Naumburg Orchestral Concerts (NOC) Announces 2023 Season

IN HONOR OF 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF NAUMBURG BANDSHELL,  
NAUMBURG ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS  
COMMISSIONS FANFARES 
 
June 13–August 1, 2023 

Summer 2023 artists: 
ACRONYM (fanfare - Times Square Brass) 

The Knights (fanfare – select members of The Knights) 

A Far Cry (fanfare – eGALitarian Brass) 

Nosky's Baroque Band (fanfare – TBA) 

East Coast Chamber Orchestra (fanfare – The Westerlies) 

 

NEW YORK (April 14, 2023) – Naumburg Orchestral Concert Series commissioned four composers to write fanfares in celebration of the Naumburg Bandshell’s centennial during the annual summer series, June 13 – August 1.  

 

The opening fanfares will be performed by Times Square Brass (composer Martin Kennedy), select members of The Knights (composer Colin Jacobsen), eGALitarian Brass (composer Anthony Davis), and The Westerlies (composer Milica Paranosic.) This year’s summer lineup includes ACRONYM, The Knights, A Far Cry, Nosky’s Baroque Band, and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra.  

 

All concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Naumburg Bandshell (Concert Ground, 72nd St, mid-park, New York, NY 10065). The concerts are free but seats are allocated on a first-come, first served basis. Visit naumburgconcerts.org for more information. 

 

NOC commissioned the fanfares in homage to composer Edwin Franko Goldman’s On the Mall. The piece premiered at the Bandshell’s inaugural concert in September 1923.  

 

The Times Square Brass open the series on June 13 with the world premiere fanfare by Martin Kennedy. Founded in 2019 by Juilliard students, the brass quintet has since ascended into the New York City music scene. The baroque band ACRONYM follows in their Bandshell debut. The “outstanding young early-music string ensemble" (The New Yorker) will perform works by Cavalli, Capricornus, Scarlatti, and more. 

 

Returning to the Bandshell, Brooklyn-based orchestral collective The Knights begin their set on June 27 with Colin Jacobsen’s Celebratory Fanfare, featuring select ensemble members. The full orchestra will perform a mixture of old and new works, including the New York City premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s L.E.S. Characters.  

 

Also making their return this summer is GRAMMY-nominated and self-conducted orchestra A Far Cry, performing on July 11. The orchestra brings their signature style to the Bandshell, performing pieces by Jessie Montgomery, Dvorák, and Juantio Becenti, among others. eGALitarian Brass, a chamber ensemble comprised of New York City's best women and non-binary brass players, performs the world premierefanfare by Anthony Davis.  

  

Director and violin soloist Aisslinn Nosky leads Nosky’s Baroque Band at the Bandshell on July 25. Nosky was a soloist and featured performer in last summer’s Haydn & Handel Society concert. This summer, her ensemble will perform Vivaldi’s Concerto for two violins, Purcell’s Suite from Fairy Queen, J.S. Bach’s Concerto for Violin I, along with works by Handel and Francesco Geminiani. The ensemble for world premiere fanfare by Brian Raphael Nabors is to be announced. 

 

The East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) closes out the summer concert series with an energetic performance including Mozart’s Salzburg Symphony No. 1, William Grant Still’s Danzas de Panama, and Josef Suk’s Serenade for Strings in E flat major, Op. 6. “Intellectually rigorous” (NPR) brass quintet The Westerlies perform the final world premiere fanfare by Milica Paranosic.  

 

Find full program information for all five ensembles below. 

*Denotes world premiere 

ACRONYM 

June 13, 7:30 p.m.  

Program: 

Anonymous, Sonata Jucunda a5 in D Minor  
Samuel Capricornus, (1628-1665), Sonata a8 in A Minor 
Francesco Cavalli, (1602-1676), Canzona a8 in C Major 
Andreas Kirchhoff, (fl.1700), Sonata a6 in G Minor  
Alessandro Scarlatti, (1660-1725), Sinfonia a4, (from Agar et Ismaele esiliati)  
Clemens Thieme, (1631-1668), Sonata a8 in C Major  
-Intermission- 

Johann Pezel, (1639-1694), Ciacona a6 in B-flat Major 
Giovanni Valentini, (1582-1649), Sonata Enharmonisch a8 in G Minor  
Antonio Bertali, (1605-1669), Sonata a6 in D Minor 
Johann Philipp Krieger, (1649-1725), Sonata a4 in F Major 
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704), Battalia a10 in D Major 

Opening Fanfare: Times Square Brass, Composer, Martin Kennedy* 
  

The Knights 

June 27, 7:30 p.m. 

Program: 

Jessie Montgomery, (b. 1981), L.E.S. Characters, featuring Masumi Per Rostad, viola 

NYC Premiere 
Béla Bartók, (1881-1945), Romanian Folk Dances 

Jessie Montgomery, (b. 1981), Source Code for string orchestra 

George Enescu, (1881-1955), Romanian Rhapsody No. 1  

Opening Fanfare: Bethesda Bliss/Celebratory Fanfare, The Knights ensemble from orchestra, Composer, Colin Jacobsen  
 

A Far Cry  

July 11, 7:30 p.m. 

Program: 

Osvaldo Golijov, (b.1960), Arum dem Fayer (Around the Fire), arr. string orchestra  

Jessie Montgomery, (b. 1981), Banner  

Juantio Becenti, (b. 1985), The Glittering World 

-Intermission-  

Antonín Dvorák, (1841-1904), String Quartet No.12, Op.96, “American”, (1893), arr. by A Far Cry for string orchestra 

1. Allegro ma non troppo, 
2. Lento, 

III. Molto vivace,  

1. Finale: Vivace ma non troppo

Opening Fanfare: eGALitarian Brass, Composer, Anthony Davis* 
 

Nosky's Baroque Band  

July 25, 7:30 p.m. 

Aisslinn Nosky, Director and violin soloist  

Francesco Geminiani, (1687-1762), Concerto Grosso 10 in F, (after Corelli Opus 5)  

1. Preludio, 
2. Allemanda, 
3. Sarabanda, 
4. Gavotta, 
5. Giga

Antonio Vivaldi, (1678-1741), Concerto for two violins in a RV 522 

1. Allegro, 
2. Larghetto e spritoso, 
3. Allegro 

George Frideric Handel, (1685-1759), Concerto Gross Opus 6 Number 1 

1. Tempo Giusto, 
2. Allegro, 
3. Adagio, 
4. Allegro, 
5. Allegro 

Antonio Vivaldi, (1678-1741), Concerto for cello in d RV 405  

1. Allegro, 
2. Adagio, 

3.Allegro  

-Intermission-  

Arcangelo Corelli, (1653-1713), Concerto grosso Opus 6 number 8 

1. Vivace, 
2. Grave, 
3. Allegro, 
4. Adagio, 

5.Vivace,  

6. Allegro, 
7. Pastorale

Henry Purcell, (1659-1695), Suite from Fairy Queen 

1. Preludio, 
2. Hornpipe, 
3. Rondeau, 
4. Jigg, 

5.Chaconne  

Johann Sebastian Bach, (1685-1750), Concerto for violin I a BWV 1041  

1. Allegro, 
2. Andante, 
3. Allegro Assai 

Opening fanfare: TBA, composer, Brian Raphael Nabors* 

 

East Coast Chamber Orchestra 

August 1, 7:30 p.m. 

Eric Jacobsen, Conductor 

Program:  

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, (1756-91), Divertimento for String Orchestra in D major, K.136, “Salzburg Symphony No. 1,”       

1. Allegro
2. Andante, 

III. Presto 

William Grant Still, (1895-1978), Danzas de Panama 

1. Tamborito, 
2. Mejorana y Socavón, 

III. Punto – Allegretto con grazia, 

1. Cumbia y Congo

-Intermission- 

Eleanor Alberga, (b. 1949), Remember, arranged by ECCO for string orchestra  
Josef Suk, (1874-1935), Serenade for Strings in E flat major, Op. 6 

1. Andante con moto, 
2. Allegro ma non troppo e grazioso, 

III. Adagio,  

1. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo presto

Opening Fanfare: Westerlies, Composer, Milica Paranosic* 
 

 

About ACRONYM 

Baroque band ACRONYM — an "outstanding young early-music string ensemble" (The New Yorker)—is dedicated to giving modern premieres of the wild instrumental music of the seventeenth century. Playing with “...consummate style, grace, and unity of spirit” (The New York Times), the group formed in 2012 and has released ten critically acclaimed CDs since 2014. Recent projects include the first modern performances and recordings of works by Biber, Rosenmüller, Capricornus, and more. The band’s most recent album, Cantica Obsoleta (2020), features the modern premiere recordings of nearly-lost works from Sweden’s Düben Collection. The Boston Globe raves, “this musical time-capsule offers enough resplendence to transport anyone.” 

 

About The Knights 

The Knights are a collective of adventurous musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music. Driven by an open-minded spirit of camaraderie and exploration, they inspire listeners with vibrant programs that encompass their roots in the classical tradition and passion for artistic discovery. The orchestra has toured and recorded with renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, and Gil Shaham, and has appeared across the world’s most prestigious stages,?including those?at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, The Kennedy Center, and the Vienna Musikverein. 

 

The Knights evolved from late-night chamber music reading parties with friends at the home of violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen. The Jacobsen brothers, who are also founding members of the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, serve as artistic directors of The Knights, with Eric Jacobsen as conductor. Since incorporating in 2007, the orchestra has toured consistently across the United States and Europe.  

 

The Knights are proud to be known as “one of Brooklyn’s sterling cultural products…known far beyond the borough for their relaxed virtuosity and expansive repertory” (The New Yorker). Their roster boasts musicians of remarkably diverse talents, including composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters, and improvisers, who bring a range of cultural influences to the group, from jazz and klezmer to pop and indie rock music. The unique camaraderie within the group retains the intimacy and spontaneity of chamber music in performance. Through the palpable joy and friendship in their music-making, each musician strives to include new and familiar audiences to experience this important art form. 

 

About A Far Cry 

Called a “world-wide phenomenon” by Boston’s WBUR, A Far Cry has nurtured a distinct approach to music-making since its founding in 2007. The self-conducted orchestra is a democracy in which decisions are made collectively and leadership rotates among the players (“Criers”). This structure has led to consistently thoughtful, innovative programming — and impactful collaborations with celebrated performers and composers. A Far Cry has risen to the top of Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart, been named Boston’s best classical ensemble by The Improper Bostonian, and celebrated two Grammy nominations for its Visions and Variations. Boston Musical Intelligencer sums up the group: “This conductor-free ensemble has earned and sustained a reputation for top-drawer playing, engrossing programming, and outstanding guest artists.”  

 

A Far Cry’s omnivorous approach has led to collaborations with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Simone Dinnerstein, Awadagin Pratt, Roomful of Teeth, the Silk Road Ensemble, Vijay Iyer, and David Krakauer. Tour highlights include two new commissioning projects: Philip Glass’ third piano concerto with soloist Simone Dinnerstein, and The Blue Hour, “a gorgeous and remarkably unified work” (Washington Post) written by a collaborative of five leading female composers – Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Shara Nova, Caroline Shaw, and Sarah Kirkland Snider. The Blue Hour was released in 2022 in partnership with New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records, and was named a Top 10 Album of 2022 by NPR.  

 

The 18 Criers are proud to call Boston home, and maintain strong roots in the city, rehearsing at their storefront music center in Jamaica Plain. The group recently celebrated the conclusion of a 10-year residency at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Collaborating with local students through educational partnerships with the New England Conservatory, Longy School of Music, and Project STEP, A Far Cry aims to pass on the spirit of collaboratively-empowered music to the next generation. 

 

About Aisslinn Nosky 

Aisslinn Nosky was appointed Concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society in 2011. With a reputation for being one of the most dynamic and versatile violinists of her generation, Nosky is in great demand internationally as a director and soloist. From 2016-2019 Aisslinn served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. She is currently Guest Artist in Residence with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and Artist in Residence at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Aisslinn is also a member of I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. For twenty years this innovative Canadian ensemble presented its own edgy and inventive concert series in Toronto and toured Europe and North America turning new audiences on to Baroque music. With the Eybler Quartet, Nosky explores repertoire from the first century of the string quartet literature on period instruments. From 2005 through 2016, Aisslinn was a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. An avid teacher and educator,  Aisslinn is on the faculty of EQ: Evolution of the String Quartet, at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. 

 

About East Coast Chamber Orchestra 

The critically acclaimed East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) is a collective of dynamic like-minded artists who convene for select periods each year to explore musical works and perform concerts of the highest artistic quality. Drawing from some of the world's finest orchestras, chamber groups, and young soloists, ECCO strives for vitality and musical integrity; a self-governing organization, each member is equal and has a voice in every step of the artistic process, from programming to performance. ECCO believes that the best musical experience can speak to all audiences regardless of age or socioeconomic background and performs accordingly across a wide range of venues. ECCO is also firmly committed to sharing educational experiences with the communities it visits. Through interactive children’s concerts, small group master classes, and one-on-one lessons, ECCO continually seeks out opportunities to connect with young people. Doing so creates a much more engaging concert experience, illustrating through living example the ways in which classical music can be accessible to the modern listener. Performance opportunities also allow the members of ECCO to share the musical knowledge gained during their individual and unique lifetimes of music. The same energy that is contagious in ECCO’s performances is presented and shared without the boundaries of the stage to those interested in learning. 

 

About Times Square Brass 

Formed in 2019 by five Juilliard students, The Times Square Brass has rapidly ascended in the New York City music scene. Originally brought together to study as a brass quintet, the group's talent and hard work soon garnered recognition nationwide. The group is dedicated to presenting a diverse range of brass quintet music, both known and unknown, to its audiences. They strive to create an engaging and interactive experience that combines entertainment and education, giving their audiences a fun time while showcasing their impressive repertoire. 

 

About eGALitarian Brass 

eGALitarian Brass is a chamber ensemble comprised of New York City's best women and non-binary brass players. eGALitarian Brass is dedicated to performing and commissioning new works by diverse composers and breaking the boundaries of chamber music today. We prioritize performing music by diverse composers and commissioning new repertoire with an emphasis on music by women and non-binary composers, who have often been historically underrepresented in brass repertoire.  

 

About The Westerlies 

The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (New York Times) are a New York-based brass quartet comprised of childhood friends from Seattle: Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet, and Andy Clausen and Willem de Koch on trombone. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, The Westerlies navigate a wide array of venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.  

  

About The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts 
Since 1905, The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts has continuously presented free, outdoor classical music concerts to New Yorkers of all walks of life.  It is the oldest such concert series in the world.  Named after founder and philanthropist Elkan Naumburg, who donated the Naumburg Bandshell to New York City in 1923, and inspired by his own ardent love of music, the series seeks to stimulate and encourage new and expanded audiences for classical music in the informal and beautiful setting of Central Park. Contributions to The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts’ programs are fully tax-deductible. Visit www.naumburgconcerts.org  

 

 

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