Press Release: CityMusic Goes Conductorless with Beethoven’s First Symphony

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE • September 8, 2022

CLEVELAND, OH – After a two-season hiatus, CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra returns this October with a conductorless, “democratic” structure. New concertmaster Laura Hamilton will lead the ensemble in “Batonless Beethoven,” a run of four concerts in Beachwood, Willoughby Hills, Cleveland and Lakewood Thursday, October 27, 2022, through Sunday, October 30, 2022.

Pioneered in the 1970s by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (NYC) and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, democratic chamber orchestras have become increasingly popular in the 21st century. The CityMusic ensemble “will be more like a giant chamber ensemble, where we are all in touch,” Hamilton explains. Formerly Principal Associate Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, she is no stranger to being extra-attuned to the musicians around her. Opera musicians “develop very quick reflexes and reactions, which are both heightened when you aren’t bound to a conductor,” she describes. For the CityMusic orchestra to work without a conductor, each player must be highly attuned to the ensemble, and also contribute input on style and approach. That’s where the unique, “democratic” aspect comes in: everyone’s voice is part of the process. “We will get to try ideas out in a way that doesn’t work with a traditional orchestra, where the conductor runs the show with only limited input from the musicians,” enthuses Hamilton.

The program features Beethoven’s First Symphony, a recent work by Jessie Montgomery, “Starburst,” and two romances with solo violin performed by Grammy-nominated artist Tessa Lark. Lark’s charisma, musicality and ability to connect with audiences and colleagues alike has earned her numerous prestigious awards as well as the respect of her peers. “She plays with such personal commitment,” says Hamilton, who recently worked with Lark on the Classical Tahoe summer series. “I anticipate that the two violin romances will be very special, and very easy to put together.” As the CityMusic orchestra enters exciting new waters with the collaborative possibilities of a democratic structure, Lark’s “[mastery] of musical conversation, both in her playing and her overall body language” (violinist.com) will be the icing on the cake.

Concert & Ticket Details

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct 27 at The Temple Tifereth-Israel, 26000 Shaker Boulevard, Beachwood, OH, 44122
7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct 28 at St. Noel Catholic Church, 35200 Chardon Road, Willoughby Hills, OH, 44094
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct 29 at The Shrine of St. Stanislaus, 3649 East 65th Street, Cleveland, OH 44105
3:00 p.m. Sunday, Oct 30 at Lakewood Congregational Church, 1375 West Clifton Boulevard, Lakewood, OH 44107

Admission is FREE.

Program details available at https://www.citymusiccleveland.org/current-season/batonless-beethoven

About CityMusic Cleveland

CityMusic Cleveland is a professional chamber orchestra dedicated to making classical music accessible through free concerts and innovative programming. CityMusic is committed to representing the full diversity of the classical canon, showcasing well-known composers alongside newly commissioned works and overlooked historic treasures, and intentionally featuring works by women and BIPOC composers. The 2022-23 season includes four programs performed by CityMusic’s democratic orchestra — led by concertmaster Laura Hamilton, former Principal Associate Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra — plus seven varied chamber ensemble concerts.

About the Featured Musicians

Laura Hamilton, Concertmaster

Laura Hamilton, Concertmaster joins CityMusic as Concertmaster for the 2022-23 season. She first performed with CityMusic as guest concertmaster for Verdi's Requiem in 2019.

For over 33 years Laura was Principal Associate Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, where she led hundreds of performances. She was concertmaster for many of the MET's popular “Live in HD” videocasts, including Carmen, Parsifal,Turandot, Faust, Salome, and Madama Butterfly.

Formerly a member of the Chicago Symphony, she appeared as a concerto soloist with Maestro Georg Solti. She has also played in the Marlboro, Manchester,and Bard Music Festivals, in summer festivals in Norway and Greece, and on the Met Chamber Ensemble series at Carnegie Hall. She has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Seattle Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera and the Adelaide Symphony in Australia. In 2014, while on leave from the MET, Laura served for one season as Concertmaster at the Sydney Opera House.

Since 2020 Laura has been the Interim Artistic Director and Concertmaster for the summer festival Classical Tahoe in Nevada. She also teaches and performs at Festival Napa Valley and teaches violin and chamber music at New York University.

Tessa Lark, Violin Soloist
https://www.tessalark.com/about-tessa

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