The American Classical Orchestra Inc

THE AMERICAN CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA RECREATES THE SOUND WORLD OF THE MASTER COMPOSERS BY PERFORMING ON ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTS AND USING HISTORIC PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUE.

DURING ITS 2019/20 SEASON, THE AMERICAN CLASSICAL ORCHESTRA, INC., (ACO) PRESENTED THREE CONCERTS AT LINCOLN CENTERS ALICE TULLY HALL; TWO SALON CONCERTSONE AT THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB, THE OTHER AT SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH EPISCOPAL CHURCH; A CHORAL CONCERT AT THE CHURCH OF SAINT VINCENT FERRER; AND A FAMILY CONCERT, WITH AN INSTRUMENT PETTING ZOO, AT THE NORWALK CONCERT HALL, IN NORWALK, CT. DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE SUBSEQUENT SHUTDOWN OF ALL CONCERT VENUES, ACOS LAST ALICE TULLY HALL CONCERT OF THE SEASON WAS CANCELLED. THROUGHOUT THE 2019/20 SEASON, THOMAS CRAWFORD, ACOS FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CONTINUED HIS TRADITION OF GIVING CONCERT PREVIEWS BEFORE EACH ALICE TULLY HALL PERFORMANCE. IN THEM, HE DEMONSTRATES THEMES AND COMPOSITIONAL TECHNIQUES RELEVANT TO THE MUSIC ABOUT TO BE HEARD, AND DOES SO WITH INSIGHT, WIT, AND PRECISION, USING MEMBERS OF THE ORCHESTRA AND THEIR INSTRUMENTS TO BRING HIS VIVID EXPLANATIONS TO LIFE. AUDIENCE MEMBERS OFTEN REMARK THAT MAESTRO CRAWFORDS CONCERT PREVIEWS HELP THEM HEAR THE MUSIC IN A NEW WAY, ALLOWING THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE COMPOSER WAS AFTER. THE SEASON ENDED ABRUPTLY WITH A CONCERT OF BAROQUE MUSIC ON MARCH 12TH, THE LAST NIGHT LINCOLN CENTER WAS OPEN BEFORE THE LOCKDOWN CAUSED BY THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS. THE PROGRAM INCLUDED WORKS BY BACH, CORELLI, AND VIVALDI, AND FEATURED THREE IMPRESSIVE SOLOISTS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ORCHESTRA IN IMPORTANT ROLES.CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR KIDS (CMK) SCHEDULED ALMOST 60 ON-SITE SCHOOL PERFORMANCES FOR THE 2019/20 SCHOOL YEAR AND PERFORMED 30 BEFORE THE LOCKDOWN KICKED IN. TWO WORKSHOPS WERE SCHEDULED; ONE WAS ACTUALLY TAUGHT. THREE FAMILY CONCERTS WERE SCHEDULED; TWO WERE GIVEN. ONE PRIVATE CONCERT WAS SCHEDULED BUT CANCELLED. WHILE STILL PERFORMING, CMK PRODUCED TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS: THE MAGIC RECORDER (FEATURING HORACIO FRANCO AND STEPHANIE CORWIN, WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ORCHESTRA) AND PROKOFIEVS EVER-POPULAR PETER AND THE WOLF (WITH MAESTRO CRAWFORD AND MEMBERS OF THE ACO IN COSTUMES THAT REFLECTED THE CHARACTERS THEY PLAYEDTHE HUNTER, THE DUCK, THE CAT, THE BIRD, AND THE WOLF). THE STUDENTS, WHO, WITH THE HELP OF CMKS INFORMATIVE TEACHERS GUIDE, WERE PREPARED IN ADVANCE BY THEIR TEACHERS, ENGAGED ENTHUSIASTICALLY THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM, SOMETIMES MIMICKING THE SOUNDS OF THE ANIMALS THEY HEARD AND CHALLENGING THE WOLF, DURING THE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER PERIOD, TO DEFEND HIMSELF FOR SWALLOWING THE DUCK.IN MARCH OF 2018, ACO LAUNCHED THE FIRST OF THREE ANTICIPATED CYCLES OF ITS SFZP PROJECT, AN INITIATIVE DESIGNED TO HEIGHTEN PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE FORTEPIANO. EACH ANNUAL CYCLE INCLUDES AN INTERNATIONAL FORTEPIANO COMPETITION, FORTEPIANO MASTER CLASSES, AND A FORTEPIANO CHAMBER CONCERT (WHERE THE WINNER OF THE COMPETITION IS ANNOUNCED). THE WINNER THEN PLAYS AT AN ACO ALICE TULLY HALL CONCERT THE FOLLOWING SEASON. CYCLE II, WHICH FOCUSED ON THE WORKS OF BEETHOVEN, INCLUDING A MARATHON OF HIS PIANO SONATAS, WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AT VARIOUS VENUES, INCLUDING THE NEW YORK SOCIETY FOR ETHICAL CULTURE, IN MAY OF 2020. IT GOT CANCELLED, DUE TO THE PANDEMIC.