2017 was quite a year.
Through it all, The Chelsea Symphony let music speak for our values as we presented affordable concerts for audiences in downtown Manhattan and beyond. We hope that we provided a place for you, our dedicated supporters, to enjoy music from today and yesterday that reflects the world around us.
From January to June, we presented the second half of our 2016-17 season, FLIGHT PATHS, featuring works by composers who visited or immigrated to the U.S. and left an indelible mark on American culture as a whole. These included Dvořák's New World Symphony, Mahler's Fourth Symphony, and Romanian Folk Dances by Bartók. Without the musical resources and inspiration these composers found in the U.S., we may have never known these works as they exist today.
We continued our partnership with Amazon Prime Original's Golden Globe-winning series, Mozart in the Jungle, with members of TCS serving as instrument coaches for the actors as well as continuing as on-screen members of the "New York Symphony." Season 4 releases on February 16!
In May, TCS was the first organization to present a full orchestra concert on Rikers Island as a result of our participation in the seminal episode "Not Yet Titled" from Season 3 of Mozart in the Jungle. We are proud to return as an orchestra this spring as well as continue an accompanying chamber music series. Two chamber concerts took place this year, in April and November, for both male and female inmates, with a third to take place in April.
As part of our commitment to contemporary music, we premiered eight works by living American composers, including the winning piece of our third annual Composition Competition, Summer Mountains by Danny Gray.
Note: this year's competition closes on January 15!
As we move into the new year, TCS continues our twelfth season, SEA CHANGE, featuring orchestral works inspired by the natural world. These pieces focus on environmental stewardship and the connections between humanity and nature. We are thrilled to perform John Luther Adams’ Pulitzer-prize winning work, Become Ocean, at the American Museum of Natural History on Earth Day, this April 22.
As an egalitarian ensemble, you are just as much a part of the orchestra as our musicians and we are grateful for your time and support. We continue to work ahead in hope - see you in 2018!