Photo by Christian Steiner
There seems to be no limit to the adventurous spirit of Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg's New Century Chamber Orchestra. Already distinguished by excursions into bold commissions and the current series of "symphonic" concerts, beyond what is considered the traditional scope of a string orchestra (that is, chamber music), New Century's next season will include:
- Donizetti's Rita, with San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows
- A world premiere violin concerto by Michael Daugherty
- Jazz classics from Gershwin and Ellington
- Contemporary works by Clarice Assad and Samuel Jones
Besides his new work, Daughterty will also be featured in performances of his solo and chamber works, including Viva for solo violin, Sing Sing: J. Edgar Hoover and Elvis Everywhere for string quartet and tape.
With Herbst Theatre closed for renovation, San Francisco venues for the next season will be varied: the JCC, S.F. Conservatory, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. New Century will also make its debut at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall, and have a return engagement at Cal Performances’ "Fall Free For All" in Zellerbach Hall.
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg will reprise Clarice Assad’s Dreamscapes, a work commissioned by NCCO. On the same program, the orchestra explores the theme of legacy with music by Tchaikovsky and his student Anton Arensky, in addition to a work honoring the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy: the 1963 Elegy by Samuel Jones.
The season concludes in March with another first-time collaboration, featuring Chanticleer performing works by Kurt Weill, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, and a medley by the German Comedian Harmonists.