The Washington Chamber Symphony (WCS) was an American chamber orchestra based in Washington, D.C. which was active during the last quarter of the 20th century. Founded in 1976 by conductor Stephen Simon, the orchestra was originally titled the Handel Festival Orchestra. [1] [2] Initially the orchestra was essentially the resident ensemble for the annual Handel Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. However, as time went on the orchestra began to expand its repertoire beyond Handel into a broad range of works from a variety of musical periods, including contemporary works. When the Kennedy Center's Handel Festival ceased in 1987, the orchestra changed its name to the Washington Chamber Symphony and continued to offer an annual concert series at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. The orchestra disbanded suddenly in July 2002, citing post 9/11 financial difficulties as the reason. [3] [4]
In addition to their chamber orchestra series at the Kennedy Center, the Washington Chamber Symphony produced very popular concerts for families. Many of their "Stories in Music" concerts from the Kennedy Center Concert Hall have now been recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Stephen Simon, conductor, Yadu, narrator, under the Maestro Classics label and the series has won over 50 national awards.
The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra specializes in 18th-century music and was created to perform Baroque Music. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internationally, and holds the distinction of having the most extensive discography of any chamber orchestra and being the most well-traveled orchestra in the world; no other orchestra has played concerts (as of 2013, according to its own publicity) in as many countries as the English Chamber Orchestra.
Thomas Joseph Edmund Adès is a British composer, pianist and conductor. Five compositions by Adès received votes in the 2017 Classic Voice poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000: The Tempest (2004), Violin Concerto (2005), Tevot (2007), In Seven Days (2008), and Polaris (2010).
The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra (SFCO) is a professional chamber orchestra in San Francisco, California, that presents small orchestra and chamber ensemble performances in the Bay Area.
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Stephen Stubbs is a lutenist and music director and has been a leading figure in the American early music scene for nearly thirty years.
Christopher Chapman Rouse III was an American composer. Though he wrote for various ensembles, Rouse is primarily known for his orchestral compositions, including a Requiem, a dozen concertos, and six symphonies. His work received numerous accolades, including the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, the Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, and the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He also served as the composer-in-residence for the New York Philharmonic from 2012 to 2015.
The Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City, formed in 1974. The orchestra performs at several venues in New York City, including, Carnegie Hall, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, Saint Thomas Church (Manhattan), Congregation Emanu-El of New York, and Merkin Concert Hall.
Richard Leo Tognetti AO is a leading Australian musician recognised internationally as a violin soloist, ensemble player, leader, composer and arranger, conductor and artistic director.
Melinda O'Neal is a conductor of choral and choral-orchestral music, professor emerita of music, and author.
Stephen Paulus was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature.
Robin Blaze is a British countertenor.
Pacific Chorale, founded in 1968, is a professional chorus performing in Costa Mesa, California at the Renée and Henry Segerstom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
Kenneth Allen Woods is an American conductor, composer and cellist, resident in the UK.
David Alan Miller is a multi-Grammy Award-winning American symphony orchestra conductor, and since 1992, music director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Miller served as assistant and associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1987–92 and music director of the New York Youth Symphony from 1982-88. He is currently also Artistic Advisor to both the Sarasota Orchestra and to The Little Orchestra Society in New York City.
Joyce DiDonato is an American opera singer and recitalist. A coloratura mezzo-soprano, she has performed operas and concert works spanning from the 19th-century Romantic era to those by Handel and Mozart.
The Choral Arts Society of Washington is a major choral organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1965 by Norman Scribner, it is regarded as one of the premier symphonic choruses in the United States. The Choral Arts Society of Washington consists of three vocal ensembles; the Choral Arts Chorus, the Choral Arts Chamber Singers, and the Choral Arts Youth Choir.
The chamber orchestra Kammerorchester Basel was founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1984. In the tradition of Paul Sacher's Basler Kammerorchester, its focus is on both early music and contemporary classical music. The orchestra plays regularly without a conductor with their leading concertmasters Julia Schröder, Daniel Bard and Baptiste Lopez.
Musikay is a professional choir and orchestra based in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Musikay was founded in 2005 under the name Oakville Chamber Choir by Artistic Director Stephane Potvin, a Quebec born conductor who also served as Resident Conductor and Artistic Administrator to the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.
Stephen Anthony Simon was an American conductor, composer, and arranger. He was a noted proponent of the music of George Frederic Handel, serving as music director of the Handel Society of New York and recording several of Handel's operas and oratorios for the RCA label. Simon also became known for his pioneering programming of works for orchestra and narrator for young people, including his own Casey at the Bat and The Tortoise and the Hare.
Thomas Ludwig is an American composer of classical music and a symphony conductor. His works have been performed and recorded with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the New York City Symphony, and have won prizes at the Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards in Washington, D.C. and the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival.