Hope & Harmony Ensemble Presents Two Fanfares For Upcoming Inauguration
Editor’s Note: Originally Published on January 13, 2021. Reprinted with permission.
Press Release
Classical Movements, In Association with Marin Alsop Announce
The Hope & Harmony Ensemble
“Inauguration Fanfare for Joe and Kamala”
Musicians from 14 Professional Orchestras, 2 Masterpieces of American Music
Streaming Tuesday, January 19 | 12pm EST
First Time Ever: 16 Leading Cultural Institutions Stream Simultaneously,
Digital Footprint of Over 7.6 Million and Growing
The Ensemble
In honor of the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Classical Movements, in collaboration with world-renowned conductor Marin Alsop, has formed the Hope & Harmony Ensemble.
The 14 musicians represent the Atlanta Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Peabody Institute, South Asian Symphony, St. Louis Symphony and Utah Symphony.
At a time when the orchestra world has been virtually silenced by the pandemic, Classical Movements has made a deliberate effort to bring together orchestras from every part of our country and to reflect the diversity of our people. Half of the performing musicians are women and 6 are musicians of color.
The Music
The performance features two masterpieces of American classical music that perfectly represent our President- and Vice President-Elect:
- Aaron Copland’s iconic “Fanfare for the Common Man” to celebrate the American people and in honor of Joe Biden; and
- Joan Tower’s dynamic “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” for Kamala Harris, our remarkable and “uncommon” first woman Vice President.
An Unprecedented Show of Unity within the Orchestra Industry
The virtual “Fanfare for Joe and Kamala” will be streamed on social media on Tuesday, January 19 at 12pm EST. In an extraordinary demonstration of cooperation between our nation’s top orchestras, this performance will be livestreamed simultaneously by Classical Movements, all 14 orchestras and other partners, with a combined digital footprint of over 7.6 million and growing.
In addition to footage of each musician, recorded in their homes and on site across the country, the presentation incorporates photographs and video illustrating “America the Beautiful” and the context of the struggle for civil rights and equality for women in the United States. Classical Movements has partnered with video and sound engineers Arts Laureate to produce these videos.
The Hope & Harmony Ensemble is conceived, produced, and directed by Classical Movements. In the middle of a pandemic that has so seriously disrupted the classical music industry, we have transformed the necessity of virtual performance into an opportunity to bring together this diverse and representative group of musicians from all over the country in a way that would not have been possible under other circumstances. After 28 years working closely with the nation’s finest orchestras, Classical Movements is uniquely placed to bring together these incredible musicians and gratified by the enthusiastic response from participants and partners.
A Fanfare for Our Times, 12 Years in the Making
Classical Movements Founder and President Neeta Helms first envisioned an inauguration tribute to honor the first female president during the Democratic primaries in 2008, approaching Marin Alsop before having to set the idea aside. After reviving the idea in 2016 for Hillary Clinton’s potential inauguration, it is only now that the opportunity arrives – assuming additional significance in this historical and cultural moment.
“I am elated to be able to finally celebrate our first female Vice President. I am deeply inspired by Kamala Harris – and as an Indian-born American, I feel particular personal pride that her mother was Indian and in her archetypically American background,” notes Neeta Helms. “In this time of difficulty and hardship, it is also fitting that we celebrate Joe Biden, an example to us all for his ideals of decency and hope and his perseverance in the face of hardship and tragedy. Filling a unique and vital role in the music industry that has been hit so hard by the pandemic, it was essential to us to create an ensemble that represented and celebrated our nation’s diversity, featuring women and men equally.”
Marin Alsop adds, “It’s a privilege to pay tribute to this new leadership team and celebrate this historic moment in America!”
For more information: https://www.classicalmovements.com/fanfare/
Roster of Musicians
- Elizabeth Freimuth – Principal Horn, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
- Jaclyn Rainey – Principal Horn, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
- Ellen Dinwiddie Smith – Third Horn, Minnesota Orchestra
- Nivanthi Karunaratne – Principal Horn, South Asian Symphony Orchestra
- Barry Perkins – Principal Trumpet, Pacific Symphony
- Jeff Luke – Associate Principal Trumpet, Utah Symphony
- Elmer Churampi – Third Trumpet, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Joseph Alessi – Principal Trombone, New York Philharmonic
- Amanda Stewart – Associate Principal Trombone, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
- John Lofton – Bass Trombone, Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Velvet Brown – Tuba, International Soloist, Artist Faculty, Peabody Institute, Distinguished Professor, Penn State
- Scott Christian – Assistant Principal Timpanist, National Symphony Orchestra
- Brian Prechtl – Percussion, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
- Cynthia Yeh – Principal Percussion, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Two Triumphs of American Music
Aaron Copland is perhaps one of the most iconic of American classical composers, and his work, in the words of conductor Leon Botstein, “helped define the modern consciousness of America’s ideals, character and sense of place.” Born to Lithuanian Jewish parents in Brooklyn in 1900, Copland’s compositions remain some of the most famous to ever emerge from the American classical music movement, and “Fanfare for the Common Man” is one of the most recognizable orchestral pieces of all time.
GRAMMY Award-winning American composer Joan Tower is consistently acclaimed as one of the most successful composers of her generation. Currently the Asher B. Edelman Professor of Music at Bard College, Joan Tower is notable for her bold and energetic compositions, shaped by her childhood and adolescence living in South America. Her “Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman” series, one of her most famous works, is dedicated to “women who are adventurous and take risks.” The first work in the series, featured on this program, was premiered in 1987 and is dedicated to Marin Alsop.
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop is undoubtedly the most famous and lauded female orchestral conductor in the world. She is currently the Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony and chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony. She was a protégé of Leonard Bernstein and was the first woman conductor of a major American orchestra. Her many accolades include conducting the Last Night of the Proms, and she was the recipient of a 2010 GRAMMY Award.
Neeta Helms
Since founding Classical Movements in 1992, Neeta Helms has pioneered a model of concert touring for orchestras and choirs that emphasizes cultural exchange with local communities in 145 countries, with particular focus on frequently overlooked destinations. Under her leadership, Classical Movements has been the driving force behind ground-breaking projects. For her vision and commitment to transformative projects, she has been awarded the 2014 BCA10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts in America award, named one of Musical America’s 2017 Movers & Shapers and received the 2019 ArtsMatter Award from the New Orchestra of Washington.
About Classical Movements
The premier concert tour company for the world’s great orchestras and choirs, Classical Movements creates meaningful cultural experiences through music in 145 countries. An industry leader for over a quarter-century, Classical Movements organizes more than 60 tours every year, producing some 200 concerts every season. Producer of two international choral festivals—Ihlombe! in South Africa and Serenade! in Washington, D.C.—and the Prague Summer Nights: Young Artists Music Festival, in addition, Classical Movements’ Eric Daniel Helms New Music Program has commissioned 97 works from Grammy, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers. Winner of Americans for the Arts’ BCA10: Best Businesses Partnering with the Arts Award, since its founding in 1992, as a truly global company, Classical Movements remains committed to facilitating cultural diplomacy across the world—promoting peace through the medium of music. During Covid-19, Classical Movements has continued to lead the way with innovative projects representing a pivot towards domestic touring and international tours for individuals and small groups, as well as presenting the first live chamber concerts in the United States since the pandemic.
