Established in 1987 under the artistic direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, this unique
educational environment prepares gifted graduates of distinguished music programs for
leadership positions in orchestras and ensembles around the world.
The intensive,
three-year fellowship program offers a wide range of performance and educational
opportunities in both domestic and international venues. At its home base
in Miami Beach, the New World Symphony presents a full season of concerts
from October to May at the Lincoln Theatre, located in the heart of Miami
Beach's Art Deco district. Performances include full-orchestra concerts,
a chamber music series under the direction of Scott Nickrenz, a new music
series, small ensemble concerts, a family series, and special festivals
and recitals. The program offers opportunities for fellows to design and
present their own concerts, which often feature seldom-heard works for
unusual instrumentation. NWS fellows are also encouraged to develop their
entrepreneurial and community outreach skills. One outcome of this initiative
was the creation of a "Music Mentor" program that pairs NWS fellows with high school music
students for private music lessons, culminating in an annual "Side-by-Side" spring
concert showcasing the combined talents of the young students and their
NWS mentors.
Since its inaugural concert on February 4, 1988, the New World Symphony
has been heard in such prestigious venues as New York's Carnegie Hall
and Avery Fisher Hall, London's Barbican Centre, Paris's Bastille Opera
and Argentina's Teatro Colon.
NWS has been televised on PBS, London Weekend
Television and Univision. New World Symphony tours have included performances
in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Great Britain, Israel, Japan,
Monaco, and throughout the United States. The New World Symphony has worked
with such internationally recognized conductors as Leonard Bernstein,
Sir Georg Solti, Marek Janowski, Christoph Eschenbach and Stanislaw Skrowaczewski;
violinists Anne-Sophie Mutter, Midori, Gil Shaham and Sarah Chang; and
such other artists as Emanuel Ax, Yuri Bashmet, Barbara Hendricks and
Gloria Estefan. |
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In 1991, Mr. Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony were presented in a series of benefit concerts for UNICEF in the U.S. featuring Audrey Hepburn as narrator of From the Diary of Anne Frank, composed by Mr. Tilson Thomas and commissioned by UNICEF. In April 1995, Michael Tilson Thomas and the musicians performed with Debra Winger for the season finale concerts in Miami, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and New York's Avery Fisher Hall.
The New World Symphony has made seven recordings to date. In January 1997, BMG Classics released NWS' first recording on the RCA Red Seal label with Mr. Tilson Thomas leading the musicians in works by Heitor Villa-Lobos. A second disc for RCA Red Seal entitled New World Jazz was released in September 1998, and features Mr. Tilson Thomas and the orchestra in vibrant interpretations of jazz-inspired works by 20th century composers. On Argo/Decca, the Grammy-nominated Tangazo, featuring Latin-American classics with Michael Tilson Thomas, was released in March 1993; Four Parables, with John Nelson conducting music of the American composer Paul Schoenfield, was released in June 1994. Defining Dahl: The Music of Ingolf Dahl, conducted by Mr. Tilson Thomas, was released in 1995, also on the Argo label. Upcoming releases on Argo/Decca include Coptic Light, music of Morton Feldman led by Mr. Tilson Thomas, and Amy Beach's piano concerto with soloist Alan Feinberg and conductor John Nelson.
The New World Symphony has launched the careers of more than 630 young musicians now making a difference in the profession worldwide. In North America, they are members of such ensembles as the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony in Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Symphony. Their placement in foreign orchestras includes symphonies and chamber orchestras in Germany, Hong Kong, France and Spain. In addition, many New World Symphony musicians have chosen career paths in chamber music, music education, and arts management.
The New World Symphony has been the recipient of many grants for innovation,
including a three-year grant from The Helen F. Whitaker Fund to support
musician recruitment, development, and placement programs and the John S.
and James L. Knight Foundation's "Magic of Music" initiative to encourage
orchestras to take bold action to intensify and deepen the audience's experience
of high quality symphonic music. |
