Academy of St. Martin in the Fields to perform chamber music
MORRISTOWN — The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world, performs at Mayo Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $39 to $79. Acclaimed soloist Jeremy Denk will be special guest on piano.
The evening's performance will include:
Suk: Serenade for Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 6 J.S. Bach: Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E Major J.S Bach: Keyboard Concerts No. 4 in A Major
Dvorak: Serenade for Strings in E Major
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is renowned for its polished and refined sound, rooted in outstanding musicianship. Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958 from a group of leading London musicians, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in November 1959.
Originally directed by Sir Neville from the leader's chair, the collegiate spirit and flexibility of the original small, conductor-less ensemble remains an Academy hallmark which continues today, with virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell as its Music Director. Together they explore symphonic repertoire to perform 'chamber music on a grand scale.
In addition to its concerts, its players continue to reach out to young musicians and adult learners through Outward Sound, the Academy's education program. This year's projects include workshops for school children, professional development partnerships and lifelong learning schemes all creating opportunities for everyone to connect and create music with the orchestra.
With more than 500 recordings to date, the Academy is one of the most recorded chamber orchestras in the world. The orchestra received their first gold disc for their recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons in 1969 with the 2007 recording with Joshua Bell reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Chart.
Their soundtrack for the film "Amadeus" won 13 gold discs alone, while in 1996 "The English Patient" picked up an Academy Award for Best Music, with a soundtrack performed by the Academy. In March 2013 the orchestra and Joshua Bell released their first recording on Sony Classical under his leadership, Beethoven's Symphonies 4 and 7. Their recording of Bach violin concertos was released September 2014.
Jeremy DenkOne of America's most thought-provoking, multi-faceted, and compelling artists, pianist Jeremy Denk is the winner of a 2013 MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, the 2014 Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America's 2014 Instrumentalist of the Year award. He has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and London, and regularly gives recitals in New York, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia, and throughout the United States.
Denk is known for his original and insightful writing on music, which Alex Ross praises for its "arresting sensitivity and wit." The pianist's writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New Republic, The Guardian, and on the front page of the New York Times Book Review. One of his New Yorker contributions, "Every Good Boy Does Fine," forms the basis of a memoir for future publication by Random House.
Recounting his experiences of touring, performing, and practicing, his blog, Think Denk, was recently selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress web archives. For his work as a writer and pianist, Out magazine included Denk on its "Out 100" list celebrating the most compelling people of 2013.
The Mayo Performing Arts Center is located at 100 South St. in Morristown. For more information contact the box office at 973-539-8008 or mayoarts.org.