Orchestra 2001 is a collective of adventurous, virtuoso performers dedicated to the music of our time. The ensemble strives to be an international leader in connecting diverse audiences with the greatest music of the 20th and 21st centuries, engaging new listeners through exhilarating concerts, innovative artistic collaborations, and enriching community partnerships in Philadelphia and beyond.

Composer George Crumb - Agnus Dei (Peace sign) Score

GEORGE CRUMB: Scores at an Exhibition

WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2023 | 7:30 PM
Main Gallery at Slought
4017 Walnut Street, Phila. 19104
Pay-What-You-Can Tickets! 
$0 – $50

 

FREE STUDENT EVENT: Thursday, May 18, 2023 | 2:45 PM | Teatro Esperanza, 4261 N. 5th Street, Phila. 19140
MAY 2023 – Exhibition at Cherry Street Pier

GEORGE CRUMB: SCORES AT AN EXHIBITION will explore Philadelphia’s well-known contemporary composer (1929-2022) and long-time Orchestra 2001 collaborator, in a visual arts setting. His stunning visual scores are works of art, and presenting them in a gallery context allows for a more complete appreciation of these masterpieces.

Exhibits of Crumb’s scores will be followed by performances of several of his chamber music works at Slought, Esperanza Arts, and Cherry Street Pier.  Crumb’s brilliant “Metamorphoses, 10 Fantasies for Amplified Piano, Book 2” (2020) will be performed by the musician he wrote it for, Orchestra 2001 pianist Marcantonio Barone, presented with images of the works of art that influenced Crumb’s modern take on “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

Supported by the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia. 

 

composer Justinian Tamusuza and leading African ethnomusicologist, Sylvia Nannyonga-Tamusuza.

ENGOMA ENTEERA: 
Classical Music from Uganda

Justinian Tamusuza, composer
Launching MAY 2023 | multiple venues

Throughout 2023 and 2024, we will be joined by the husband-wife team of composer Justinian Tamusuza and leading African ethnomusicologist, Sylvia Nannyonga-Tamusuza. With support from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, they will share a cross-continental, virtual/live composer residency from Uganda, prior to visiting Philadelphia in 2024. Na’Zir McFadden, conductor.

Described as “an African Bartók,” Justinian was trained in both Kiganda (Ugandan) folk music and Western classical music, receiving his doctoral degree in composition at Northwestern University. He will compose several new pieces for Orchestra 2001’s musicians, using extended instrumental techniques, microtones, and polyrhythms that marry contemporary classical music and traditional Kiganda folk music. Stay tuned for more information about our initial public concerts for this exciting series starting early April 2023. 

EMERGING MARKETS
Major support from:

Launched in May 2020, EMERGING MARKETS is an ongoing series of informal musical events presented where Philadelphians shop, work, and play. Aimed at breaking down barriers to attendance, Orchestra 2001 tailors performances for markets and businesses in all corners of Philadelphia. 

EMERGING MARKETS was honored with a 2022 Arts + Business Council Award alongside programs by Visit Philadelphia and The Barnes Foundation.

PAST PROGRAMS:

Birth Of the Cool with Orchestra 2001

BIRTH OF THE COOL

FIRST PERFORMANCE: (SOLD OUT!)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2023 | 7:30pm
Clef Club of Jazz
736 South Broad Street, Philadelphia 19146

ENCORE PERFORMANCE:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023 | 7:30pm
Mummers Museum
1100 S. 2nd Street, Philadelphia 19147
(Corner of 2nd St. & Washington Ave.)
Cash bar & FREE parking behind museum!

A history-making jazz ensemble with humble beginnings in a basement apartment below a laundromat on Manhattan’s West 55th Street... the 12 tunes resulting from that collaboration of jazz and classical giants are a collector’s classic, and forged decades of new directions in concert halls, jazz clubs, and film scores. This performance will feature Orchestra 2001’s jazz players, including eight leading musicians from The Philly Pops.

¡CONEXIONES! CUBA

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022  |  7:30 PM
Teatro Esperanza

Mark Loria, conductor

Ernesto Abelardo Valdés – Almendra
Tania León – Toque
Ileana Pérez Velázquez – Zunzun
Leo Brouwer – La Niña Bonita
Paquito D'Rivera – Preludio y Merengue

Visit the concert page to learn more.

This program is funded by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.

Na’Zir McFadden, conductor
Elizabeth Steiner, harp

 

Harlem Renaissance and Beyond

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022  |  7:30 PM
American Hats Factory Showroom

FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022  |  7:30 PM
African American Museum in Philadelphia

William Grant Still — Summerland 
Undine Smith Moore — Afro-American Suite
Duke Ellington — Single Petal of a Rose
     (Elizabeth Steiner, harp)
George Walker — Lyric for Strings
Valerie Coleman — Portraits of Langston
Jessie Montgomery — Source Code

Visit the concert page to learn more.

"Harlem Renaissance and Beyond" is part of Orchestra 2001's JOURNEYS series, funded by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation and the League of American Orchestras' Futures Fund. American Hats Factory Showroom event is funded in part by PNC Arts Alive and William Penn Foundation as part of EMERGING MARKETS.

America's Folk Music Transformed: George Crumb's The River of Life (2003)

Orchestra 2001 ensemble rehearsing at Xavier University.

April 20, 2022 | 12:00 pm (noon)
Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans

April 22, 2022 | 10:00 am
Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi

This tour is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the League of American Orchestras' Futures Fund.

Remembering GEORGE CRUMB

Orchestra 2001 mourns the loss of our dear friend, George Crumb (October 24, 1929 – February 6, 2022). He passed away on Sunday at his home in Media, Pa, at the age of 92. His family was at his side. George was a trailblazing composer who leaves behind an incomparable legacy of stunningly brilliant music. His relentless exploration of “sounds” – the myriad colors achievable by instrumental and vocal performers – allowed him to evoke every imaginable emotion. His music could be heavenly or hilarious, haunting or terrifying, and everything in between. In addition, his hand-notated scores were like works of modern art, worthy of a museum exhibit. George attended our performance of The River of Life at Cherry Street Pier on September 20, 2019, presenting a pre-concert talk. Those of us that had the joy of working closely with George for many years will remember his scholarly insights, his sense of humor, and his endearing humility. 

Obituary from The New York Times.


"One More River"

"Amazing Grace"

In The Key of L: Music Along SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line

Orchestra 2001 will feature musical compositions by Philadelphia composers in pop-up concerts at train stops, parking lots, businesses, murals, and parks along the 45-minute SEPTA route that cuts across dozens of diverse communities.

Part 1 featured music by Erin Busch, Matt Davis, and Jay Krush. 

Funded in large part by the Presser Foundation and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.

From left to right: Orchestra 2001 performaces at CHOP Karabots campus (West Philadelphia), the "Love Lot" (Kensington), and 30th Street Station (University City).

 

Song Catcher Lyric Fest Artists

THE SONG CATCHER

presented by Lyric Fest

April 9, 2022 | 3:00pm | The American Philosophical Society

April 10, 2022 | 3:00pm | Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church

Featuring new, folk-inspired works by Gregory Brown, John Conahan, Michael Djupstrom, Melissa Dunphy, Jennifer Higdon, Allen Krantz, Gilda Lyons, Robert Maggio, Jeffrey Scott, and Benjamin P. Wenzelberg. 


Orchestra 2001's participation in "The Song Catcher" funded by The Aaron Copland Fund for Music.


  

¡CONEXIONES! ARGENTINA

– Lo que vendrá

Saturday, November 6, 2021 | 6:00pm | Teatro Esperanza

Orchestra 2001 partnered with celebrated bandoneónist Shinjoo Cho to perform Piazzolla Centennial: Lo que vendrá (What's to come), a celebration of master composer and bandoneónist Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992).

Diego Schissi’s commission generously funded by the Steven R. Gerber Trust.


Conexoes Brazil

Brazil Map

CONEXÕES BRAZIL

Co-presented by Esperanza Arts Center.  http://www.revisemysite.com/images/07-01-2021-FR-playloudly1-Esperanza_logo_png_transparent.png

Concert recording session at World Live Cafe, featuring 20th- and 21st-century music by Brazilian composers. 

Heitor Villa-Lobos – Sexteto místico
Clarice Vasconcelos Assad – The Book of Spells
Orlando Haddad – Lendas Amazônicas (Amazon Legends) premiere
Orlando Haddad’s commission generously funded by the Steven R. Gerber Trust.

PRIOR LIVESTREAM EVENTS: 6/23/2021 Teatro Esperanza  |  7/8/2021 Cherry Street Pier  |  7/23/2021 Arts Access TV

Click here to learn more.

STREAM THIS MUSIC ANYTIME – FREE

UNHINGED with the Barnes Foundation

 

¡CONEXIONES!-Mexico at Teatro Esperanza

Orchestra 2001 is Ensemble-In-Residence at Cherry Street Pier

The COMPOSER AT WORK window features Philadelphia-area and visiting composers, and musicians of all ages and genres. Participants work on site and present their music to audiences at Cherry Street Pier and elsewhere in Philadelphia. Funded by generous grants from the Barra Foundation and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.

100% individual donations currently go toward employing musicians!

Our concerts would not be possible without the support of Individual Donors!

Orchestra 2001 thanks its recent Foundation, Government, and Organizational Contributors and Partners: