Yuri Temirkanov
Hilary Hahn
Next season will
bring homecomings,
debuts and blockbuster
repertoire
Christianna M c Causland
I
n 1916, the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra was formed as a branch
of Baltimore’s municipal government.
To be formed as a city partnership was
unique, and the BSO has been a force for
music innovation ever since. Though it was
reorganized as a private institution in 1942,
the BSO retains a deeply rooted kinship
with its hometown. As the orchestra marks
its 100th anniversary, it is fitting that the
season will honor Baltimore-based
musicians and debut new works with
thematic and artistic ties to the city.
New Century, New Innovations
Watch for these new initiatives:
ore theatrical
M
collaborations with
Center Stage and
Folger Theatre
T he launch of Pulse, a
late-night concert series
with independent artists
New performance
clothing for musicians
designed in collaboration
with Parsons The New
School For Design
T he story of the Baltimore
Symphony’s legacy in a
specially commissioned book
by Michael Lisicky, BSO
oboist and acclaimed author
and historian, available for
sale in Fall 2015
8 O v ertur e |
www. bsomusic .org
“This is a watershed moment and a time to celebrate,” says BSO
Vice President of Artistic Operations Matthew Spivey. “The celebration includes a lot of return appearances by artists who have had a
close association with us over the years, like our former Music
Director Yuri Temirkanov; André Watts, who has a long history
with the BSO; Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, who had her debut at an
Oregon Ridge concert when she was very young; and Leon Fleisher,
who has adopted Baltimore as his home.
‘We’re trying to build on the quality of the music-making we’ve
become associated with,” he continues, “but it’s much broader than
that. We’re celebrating Baltimore.”
According to Music Director Marin Alsop, it will be a season of
world-class artists, major premieres, Baltimore homecomings, signature projects, and community partnerships. There will also be an
emphasis on the works of living composers such as John Adams,
Clarice Assad, Anna Clyne and Tan Dun, to name a few.
“Baltimore is an adventurous city filled with extraordinarily
talented and unique individuals and artists who are willing to take
chances and think outside the traditional boxes,” she says. “It’s a city
of rich diversity that we want to highlight and celebrate.”
A greatly anticipated performance in the upcoming season is the
debut of a new multimedia work by Peabody Institute Professor of
Composition Kevin Puts in collaboration with Baltimore-based
video artist James Bartolomeo. The work celebrates the vibrancy
of cities. In addition to its debut in Baltimore, the work will be
performed at Carnegie Hall.
This will be a season of debuts, including 10 new encores that
will be performed at the conclusion of Maestra Alsop’s concerts. The
Centennial Encores are divided equally between male and female
composers of world renown, and are made possible through a
partnership with Classical Movements, Inc. The compositions
are three to five minutes in length and are inspired by themes
contributed by BSO audience members. The encores will be
performed this season and next.
“The element of surprise is something I hope people enjoy,” says
Spivey. “The Centennial Celebration Commissions, for example,
won’t be in the season brochure. Marin will come back on stage, turn
around, and conduct something the audience has never heard before.”
Multidisciplinary productions have become a hallmark of
the BSO and Alsop says she’s looking forward to the October
performances of Romeo and Juliet in collaboration with the Folger
Clo ck wise fro m To p- R i ght: Gr ant Lei ghto n (Al so p); Ch r is Lee (BSO); Pe ter M i ller (Hah n); Sa sha Gusov ( Ter m i r k an ov ), Ch r is Lee (B ell); fu lya atal ay / Sh ut tersto ck .co m (Ma);
Ste ve J . Sh er man ( WATTS); Lloyd Fox(K WEI -ARMAH); S te ve J . Sh er man (M cGegan); b u kle y / Sh ut tersto ck .co m ( WaTERS); Ch r istian Stei n er (Saler n o -So n n en b erg).
The Centennial Season Preview