Press Release | Camerata Notturna

CAMERATA NOTTURNA PRESENTS LEGENDARY PIANIST GILBERT KALISH AND MUSIC OF RENOWNED COMPOSER AUGUSTA READ THOMAS

New Chamber Orchestra Gives Final Concert of a Successful Inaugural Season

The Camerata Notturna, an emerging new voice in the New York chamber orchestra scene, performs a concert on Saturday, May 12th, at 8 PM at the Church of the Good Shepherd (152 W. 66th Street and Broadway), featuring a rare concerto appearance by the pianist Gilbert Kalish and the New York premiere of Prayer & Celebration, a new work by Augusta Read Thomas.

A native New Yorker, acclaimed pianist Gilbert Kalish leads a musical life of unusual variety and breadth. His profound influence on the musical community as educator and as pianist in myriad performances and recordings has established him as a major figure in American music-making. A frequent collaborator with many of the world's most distinguished chamber ensembles, including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, and the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, as well as the Emerson, Fine Arts, and Juilliard string quartets, Mr. Kalish has enjoyed celebrated collaborations with the cellist Joel Krosnick, soprano Dawn Upshaw, and the late mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani.

One of the foremost composers of the 21st century, Augusta Read Thomas has achieved world-wide recognition for her unique style and thoughtful compositions. The winner of numerous international awards and honors, Ms. Thomas has served as Composer-in-Residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and is currently Chair of the Board of the American Music Center. She has held faculty positions at Eastman School of Music and Northwestern University, and her works have been performed and commissioned by such ensembles as the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The Camerata Notturna is a thirty-member community orchestra of the highest caliber, comprised of young professional musicians and accomplished amateur players. Members of the group have won prizes in international and national competitions including NFAA Arts, Seventeen Magazine-GM, Irving M. Klein, and Fischoff; appeared as soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, and the orchestras of Juilliard and Curtis; and have served as leaders of the university orchestras of Columbia, Oxford, Yale, Princeton, and Harvard. The members also enjoy success in such diverse fields as medicine, law, finance, software, marketing, and arts administration, with such organizations as Google, Citigroup, Accenture, Bear Stearns, Columbia University Medical Center, and Carnegie Hall.

Their shared bond is their commitment to music and their impassioned zeal for the chamber orchestra repertoire, both traditional and contemporary. Led by exciting young conductor and pianist Jonathan Yates, the group has already performed or committed to perform world or regional premieres of several orchestral works by well-known composers.

Other featured works on the May 12th program include Elgar's Serenade for Strings and Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a. Tickets may be purchased at the door or on-line at www.camerata-notturna.org. General Admission: $20; Students/Seniors: $10. General information about the group may be found at the Orchestra's website, www.camerata-notturna.org. For additional information, contact the orchestra's General Manager: Ann Lam (914-400-8380, annylam81@gmail.com).