Concept

Music of the Spheres Society

Summary
Inspired by the Neoplatonic academies of 16th and 17th-century Italy, which combined discourse with musical presentations, the Music of the Spheres Society was founded in 2001 by its artistic director and violinist, Stephanie Chase, and hornist Ann Ellsworth. Its first concert took place in New York City on November 1, 2001, the proceeds of which were donated to families of firefighters from two nearby stations who were killed at the World Trade Center disaster. The mission of the Society is to promote classical music through innovative chamber music concerts and pre-concert lectures which illuminate music’s historical, philosophical and scientific foundations, in order to give greater context for music to the average audience member. The Music of the Spheres Society features a core group of artists - Stephanie Chase (violin), Hsin-Yun Huang (viola), and Jon Manasse (clarinet) - plus guest artists that include soloists, chamber musicians, and principal members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Its concerts feature works composed for one to nine performers, dating from the 16th to 21st centuries. Many of the Society's artists specialize in historically informed performance practices or contemporary music. Of a performance by the Society of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, a New York Times critic wrote: "These musicians brought the music vividly to life in every particular. They should be playing it everywhere. They should go on the road with it tomorrow." Concert programs presented by the Society explore the contexts of music and include chamber music master-pieces, lesser-known works, and world or US premieres. Contemporary music performed by the Society has included world premieres and works by Edward Applebaum, John Harbison, Lou Harrison, and Jose Evangelista. Works by less-known composers - such as Juan Arriaga, Johan Kvandal, Leoš Janáček, Jan Dussek, Zdenek Fibich, and Bohuslav Martinu - are programmed alongside composers such as Brahms, Schubert, Mozart, Ravel, Beethoven, and Prokofiev.
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