The Boston Festival Orchestra returns for another visionary season of chamber music inspired by the thought-provoking exhibits of the Boston Athenæum. The season opener, The Art of Paper, explores the sculptural artist books and pulp paintings by Claire Van Vliet, whose collection at the Athenæum weaves together themes of the natural world, the written word, and innovation. Another artist who redefined the structures of paper was the composer George Crumb, whose masterpiece Eleven Echoes of Autumn for flute, violin, clarinet, and piano will serve as the centerpiece of this musical program. Join us as we embark on a centuries long journey to piece together the multi-layered inspirations that connect Van Vliet and Crumb, along with a unique selection of music by composers both familiar and new.
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Join BFO Artistic Director Alyssa Wang, BFO musicians, and guest artists in an intimate dialogue about what it means to experience art, and how it can help us to relate to the world around us. Enjoy a brief reception following the concert.
This concert is free, but registration is required!
PROGRAM
J.S. Bach, Flute Sonata in E minor BWV 1034, II. Allegro
Caroline von Schleicher-Krähmer, Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, Larghetto
Ruth Crawford Seeger, Violin Sonata, II. Buoyant
George Crumb, Eleven Echoes of Autumn
J.S. Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Prelude No. 3 in C Sharp Major
Allison Parramore, flute
Alyssa Wang, violin
Nicholas Brown, clarinet
Ruoting Li, piano
Flutist Allison Parramore is a versatile performer and educator with a multifaceted career as an orchestral, chamber, and solo musician, freelance artist, and Artist-Teacher.
As an orchestral musician, she is the Principal Flutist of the Boston Festival Orchestra, Second Flutist & Piccolo player of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and is the former Second Flute & Piccolo player of the Missouri Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with the Boston Symphony, Pops, and Esplanade Orchestras, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Boston Ballet, Boston Lyric Opera, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Philharmonic, Odyssey Opera, Portland Symphony, Albany Symphony, New Haven Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, Cape Symphony, and the Midland-Odessa Symphony, among others. Parramore has appeared as soloist with the Boston Festival Orchestra, Boston’s Phoenix Orchestra, and the University of Rhode Island Symphony Orchestra.
Her awards include first-prize in the 35th Annual James Pappoutsakis Flute Competition, resulting in a solo debut recital at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, first-prize of the Boston Woodwind Society Doriot Dwyer Competition, third-prize in the Upper Midwest Flute Association Young Artist Competition, and appearances at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Astral Artists National Auditions, and the Plowman Chamber Music Competition.
As a solo and chamber artist, Parramore has been a featured performer in the Austin Flute Festival, Rochester Flute Association, and Upper Midwest Flute Association presenting a joint solo recital: Raise Their Voices: Celebrating Female Composers, and has performed at the Tanglewood Music Center Festival of Contemporary Music, Phoenix Orchestra and Boston Festival Orchestra Chamber Series, and the Boston Conservatory New Music Festival.
An active and passionate educator, Allison Parramore serves as flute faculty at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, the University of Rhode Island, and at Ithaca College. She is a frequent guest performer and educator and has given several lectures and masterclasses at universities and conservatories throughout the United States, including her presentation, Freelancing and Entrepreneurship: navigating the field from student to full-time music professional. She has also been a guest educator for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra, as well as a presenter at the Flute Society of Berklee and the New Jersey Flute Society. Parramore currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Boston Woodwind Society, the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition, and formerly the Rochester Flute Association.
In the summers Parramore performs as the Second Flutist of the New American Sinfonietta, part of the Hamptons Music Festival under music director Michael Palmer, and has performed at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Texas Music Festival, the Lake Tahoe Music Festival, and was the teaching assistant at the Brevard Music Center. In Summer 2024 she served as flute faculty at the New England Conservatory Summer Orchestral Institute, a four-week full symphony orchestra training program.
Allison Parramore’s primary teachers include Linda Toote, Elizabeth Rowe, Susan Thomas, and Jacqueline Goudey. She holds degrees from The Boston Conservatory and the University of Rhode Island where she won the Kingston Chamber Music Award, the Presser Scholarship, the President Award for Musical Excellence, and the 2010 Concerto Competition.
Alyssa Wang is a passionate and versatile conductor, violinist, and composer. A recipient of the 2023 Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award and the 2022 St. Botolph Emerging Artist Award, Alyssa has enjoyed exploring diverse creative paths with a focus on audience inclusivity and engagement. She is the Co-Founder, Artistic Director, and Principal Conductor of the Boston Festival Orchestra. In 2021, she joined the Boston Ballet as Assistant Conductor, conducting full ballet productions throughout the year and serving as Music Director for the annual Next Generation project with Boston Ballet School. As a violinist, Alyssa has soloed with ensembles across the country and is the newest member musician of the Boston Chamber Music Society. She has been featured in numerous contemporary recording projects, such as Carlos Simon’s Grammy-nominated album, Requiem for the Enslaved (Decca), Nancy Galbraith’s Violin Concerto with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and David Post’s Violin Sonata (Centaur). As a composer, she premiered her own violin concerto, Swept Away, with the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, who commissioned the work, in February 2023. In addition to her life in music, Alyssa is an avid photographer, writer, and social dancer. Learn more about Alyssa at alyssa-wang.com.
Nicholas Brown is a Boston-based clarinetist, educator, and arts leader. As a performer, he is a member of the Boston Lyric Opera Orchestra, Portland Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, and Boston Festival Orchestra, and a guest musician with A Far Cry, Albany Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, Boston Ballet Orchestra, Boston Pops, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, Chicago Symphony, Landmarks Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and many other groups throughout the United States.
Nicholas has appeared as soloist with the Boston Festival Orchestra, Boston Pops, Concord Orchestra, and Symphony Nova. He has performed on programs presented by the Library of Congress, Celebrity Series of Boston, Newport Music Festival, Morgan Library, and Williams Center for the Arts, and can be heard on Carlos Simon’s GRAMMY-nominated album Requiem for the Enslaved (Decca Records), and forthcoming albums with the Albany Symphony (Albany Records) and Lawrence Moss (PARMA Records). He has won awards from the St. Botolph Club Foundation, Boston Woodwind Society, Bay Chamber Concerts of Maine, Rossini Club of Portland, and Boston University.
As Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Boston Festival Orchestra Nicholas is committed to expanding access and equity in classical music. Through its multiple performance programs and network of community partners, the BFO provides free concert experiences to thousands of local community members each year to invigorate the city’s love for live performance and inspire the next generation of classical musicians. Originally from Portland, Maine, Nicholas is a graduate of Boston University and New England Conservatory of Music.
Chinese pianist Ruoting Li is an artist of wide-ranging vision, known for her “eloquent, musical” (Fanfare Magazine) interpretations of contemporary music and for championing the works of women composers, both past and present. With a burgeoning international career as both a solo pianist and chamber musician, as well as several albums to her name, Ruoting serves as the Resident Pianist with the Boston Festival Orchestra. She also tours with the genre-defying trio, TAKE3, participating in their “bold, aggressive” (LA Times) performances as well as their outreach events to local schools around the US.
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Ruoting has performed with presenters throughout the US, UK, Europe, and China, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Washington, D.C.’s Library of Congress, Boston’s Jordan Hall and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts. During the 2023-2024 season, Ruoting performs as a soloist with the Boston Festival Orchestra at Jordan Hall, BFO’s chamber series at the Boston Athaneum, and more.
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An accomplished recording artist and producer, Ruoting will follow her appearance on David L. Post’s Sonatas & Other Works (Centaur) with the release of an album with acclaimed cellist Juliana Soltis, featuring repertoire by American women composers. She has also worked as a producer on albums for the Steinway & Sons and Naxos labels, and has co-produced the upcoming album by the celebrated ensemble The Harlem Chamber Players.
Born in China, Ruoting began playing piano at the age of 6, and was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School in Beijing when she was 11 years old. In 2014, Ms. Li came to the U.S. and was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where she earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degree in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Dr. Solomon Mikowsky. Her other mentors include Anthony de Mare and Kenneth Cooper. Residing in the vibrant Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, Ms. Li currently divides her time between New York and Boston.
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Boston Athenæum
(Henry Long Room)
10 1/2 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02108
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