gershwin Strike Up the Band Overture
Florence Price Concert Overture No. 2
William Grant Still Spirituals: A Medley
Nkeiru Okoye I am Harriet Tubman, Free Woman
James P. Johnson Drums
Jules Massenet Thaïs: Méditation
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony begins with the most famous notes in history. The symphony moves from despair to joy as if tracing a “hero’s journey.” In America, the journey of Black artists has shaped our national sound. American music grew from the spirituals, blues, R&B, and the dance tunes George Gershwin heard in Harlem.
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RACHMANINOFF TO ELLINGTON: MUSIC & HEALING
August 11, 2021, 7pm ET | Hatch ShellBoston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Boston Ballet II
Boston String Academy
Jean Appolon Expressions
Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion
Urbanity DanceSergei Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances
Bedrich Smetana Dance of the Comedians from Bartered Bride
Camille Saint-Saëns The Swan from Carnival of the Animals
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Danse nègre
Duke Ellington The River
Arturo Márquez Danzón No. 2
Partners from Boston’s dance community explore connections between music, movement, and well-being. Ellington’s “river ballet” portrays human life, flowing from its source to the ocean beyond. Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances rock and sway with unbounded vitality in the composer’s final orchestral work.
Choreographer Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion (PDM) will bring his “Postcards From the Front” to the Hatch Shell stage. This piece pairs the recorded experiences of those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic with the movement responses of PDM collaborators. Joining Landmarks for the first time is Urbanity Dance, showcasing one of their signature programs “Dance with Parkinson’s.”
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Bach and Beethoven
Longwood Symphony Orchestra & Mercury Orchestra
August 18, 2021, 7pm ET | Hatch ShellRonald Feldman, Music Director, Longwood Symphony Orchestra
Channing Yu, Music Director, Mercury OrchestraLudwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
Johann Sebastian Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043
Aaron Copland El salón México
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin: Polonaise
Two of our favorite collaborators, Longwood Symphony Orchestra and Mercury Orchestra, share a program of orchestra favorites including works by Bach, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky.
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AMAZING GRACE & SOUSA MARCHES
LANDMARKS ORCHESTRA SYMPHONIC WINDS
August 25, 2021, 7pm ET | Hatch ShellBoston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
John Philip Sousa The Free Lance
John Philip Sousa Semper Fidelis
Gustav Holst Second Suite for Military Band
Steven Stucky Funeral Music for Queen Mary (after Henry Purcell)
Omar Thomas Come Sunday
Ralph Vaughan Williams Folk Song Suite
William Grant Still Animato: Humor (from Afro-American Symphony)
Frank Ticheli Amazing Grace
The Landmarks Orchestra forms a concert band for the first time. Beginning with English masterpieces, the music moves across the pond to the States. In addition to well-loved Sousa marches, American influences range from jazz to “Amazing Grace.” Composer Omar Thomas’ Come Sunday marks the central role of the Hammond organ in the Black church.
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RHAPSODY IN BLUE & AMERICAN PORTRAITS
September 1, 2021, 7pm ET | Hatch ShellBoston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Brianna Robinson, soprano
Carrie Cheron, mezzo-soprano
David Coleman, pianoGeorge Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Aaron Copland Lincoln Portrait
George Chadwick Jubilee from Symphonic Sketches
William Grant Still Symphony No. 2 ‘Song of a New Race’
Priscilla Alden Beach City Trees
Francine Trester A Walk in Her Shoes (World Premiere)
Rhapsody in Blue has captivated listeners since its premiere nearly a century ago. Audiences still love it for its freshness and fusion of styles. Copland’s Lincoln Portrait accompanies some of Lincoln’s best-known speeches, including the Gettysburg Address. The world premiere of Francine Trester’s A Walk in her Shoes conjures the memory of key women in our city’s history.
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About Boston Landmarks Orchestra
Boston Landmarks Orchestra was founded in 2001 by conductor and community advocate Charles Ansbacher. The orchestra is comprised of many of the area's finest professional musicians. In its earliest years, the orchestra performed in such historically important settings as Fenway Park, the USS CONSTITUTION pier, Jamaica Pond, Franklin Park, Copley Square, Boston Common, and other landmark locations. Since 2007, its principal home has been at the DCR's Hatch Memorial Shell. For more history visit landmarksorchestra.org.
Major funders of Boston Landmarks Orchestra include the Free for All Concert Fund, The Boston Foundation, Encore Boston Harbor, Liberty Mutual and the Klarman Foundation. These programs are supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, the League of American Orchestras, and the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and administered by the Mayor's Office of Arts Culture for the City of Boston. WCVB-TV is a proud media sponsor.
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