One of Boston’s most exciting new ensembles, Phoenix, featuring well-known flutist Paula Robison, will perform selections of American music in the group’s Gardner Museum debut Sunday, Oct. 14 at 1:30 p.m.
Entering its fifth season, Phoenix is a Boston-based orchestra committed to providing social and accessible concert experiences for all audiences. The ensemble performs everything from Beethoven to Backstreet Boys in a casual, welcoming atmosphere designed to break down the barriers of typical classical music concerts. During performances, the musicians dress casually in jeans and dress shirts, and mingle with audience members during breaks. Occasionally, audience members are invited to sit inside the orchestra while they perform.
The Oct. 14 program, “American Voices,” features Boston icon Paula Robison as soloist in Leonard Bernstein’s Halil for solo flute and orchestra. Other works include the original version of Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” Missy Mazzoli’s “Violent, Violent Sea,” Tania León’s “Indígena” and George Walker’s “Lyric for Strings.”
The Weekend Concert Series takes place in the Museum’s Calderwood Hall, located at 25 Evans Way in Boston. Tickets, which are required and include Museum admission, can be purchased in advance or at the door.
The Weekend Concerts Series is generously sponsored in part by Hemenway & Barnes LLP. The Museum thanks its generous concert donors: Fitzpatrick Family Concert; Diane Gipson; James Lawrence Memorial Concert; Charles Rendeiro; Alford P. Rudnick Memorial Concert; Marie Louise and David Scudder Concert; Wendy Shattuck Young Artist Concert; Willona Sinclair Memorial Concert. The piano is dedicated as the Alex d’Arbeloff Steinway. The harpsichord was generously donated by Dr. Robert Barstow in memory of Marion Huse and its care is endowed in memory of Dr. Barstow by The Barstow Fund. The Museum is also supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which receives support from the State of Massachusetts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum – a magical creation of one woman’s daring vision – invites you to awaken your senses and be transported. Modeled after a Venetian palazzo, unforgettable galleries surround a luminous courtyard and are home to masters such as Rembrandt, Raphael, Titian, Michelangelo, Whistler and Sargent. The Renzo Piano wing provides a platform for contemporary artists, musicians, and scholars, and serves as an innovative venue where creativity is celebrated in all of its forms.
For information, call 617-566-1401 or visit www.gardnermuseum.org.