Gemma New (photo: Roy Cox); Karen Gomyo (photo: Gabrielle Revere); Marc-André Hamelin (photo: Sim Canetty-Clarke)
(June 2022)— Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) – “one of the most versatile and galvanic ensembles in the U.S.” (WQXR) and long-time orchestra-in-residence at Caramoor – looks forward to two performances at the venue this summer, on July 17 and August 7. The first program is led by New Zealand-born conductor Gemma New – called “one of the brightest rising stars in the conducting firmament” by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch – with special guest violinist Karen Gomyo making her Caramoor debut. New will also give a 3pm talk preceding the performance. In August, OSL returns to perform an all-Beethoven program for Caramoor’s Summer Season Finale, joined by Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin. Between these performances, OSL also presents the citywide “Summer Serenades” chamber music tour from July 22–31, giving concerts in each of the five New York City boroughs with the program comprising music by Gounod, Mozart and Valerie Coleman, a frequent collaborator with the orchestra.
Caramoor
Conductor Gemma New – recipient of the prestigious 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award – joins OSL as a guest conductor at Caramoor after her recent appointment as Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, adding to her existing posts as Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Violinist Karen Gomyo, an alumna of Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars program whom the Chicago Tribune called a “first-rate artist of real musical command, vitality, brilliance and intensity,” performs Brahms’s Violin Concerto, on a program with Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony and Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, a piece that draws on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement.
The OSL’s all-Beethoven program at Caramoor in August features Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin, “known for a technical finesse that borders on the supernatural” (Seattle Times), performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto No. 5; the orchestra completes the program with the Symphony No. 2. The conductor for the concert, still to be determined, will be announced soon.
OSL Five Borough Tour: “Summer Serenades”
Variously praised as “a mainstay of New York’s classical scene” (New Yorker) and New York’s “hometown band” (New York Times), OSL returns to its chamber music roots each summer with the “Summer Serenades” program in each of New York City’s five boroughs; venue information for the concerts is listed below. This season the concerts feature a piece for wind quintet by Valerie Coleman, Performance Today’s 2020 Classical Woman of the Year and the orchestra’s partner for a long-term collaboration last season. Added to her special relationship to OSL, Coleman also has a special relationship to wind music: a Grammy-nominated flutist as well as composer, she is the creator and founder of the acclaimed Imani Winds ensemble. Gounod’s Petite Symphonie in B-flat for winds and Mozart’s Serenade in E-flat, K. 375 complete the program.
Venues for the OSL Five Borough Tour: “Summer Serenades” are as follows:
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts houses one of the world’s most extensive combinations of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in its field. These materials are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, and performances. (July 22, Manhattan)
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum is a cultural destination and educational resource that offers programs, exhibitions and special events that speak to contemporary life, connect the past to the present, and cultivate an appreciation for the area’s historical, natural, and cultural resources. (July 23, Bronx)
Albee Square is the heart and soul of downtown Brooklyn and the venue for Downtown Brooklyn Partnership’s series of free outdoor events that serve to celebrate the people and plazas of one of the nation’s most dynamic downtowns. (July 26, Brooklyn)
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) is a multidisciplinary arts center that is devoted to offering quality visual, performing, and literary arts, and to providing accessible education programs to encourage participation in the arts. (July 29, Queens)
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is where art, history and nature converge, offering dynamic programming in the arts, horticulture and agriculture for diverse communities and all ages on its historic 83-acre campus. (July 31, Staten Island)
About Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL) grew from a group of virtuoso musicians performing chamber music concerts at Greenwich Village’s Church of St. Luke in the Fields in 1974. Regular seasons see OSL perform in diverse musical genres at New York’s major concert venues, drawing on an expanded roster for large-scale works, and collaborating with artists ranging from Joshua Bell and Renée Fleming to Bono and Metallica. The orchestra has commissioned more than 50 new works and has given more than 175 world, U.S., and New York City premieres, while also participating in 118 recordings, four of which have been recognized with Grammy Awards. Internationally celebrated for his expertise in 18th-century music, Bernard Labadie was appointed as OSL’s Principal Conductor in 2018, continuing the orchestra’s long tradition of working with proponents of historical performance practice. Built and operated by OSL, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music opened in 2011. New York City’s only rehearsal, recording, education and performance space expressly dedicated to classical music, it serves more than 500 ensembles and 30,000 musicians each year.
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Orchestra of St. Luke’s: Summer Season 2022
July 17
Katonah, NY
Caramoor
Gemma New, conductor
Karen Gomyo, violin
JESSIE MONTGOMERY: Strum
MOZART: Symphony No. 35 in D, K. 385, “Haffner”
BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77
July 22–31
OSL Five Borough Tour: “Summer Serenades”
GOUNOD: Petite Symphonie in B-flat for winds
VALERIE COLEMAN: Work (as yet untitled) for wind quintet
MOZART: Serenade in E-flat, K. 375
July 22, 1pm: Manhattan (New York Public Library)
July 23, 3pm: Bronx (Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum)
July 26: 6pm: Brooklyn (Albee Square, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership)
July 29, 6:30pm: Queens (Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning at JPAC)
July 31, 3pm: Staten Island (Snug Harbor Cultural Center)
Aug 7
Katonah, NY
Caramoor
TBA, conductor
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 36
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73, “Emperor”
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© 21C Media Group, June 2022
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