Newton Symphony Orchestra

The Newton Symphony Orchestra:
40 Years of Grand Music

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 and pre-professional musicians with the opportunity to develop their skills and play high-quality music; and to enhance music appreciation, promote cross-cultural understanding, and build community through outreach programs for students, seniors, and others.

The NSO is a world-class orchestra that attracts music lovers from throughout New England. The orchestra's appearances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall have garnered rave reviews from critics and music-lovers.

The NSO has championed new music, including commissions and world premiers of works by noted American composers, such as Gunther Schuller and Charles Fussell. Fussell's Wilde was one of three compositions awarded the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in Music. The NSO commissioned and performed Sinfonia da Requiem: For the Victims of the Holocaust, by Uruguayan composer León Biriotti which was designated by the Improper Bostonian as the third Best Classical Music Performance of that year in Boston.

Under the baton of Jeffrey Rink, the NSO enters its 5th year of offering concert opera performances, among our most popular concerts. Past performances ofTosca, Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, and Rigoletto) have received fabulous reviews.

The Newton Symphony Orchestra has attracted a stellar collection of international and local soloists. In 2003 the preeminent Spanish guitarist, Sir Angel Romero, mesmerized the audience with his virtuoso performance. In 2002 the audience had the pleasure of hearing the legendary Hungarian violinist Denes Zsigmondy. In 2000, the NSO audience was introduced to the Marimba as a beautiful solo instrument by Nanae Mimura, who at the time was studying locally, but was already an international star on her instrument. In 2004, the 15 year-old cellist, Sebastian Baverstam, played the Schumann Cello Concert with the NSO just months before his performance of the same work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. NSO opera performances attract the best rising stars in the field, such as Adina Aaron and Benjamin Warschawski from the New York City Opera and Barbara Kilduff of the Metropolitan Opera.

In 2001, the NSO made their New York debut along with Chorus Pro Musica, in a concert of Chinese and Western music at Lincoln Center featuring the Yellow River Cantata. The NSO, again joined by Chorus Pro Musica, opened their 2002-2003 season with a repeat sold-out performance of this critically acclaimed program at Carnegie Hall. The NSO will perform this popular concert at Boston’s Symphony Hall on November 11, 2005.

The orchestra is composed of approximately 70 musicians, the majority of whom are volunteers playing for pleasure and experience. They come from all walks of life and reside all over the greater Boston area, some commuting from as far away as Dennis. Several have gone on to professional positions.

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