Boston Festival Orchestra holds 2nd season

Boston Festival Orchestra: Parramore, Wang, Kahn
From left, Allison Parramore, Alyssa Wang and Evan Khan.

The Boston Festival Orchestra has announced its second season's summer program.

Last June, the orchestra, with direct Arlington connections, opened its initial season as the first ensemble to bring live orchestra back to Boston after a year and a half. Now, season two features:

• Alyssa Wang, principal conductor, leads three performances in Jordan Hall on July 17, 24 and 31;
• The opening Summer Mainstage concert features cellist, Evan Kahn, performing Tchaikovsky's "Variations on a Rococo Theme" and concludes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2;
• BFO flutist Allison Parramore takes center stage on July 24 with Cecile Chaminade’s Concertino for Flute. Parramore is also featured heavily on July 17 in Debussy’s "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun";
• Highlights include Brahms Symphony No. 2 on July 24 and Dvorak Symphony No. 8 on July 31; and
• Venturing into contemporary music, the BFO performs David LePage’s "Sleep Softly" in its finale concert on July 31, featuring solos from concertmaster Jae Cosmos Lee.

Mainstage program

To view a 2022 BFO summer mainstage performance schedule and programming, click here >>

Tickets got on sale May 1.

The Boston Festival Orchestra was founded in 2019 by recent New England Conservatory graduates, Wang and Nicholas Brown, executive director and Arlington resident. In 2021, the BFO made a name for itself by being the first organization to present live full orchestra concerts in the City of Boston in more than a year because of the pandemic.

Initially formed to address the lack of summer classical-music opportunities for Boston’s musicians and its summer community, the BFO has now grown into a multifaceted nonprofit organization featuring Boston’s top professional talent, with involvement in a growing number of local charitable organizations.

See video excerpt from season one: Carlos Simon, "Warmth From Other Suns," and Sergei Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1, “Classical” >>

Health-and-safety protocols for the 2022 summer season:

The BFO follows recommended health-and-safety guidelines for the City of Boston and Jordan Hall. Currently, members of the orchestra and all audience members must be vaccinated and masked. These measures are subject to change. The BFO will announce updated protocols closer to the 2022 summer season.

“I could not be more proud of all of the ways the Boston Festival Orchestra has grown after just one season," said Wang, in a March 16 news release. "Sharing the stage with Boston’s incredible musicians is the greatest honor of my life."

Brown said: “Established during an especially challenging time for the arts, the BFO has provided inspiration and support for musicians and community members alike. Now, as we present season two, the BFO looks forward to growing, deepening our impact and contributing to a prosperous future for arts and culture in the City of Boston.”

Kahn, a cello soloist, added: "Alyssa Wang and I are musical soulmates, and Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations is a perfect piece to highlight that. When we work together, there's this undeniable sense of electricity and excitement.”

Parramore, a flute soloist, called it “my pleasure to perform Chaminade’s Concertino with the Boston Festival Orchestra in NEC’s Jordan Hall.”