Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

A standard-bearer of innovation and artistic excellence, audience favorite Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is one of the world’s foremost chamber orchestras. Orpheus was founded in 1972 by a group of young musicians determined to combine the intimacy and warmth of a chamber ensemble with the richness of an orchestra. With 71 albums, including the Grammy Award-winning Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures, and 42 commissioned and premiered original works, Orpheus performs without a conductor and creates extraordinary musical experiences that enrich lives and empower individuals through collaboration, innovation, and a passion for artistic excellence.

About the program:
The muse bestowed many kisses on Mendelssohn in his short life, but surely none sparked so brightly as the one that spurred the sixteen-year-old prodigy toward his effervescent Octet for Strings. For the pianist and composer Louise Farrenc, one inspired work of chamber music for winds and strings vaulted her, against all odds, to the top of French society.

FARRENC Nonet in E-flat Major, Op. 38
MENDELSSOHN Octet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20