ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA
MISSION STATEMENT
The Chamber Orchestra of New York was established to feature young professional musicians in the early stages of their careers. It was founded in honor of Ottorino Respighi to present the great orchestral repertoire with a focus on ancient music and its influences on works of later composers, including undiscovered (or rarely performed) gems which complement and extend the classical tradition. The ensemble also serves as the premier orchestra devoted to the Italian classical repertoire in the U.S.
BIOGRAPHY
Chamber Orchestra of New York is a professional orchestra founded by composer/conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio in New York, NY in the year 2006 on the 250th anniversary of the birth of W. A. Mozart. It is the first, auditioned professional orchestra in the history of New York to be entirely devoted to leading young professionals. It provides regular performance opportunities for young orchestral musicians exiting the music conservatories, while in the early phases of their careers.
The orchestra’s instrumentation (and roster of 45 musicians) was established in agreement with the stage dimensions of Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, where its triumphant debut was held on 11 October 2007. Following the inaugural season finale concert, Vivien Schweitzer of The New York Times wrote: "The musicians played…producing a polished, rich sound…a stirring performance [of Mahler’s Adagietto and]...a voluptuous rendition of Tchaikovsky's Souvenir…." As of this season, the ensemble serves as orchestra-in-residence of Music Under the Dome series at the Church of St. Jean Baptiste on the upper east side, and will have performed at the Italian Cultural Institute, Eventi Hotel/Big Screen Plaza, Caspary Auditorium/Rockefeller University, Merkin Concert Hall and The Morgan Museum.
The Chamber Orchestra is dedicated to presenting the great orchestral repertoire alongside undiscovered or rarely performed gems which complement and extend the classical tradition, from early Italian legends to contemporary American masters. It was established in honor of the great composer Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936), whose works including his Roman Trilogy (Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome and Festivals of Rome) are considered the culmination of the Italian symphonic repertoire. Following Respighi’s legacy, the orchestra fosters a deep respect for antiquity by incorporating into its programming masterpieces of the baroque and classical eras alongside neo-baroque and neo-classical repertoire of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
The orchestra’s Board includes many esteemed artists as well, such as Evan Wilson (Former
Principal Viola, Los Angeles Philharmonic), film composer Ennio Morricone, conductors Alan
Gilbert (Music Director, New York Philharmonic) and Andrew Litton (Music Director, Bergen
Philharmonic-Norway) as well as soloists Lynn Harrell, Cho-Liang Lin and Nadja
Salerno-Sonnenberg. It boasts an elite ensemble of gifted musicians, including first concertmaster
Kelly Hall-Tompkins (New Jersey Symphony) and second concertmaster Daniel Khalikov
(Metropolitan Opera Orchestra).
In 2009, Music Director, Salvatore Di Vittorio, gained considerable attention as a composer for his
orchestration and completion of Ottorino Respighi’s rediscovered ‘first’ Violin Concerto (in A Major),
an invitation he received from Respighi’s family descendants, great nieces Elsa and Gloria Pizzoli,
and archive curator Potito Pedarra. This was the initial part of an ongoing commission to edit,
orchestrate and complete several early Respighi works in their first printed, critical editions under
the Ottorino Respighi Publications series with publisher Panastudio in Italy. In collaboration with
the Pizzoli family (now Honorary Board Members) and musicologist Luigi Verdi, Salvatore
Di Vittorio and the Chamber Orchestra of New York have established The Respighi Prize Music
Competition for Young Composers and Soloists with the City of Bologna (Respighi's birthplace).
Di Vittorio’s completion of Respighi’s Violin Concerto was showcased along with his
transcription/revision of Respighi’s Aria and Suite for strings, his own homage Overtura
Respighiana and first two Sinfonias on Naxos Records (8.572332 and 8.572333).
The recordings were immediately successful on the international level, listed for
several weeks on Gramophone Top 20 Classical Chart in London, honored as WQXR
Classical Radio NY “Album of the Week” and “Album of the Month” in Italy (for June
and July 2011). The music has also aired on RAI and BBC radio stations, and dozens
of other stations in the U.S. and abroad. Over thirty reviews have bee written in
praise of the orchestra’s recordings. Highlights include: “Top billing goes to Di Vittorio’s
completion of the [Respighi] Violin Concerto. Laura Marzadori proves a big-hearted,
assertive soloist. Di Vittorio secures a tidy response from his young New York band.”
- Gramophone Magazine (London); “Overtura Respighiana…is a devilishly delightful
concoction that plays on Respighi’s Rossiniana and Pines of Rome, fusing them with
references to Di Vittorio’s own music, to create a kind of freshly minted Boutique
fantasque. Di Vittorio proves himself…to be a composer of beautiful music
extraordinaire.” - Fanfare Magazine (New Jersey).
As part of its current Fourth Season, the Chamber Orchestra of New York looks forward to championing the performances of four newly printed critical editions of Ottorino Respighi’s music, including a restoration of Respighi’s orchestration of Claudio Monteverdi’s “Lamento di Arianna” (Ariadne’s Lament) for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, along with plans to record its next album on Naxos Records.
MEDIA FILES
The Chamber Orchestra of New York is a Member of the League of American Orchestras.
Ottorino Respighi
The Chamber Orchestra of New York with Music Director Salvatore Di Vittorio, performing Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, during its Inaugural Season Debut Concert on October 11, 2007 at Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall.
Respighi Family Photo and Medallion
Courtesy of Elsa and Gloria Pizzoli
Soundclip: Respighi, Aria for strings (transcribed by Di Vittorio)
Chamber Orchestra of New York, S. Di Vittorio (conductor)
