ABOUT THE BROOKLYN ORCHESTRA

The Brooklyn Orchestra is a symphonic ensemble dedicated to new music, striving to focus on contemporary composers. Founded by composer/conductor Olivier Glissant, the group was conceived to fuse genres of music that rarely meet on the classical stage and to bring music from multiple cultures to the orchestral repertoire, in an effort to make symphonic music accessible to a wider and more diverse audience.

Since our creation in 2015 we have fought to achieve our mission of diversifying the orchestral and operatic stage and bringing modern works from different cultures to the classical mainstream, and have presented several new creations including multiple premieres, as we focus mainly on active composers.

Our 2023 Fall season included the World Premiere of artistic director Olivier Glissant's ballet LADJA featuring Yannick Lebrun, lead dancer for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and archive footage by Katherine Dunham, as well as the New York Premiere of Philip Glass's SYMPHONY No. 14 in the presence of the composer.

Our 2024 season will feature the World Premiere of Glissant's opera SIX SCENES FROM PARADISE with libretto by Markus Kupferblum, and the World Premiere of Glissant's arrangement for orchestra of AGUAS DA AMAZONIA by Philip Glass. The season will end with the World Premiere of our production of Bernard Herrmann's A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

We are also developing educational programming and creating performing arts workshops for children that will provide exposure to opera, orchestral music and ballet in order to encourage creativity, experimentation and a collaborative spirit.

We believe in education above all and in the importance of the Arts. Children are welcome to all our events for free, and will always have some time reserved for direct interaction with the musicians of the orchestra (and their instruments!). Our first regular series, SYMPHONIC SUNDAYS, takes place at the Old Stone House in Brooklyn on the first Sunday of every month.

Finally, part of the orchestra's mission is to create a community and make culture available to all. We are dedicated to increasing the artistic offerings of Brooklyn. To that effect we are creating outdoor summer concerts that will include film and live music, opera performances and more.

Help us continue to develop the Arts in Brooklyn and keep bringing music, opera and ballet in their most beautiful form to our neighborhood. Every penny is crucial to us. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today!