String Orchestra of NYC to perform at Southeastern
Press Release Date: 04-16-2009
DURANT, Okla. -- The Southeastern Oklahoma State University Musical Arts Series, in cooperation with the Red River Arts Council, will present the String Orchestra of New York City (SONYC) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the Fine Arts Recital Hall on campus.
The program is sponsored in part by grants from the Oklahoma Arts Council and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
A program for students in the Durant Public Schools will be presented at 1 p.m. that same day. Both programs are offered free of charge.
In its eighth season, SONYC has established itself as one of the leading young ensembles in New York City with regular performances at New York's Merken Concert Hall and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
A conductorless chamber ensemble, SONYC members rehearse in a collaborative effort that allows each musician to have an impact on the artistic process. The flexibility and intimacy of a string quartet are thus fused with the power and scope of an orchestra.
SONYC is composed of a group of dedicated chamber musicians and soloists who are members of outstanding groups, as well as winners of international competitions. SONYC is a pioneer in the concert hall, as well as in the class room, community center, church, and museum, with more than 50 performances and more than 40 educational-outreach performances for children of all ages and backgrounds in NYC's public schools.
Heralding new music from around the world, SONYC has given 17 world and U.S. premiers. Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Paul Moravec and Aaron Jay Kernis have commented on the group.
Moravec said, "SONYC is a composer's dream."
"SONYC is opening up the world again for the audience to become more emotionally and experientially involved," said Kernis.
SONYC won the 2006 Meet the Composers Residency Grant. The winners of the 2005 Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording Grant, SONYC will be releasing an all American World Premiers CD, including the works of several brilliant composers.
The group is also the feature of the award-winning documentary, "Breathing Together," by William McKenna.