Discovery Ensemble
| Discovery Ensemble (DE) | |
|---|---|
| Chamber orchestra | |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Concert hall | |
| Principal conductor | Courtney Lewis |
Discovery Ensemble was a Boston-based chamber orchestra[1] founded by Music Director Courtney Lewis and Artistic Director David St. George. The orchestra, made up of young professionals from the Boston area, gave its inaugural concert in October 2008.[2] It disappeared from the Boston music scene after an announcement cancelling the already advertised 2014 season.[3]
Discovery Ensemble had two missions. It was a chamber orchestra that performed to local acclaim in the Boston Globe[4][5] and the Boston Phoenix.[6][7][8][9] Concerts took place at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[10][11]
Discovery Ensemble's second mission was education. The orchestra presented four Discovery Programs per year, each consisting of two in-school workshops[12] and a matinee concert for children from local schools.[13] The schools' concerts took place at Strand Theatre in Dorchester, Massachusetts.[14]
Discovery Ensemble played live regularly on WGBH Radio and was featured as Critics' Choice on NPR.[15][16] In December 2009, Pulitzer Prize–winning critic Lloyd Schwartz of the Boston Phoenix named Discovery Ensemble Boston's "Best Kept Secret".[17]
History
[edit]The orchestra played its first concert in October 2008 in the Strand Theatre, Dorchester with Ginastera's Variaciones concertantes, Stravinsky's Danses concertantes, and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.[2][14][18]
The orchestra was founded because directors Courtney Lewis and David St. George saw the possibility, given the abundance of young professional musicians in Boston, of forming and training a large (40 players) chamber orchestra that could perform at the highest international level.
Discovery Ensemble was particularly associated with schools and community centers in Dorchester.[13]
Reviews
[edit]- Boston Globe 1 Ensemble Shows Exuberance from the Start
- Boston Globe 2 Courtney Lewis and Discovery Ensemble Help Make Classical Accessible
- Boston Phoenix 1 Anniversaries and Other Occasions
- Boston Phoenix 2 Springer vs. Nero
- Boston Phoenix 3 The Roar of the Crowd
- Boston Phoenix 4 2009: The Year in Classical
- Boston Intelligencer Harbison "Bout of Un-relatedness" Between Two Chestnuts
- Dorchester Reporter Orchestra Helps Young People Discover Classical Music
- WBUR A Young Maestro’s Noble Experiment: Classical Music For All
- WBUR A Young Conductor Leads A Noble Experiment
References
[edit]- ^ "ArtsBoston Members". Artsboston.org. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Strand Spotlight Continues With Two Great Performances | City of Boston". Cityofboston.gov. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Discovery Ensemble suddenly ceases operations - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- ^ "Discovery Ensemble shows exuberance from the start – The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Courtney Lewis and Discovery Ensemble help make classical accessible – The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Schwartz, Lloyd (27 January 2009). "Anniversaries and other occasions – Classical". Thephoenix.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Schwartz, Lloyd (10 June 2009). "Springer vs. Nero! – Classical". Thephoenix.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Schwartz, Lloyd (13 October 2009). "The roar of the crowd – Classical". Thephoenix.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Schwartz, Lloyd (4 January 2010). "2009: The year in Classical – Classical". Thephoenix.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Schott Music". Schott Music. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Local movies, theaters, showtimes, events, concerts and festivals – MSN Local Edition Movies & Events". Thingstodo.msn.com. 31 December 1999. Retrieved 20 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "lavidainc". La-vida.org. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Orchestra helps young people discover classical music | Dorchester Reporter". Dotnews.com. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ a b [1] Archived 5 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "WGBH Homepage". Mediaplayer.wgbh.org. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Discovery Ensemble". InstantEncore. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ Schwartz, Lloyd (4 January 2010). "2009: The year in Classical – Classical". Thephoenix.com. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
- ^ "Schott Music". Schott Music. 25 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
External links
[edit]- Discovery Ensemble Website Archived 22 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- Courtney Lewis Website
- ArtsBoston Entry Archived 25 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Discovery Ensemble YouTube Page
- InstantEncore
- Vimeo