| About the NSO |
| The Newton Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1965 with a mission to provide Newton and the surrounding communities with fine music at affordable prices close to home; to provide area volunteer musicians the opportunity to maintain and develop their skills; and to enhance music appreciation, promote cross-cultural understanding, and build community through outreach programs for students, seniors, and others. The NSO presents a four-concert subscription series each year, plus a concerto competition open to Newton students (through grade 12) and a free family concert. We also occasionally present a pops or other fundraising concert and perform in concerts for hire. In April 2001 the NSO made its New York debut at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall with a sold out concert presented by the Chinese Arts Exchange. The NSO's November 1999 world premiere (jointly commissioned by and performed with Chorus pro Musica) of Uruguayan composer Leon Biriotti's Sinfonia da Requiem was chosen as Boston's top orchestral performance for the 1999-2000 season by The Improper Bostonian magazine, which stated: "There were hundreds of great orchestral performances this yeardozens of which could qualify as Boston's Best. But this one was a surprise .... The NSO is a fine band [and] this world premiere was staggering. More evidence of Boston's amazing depth." The NSO presents a preconcert lecture by our music director or a guest scholar at each of our subscription concerts and holds a postconcert reception where the audience and musicians can meet and socialize. Other Newton Symphony outreach programs include free attendance at dress rehearsals, with special invitations to senior citizens; our free family concert, which features Newton school children performing with the orchestra; discounted tickets for low income and special needs individuals; and other involvement in the public school program of Newton. The school children who perform at the annual family concert include the winner of our annual concerto competition and all-city choral or instrumental ensembles. The NSO is a largely volunteer orchestra, with a paid music director, guest soloists, and first chair string section leaders, supplemented by instrumental specialists as required by particular scores. We have a paid part-time office administrator and contract for stage and personnel managers, librarian, and accounting and auditing services. We have a volunteer Board of Directors and are a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. The NSO has stimulated generous community support, as evidenced by the endowed chairs for the conductor, concertmaster, and principal viola, cello, oboe, and flute. We also have an endowment for a prize to the winner of our annual young soloist concerto competition. The NSO has received support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Newton Cultural Council, New England Foundation for the Arts, the Harvard Musical Foundation, the List Foundation, The Virgil Thompson Foundation, the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation, the FleetBoston Financial Foundation, the Roblee Foundation, Arthur T Gregorian Oriental Rugs, Bread & Circus Whole Foods Market, Shearson Lehman/American Express, the Polaroid Corporation, and the Auburndale Co-operative Bank. The NSO has championed contemporary music throughout its history and has commissioned works by Richard Boulanger, Charles Fussell, John Heiss, and Gunther Schuller. Charles Fussell's Wilde, commissioned in 1990-1991, was one of three finalists for the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in Music. In 1999 the NSO commissioned and performed, jointly with Chorus Pro Musica, Sinfonia da Requiem: For the Victims of the Holocaust, by Uruguayan composer Leon Biriotti. The NSO's Music Director, Jeffrey Rink, has been with us since 1995. Mr Rink is also music director of Chorus Pro Musica and of the Longy Chamber Orchestra. He is director of orchestral activities at the Longy School of Music, a founder and director of Concert Opera Boston, and on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts,. Mr Rink is a frequent guest conductor on the national and international scene, including appearances with the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra (Boston), the Baltic State Philharmonic (Gdansk, Poland), the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (Japan), the Orquesta Sinfoníca de Monterrey (Mexico), L'Orchestre de Sherbrooke (Quebéc), and L'Orchestre de Jeunes de Fribourg (Switzerland). |
Home | Concerts | Tickets | Support | Info230 Central Street " Newton, MA 02466Phone: (617) 965-2555 " Fax: (617) 965-0450 " [email protected] Copyright ©2002 Newton Symphony Orchestra; All rights reserved. |
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