Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Encyclopedia
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is a full professional orchestra in Boston, Massachusetts, and is widely recognized as the premiere orchestra in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording new music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Gil Rose
, BMOP's mission is to illuminate the connections that exist naturally between contemporary music and contemporary society by reuniting composers and audiences in a shared concert experience. In its first twelve seasons alone, BMOP programmed over 80 concerts of contemporary orchestral music; commissioned more than 20 works and presented over 70 world premieres; released 20 CD's; produced the inaugural Ditson Festival of Contemporary Music with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; and collaborated with Opera Boston
to produce staged performances of contemporary operas including the Opera Unlimited festival of contemporary chamber opera.
In addition to its regular season at Boston's Jordan Hall
, the orchestra has performed in major venues on both the East and West Coasts and collaborated with internationally based artists and organizations. A perennial winner of the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming of Orchestral Music and recipient of the prestigious John S. Edwards Award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music, BMOP has appeared at Tanglewood
, the Festival of New American Music (Sacramento, CA), and Music on the Edge (Pittsburgh, PA).
In 2008, BMOP launched its signature record label, BMOP/sound, with John Harbison’s ballet "Ulysses". Its composer-centric releases focus on orchestral works that are otherwise unavailable in recorded form. The response to the label was immediate and celebratory; its five inaugural releases appeared on the "Best of 2008" lists of The New York Times
, The Boston Globe
, National Public Radio, Time Out New York, Down Beat
magazine, and American Record Guide, among others. BMOP/sound has received two Grammy award nominations: in 2009 for its recording of Charles Fussell’s "Wilde" symphony for baritone and orchestra (Sanford Sylvan
Best Classical Vocal Performance), and in 2010 for its recording of Derek Bermel's "Voices" for solo clarinet and orchestra (Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra). The New York Times
proclaimed, “BMOP/sound is an example of everything done right." Additional BMOP recordings are available from Albany, Arsis, Cantaloupe, Centaur, Chandos, ECM, Innova, Naxos, New World, and Oxingale.
Composers are at the core of BMOP's mission, and BMOP has hosted a Composer in Residence each season since 2000. In recognition of the importance of this position, Meet the Composer
and the League of American Orchestras
awarded BMOP one of six three-year Music Alive grants for a collaboration with composer Lisa Bielawa.
Dedicated to discovering and advocating for the next generation of composers and audiences, BMOP is committed to encouraging and extending the new music community. Beyond the concert hall, BMOP hosts Club Concerts to bring "the music formerly known as classical" to downtown venues, and its in-depth outreach programs provide mentors and workshops for teenage composers in underserved communities.
BMOP's greatest strength is the artistic distinction of its musicians and performances. Each season, Gil Rose gathers an orchestra of dynamic and talented young performers, and presents some of the world's top vocal and instrumental soloists. The New York Times
says: "Mr. Rose and his team filled the music with rich, decisive ensemble colors and magnificent solos. These musicians were rapturous - superb instrumentalists at work and play."
Gil Rose
Gil Rose is an American conductor and the founder and Artistic Director of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, a professional orchestra in the United States committed to commissioning, performing, and recording 20th- and 21st-century music.- Background :...
, BMOP's mission is to illuminate the connections that exist naturally between contemporary music and contemporary society by reuniting composers and audiences in a shared concert experience. In its first twelve seasons alone, BMOP programmed over 80 concerts of contemporary orchestral music; commissioned more than 20 works and presented over 70 world premieres; released 20 CD's; produced the inaugural Ditson Festival of Contemporary Music with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; and collaborated with Opera Boston
Opera Boston
Opera Boston is an opera company in Boston, Massachusetts. It specializes in innovative repertoire and rarely heard works, along with opera education and outreach programs designed to bring opera education to children, in schools and after-school programs throughout the Boston area.Its home base is...
to produce staged performances of contemporary operas including the Opera Unlimited festival of contemporary chamber opera.
In addition to its regular season at Boston's Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall is a 1,019-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall, and together they are considered two of America's most acoustically perfect performance spaces...
, the orchestra has performed in major venues on both the East and West Coasts and collaborated with internationally based artists and organizations. A perennial winner of the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming of Orchestral Music and recipient of the prestigious John S. Edwards Award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music, BMOP has appeared at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
, the Festival of New American Music (Sacramento, CA), and Music on the Edge (Pittsburgh, PA).
In 2008, BMOP launched its signature record label, BMOP/sound, with John Harbison’s ballet "Ulysses". Its composer-centric releases focus on orchestral works that are otherwise unavailable in recorded form. The response to the label was immediate and celebratory; its five inaugural releases appeared on the "Best of 2008" lists of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, National Public Radio, Time Out New York, Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine, and American Record Guide, among others. BMOP/sound has received two Grammy award nominations: in 2009 for its recording of Charles Fussell’s "Wilde" symphony for baritone and orchestra (Sanford Sylvan
Sanford Sylvan
Sanford Sylvan is an American baritone, born in New York City in 1953. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, he made his Glyndebourne Festival debut in 1994 as Leporello in Don Giovanni by Mozart....
Best Classical Vocal Performance), and in 2010 for its recording of Derek Bermel's "Voices" for solo clarinet and orchestra (Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra). The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
proclaimed, “BMOP/sound is an example of everything done right." Additional BMOP recordings are available from Albany, Arsis, Cantaloupe, Centaur, Chandos, ECM, Innova, Naxos, New World, and Oxingale.
Composers are at the core of BMOP's mission, and BMOP has hosted a Composer in Residence each season since 2000. In recognition of the importance of this position, Meet the Composer
Meet the Composer
Meet the Composer is an American organization founded in 1974 by the composer John Duffy as a project of the New York State Council on the Arts. It seeks to assist composers in making a living through writing music by sponsoring commissioning, residency, education, and audience interaction...
and the League of American Orchestras
League of American Orchestras
The League of American Orchestras, known until Fall 2007 as the American Symphony Orchestra League , is an association of U.S. and Canadian orchestras. Over 950 orchestras are members, including youth, community, and professional orchestras....
awarded BMOP one of six three-year Music Alive grants for a collaboration with composer Lisa Bielawa.
Dedicated to discovering and advocating for the next generation of composers and audiences, BMOP is committed to encouraging and extending the new music community. Beyond the concert hall, BMOP hosts Club Concerts to bring "the music formerly known as classical" to downtown venues, and its in-depth outreach programs provide mentors and workshops for teenage composers in underserved communities.
BMOP's greatest strength is the artistic distinction of its musicians and performances. Each season, Gil Rose gathers an orchestra of dynamic and talented young performers, and presents some of the world's top vocal and instrumental soloists. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
says: "Mr. Rose and his team filled the music with rich, decisive ensemble colors and magnificent solos. These musicians were rapturous - superb instrumentalists at work and play."
External links
- Boston Modern Orchestra Project site
- Gil Rose site
- Art of the States: Boston Modern Orchestra Project six works performed by the orchestra
- A Bold Declaration: experiencing BMOP's modern music 2002 ArtsEditor.com feature article