The Experience
Orchestra 2001 is the youngest but largest of the three major Philadelphia-based new music ensembles. The orchestra is devoted to presenting 20th-century masterpieces by composers such as Samuel Barber, George Crumb (and son, David Crumb), Ellen Taaffe Zwilich and Alfred Schnittke.
A spring 2003 concert features the works of Chinese-Americans including MacArthur Award winner Bright Sheng. Its core ensemble of 15 draws on the pool of excellent musicians in the tristate area, expanding to a 30-piece chamber orchestra as required. Orchestra 2001 can take the immensity and density of a work like Henryk Gorecki’s much-performed Third Symphony and engage the listener intimately with each anguished phrase. Its Music of Our Time CD series is out on the CRI label.
History
Conductor, pianist and bassist James Freeman founded the orchestra in 1988. Ensemble-in-Residence at Swarthmore College, where Freeman is professor of music, the orchestra performs approximately 10 times a year in the Philadelphia area. Orchestra 2001’s three critically acclaimed tours to Russia have led to ongoing exchange projects.