Sinfonia da Camera is a professional chamber orchestra in Central Illinois. It was founded in 1984 by

Ian Hobson Ian Hobson is an English pianist, conductor and teacher, and is a professor at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and at Florida State University. His pianistic repertoire spans the baroque to the contemporary, but he specialises in t ...

, a noted pianist who in 1981 was awarded the First Prize in the Leeds International Piano Competition. The orchestra is composed of musicians throughout the Midwest and brings music to audiences in Central Illinois and elsewhere. In addition to performing the standard repertoire from baroque to modern music, Ian Hobson and Sinfonia da Camera frequently present compositions by composers that are performed less often and a world premiere by a contemporary composer or a newly made orchestration of an earlier work.

History

The orchestra was formed in September 1984 and performed two concerts that season in the Great Hall of the Krannert Center at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

and at

Lake Land College Lake Land College is a public community college in Mattoon, Illinois. It was founded in 1966. As of the Fall 2023 semester Lake Land serves 3,699 students, mainly from the east-central Illinois region. The campus has seven major buildings plus ...

in Mattoon. During succeeding years the number of concerts increased, and has included either six or seven concerts at Krannert Center each year starting with the 1989–1990 season. Fifteen recordings are listed by

ArkivMusic ArkivMusic, Inc. is an American, Tennessee-based online classical music retailer, specializing in the distribution of CDs and DVDs. ArkivMusic opened its online store in February 2002. In addition to their inventory of readily available CDs, the ...

for Sinfonia da Camera. A live recording of Sinfonia da Camera's October 6, 2014, concert featuring music by Pulitzer-Prize winner

George Walker George Walker may refer to: Arts and letters *George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer * George Walker (musician), English musician *George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer * George Walker (il ...

was released on Albany Records in 2016. The four volumes of the

Ignaz Moscheles Isaac Ignaz Moscheles (; 23 May 179410 March 1870) was a Bohemian piano virtuoso and composer. He was based initially in London and later at Leipzig, where he joined his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as professor of piano in the Co ...

cycle were released in 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2012. Each volume was positively reviewed in ''American Record Guide'', for example, volume 2 (or, vi
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. Retrieved 2017-03-27. and volume 3. (or, vi
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In 2011 the Albany label released a Sinfonia recording of another American composer, William Schuman, during his centenary year. (or, vi
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Selected season performances

2000-2001 Season * The first concert of the season included the world première of

Graham Whettam Graham Whettam (7 September 1927 – 17 August 2007) was an English post-romantic composer. Biography Whettam was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, and studied at St Luke's College, Exeter. Though he never formally studied at a music school and wa ...

’s ''Concerto Drammatico'' with cellist

Martin Rummel Martin Rummel (born 2 May 1974) is an Austrian cellist. Biography The son of Peter Rummel, professor of law, grew up in Linz, where he went to primary school and graduated from Akademisches Gymnasium, where he received a Classical education, ...

. * Special guest artists also included Paul Merkelo (trumpet) and

Nathan Gunn Nathan T. Gunn (born November 26, 1970, in South Bend, Indiana) is an American operatic baritone who performs regularly around the world. He is an alumnus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he is currently a professor of voice ...

(baritone). * Haydn’s ''Creation'' was performed with the University of Illinois Chorale and Oratorio Society. * A season-closing European tour included two London concerts, one featuring baritone

singing

Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...

and Scheer songs and one with marimbist William Moersch performing the UK premiere of Bennett's Marimba Concerto. * A recording of

' Piano Concertos, Vol. II was released. 2001-2002 Season * Guest artists included pianist Jonathan Faiman, who performed the world première of his piano concerto ''Conversations with Piano and Orchestra,'' and violinist

Andrés Cárdenes Andrés Cárdenes is a Cuba, Cuban-born violinist, pedagogue, conducting, conductor, violist, recording artist and concertmaster. He has performed and taught in a number of prominent positions, including his current professorship in violin at Lynn ...

. * The University of Illinois Chorale and Oratorio Society joined Sinfonia to perform Bach’s ''St. John Passion''. * Sinfonia presented a concert at the University of South Carolina's Koger Center for the Arts. 2005-2006 Season * American première of

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...

’s opera '' Oedipe'' featuring Stefan Ignat as soloist in his American debut. (or, vi
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* World première, featuring guitarist James Buckland, of his reconstruction of a long-lost version for "full orchestra and terz guitar" of

Mauro Giuliani Mauro Giuseppe Sergio Pantaleo Giuliani (27 July 1781 – 8 May 1829) was an Italian guitarist, cellist, singer, and composer. He was a leading guitar virtuoso of the early 19th century. Biography Although born in Bisceglie, Giuliani's cente ...

’s Second Guitar Concerto, Op. 36. 2006-2007 Season * Guest artists included Chu-Fang Huang (piano), winner of the 2005

Cleveland International Piano Competition The Cleveland International Piano Competition is an American piano competition that takes place biennially in Cleveland, Ohio. The initial Competition in 1975 and the nine others that followed were sponsored jointly by the Robert Casadesus Society ...

, and Graeme Jennings (violin). * Two world premières were performed by Sinfonia da Camera: ''Ianus'' for chamber ensemble and computer-generated sounds by Sever Tipei and ''Still'' for Violin (Graeme Jennings), Viola (Masumi Per Rostad) and Chamber Orchestra by Keeril Makan. * ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

'' commemorated the 250th birth year of Mozart. * Sinfonia took a two-week tour to China (Beijing and Shanghai). 2007-2008 Season * Sinfonia performed the world première of Roberto Sierra’s ''Variations on a Souvenir'', a work commissioned by the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the Carlsen Center in Overland Park, Kansas. (or, vi
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This concert also featured James Carter in Sierra's ''Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra''. * Sinfonia also premièred the orchestration, by T. Grigoriu, of

’s ''Impressions from Childhood'' featuring Sherban Lupu. 2008-2009 Season * Sinfonia performed the six Brandenburg Concertos. * Sinfonia performed

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

's Serenade in E minor, Walton's Viola Concerto and

Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

' Symphony No. 5 in D Major. * Sinfonia performed the world premiere of Stephen Andrew Taylor's ''The Machine Awakes'', based on the novel Galatea 2.2 by

Richard Powers Richard Powers (born June 18, 1957) is an American novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology. His novel ''The Echo Maker'' won the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction. Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor (the Unfinished), and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 with

Menahem Pressler Menahem Pressler (; 16 December 1923 – 6 May 2023) was a German-born Israeli-American pianist and academic teacher. He was known for his work with the Beaux Arts Trio that he co-founded in 1955, playing until its dissolution in 2008, in hund ...

as soloist. 2015-2016 Season * A Beethoven-centered concert included Beethoven's

The Creatures of Prometheus ''The Creatures of Prometheus'' (), Op. 43, is a ballet composed in 1801 by Ludwig van Beethoven following the libretto of Salvatore Viganò. The ballet premiered on 28 March 1801 at the Burgtheater in Vienna and was given 28 performances. I ...

and the world premiere of "''The Letter''," a setting by Robert Chumbley of Beethoven's

Immortal Beloved The Immortal Beloved (German "Unsterbliche Geliebte") is the addressee of a love letter which composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote on 6 or 7 July 1812 in Teplitz (then in the Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic). The unsent letter is writ ...

letter, sung by Ricardo Herrera. * Vienna's Webern Kammerchor and the University of Illinois Chamber Singers joined the orchestra to perform Schubert's Mass in E flat major. * Csaba Erdélyi performed his completion of Bartók's

Viola Concerto A viola concerto is a concerto contrasting a viola with another body of musical instruments such as an orchestra or chamber music ensemble. Throughout music history, especially during the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras, viola was viewed mo ...

. 2016-2017 Season *American Century concert with

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

’s ''Candide Overture'', Barber’s ''Knoxville, Summer of 1915'',

David DeBoor Canfield David DeBoor Canfield (born September 23, 1950) is an American composer of classical music. Early life and education David DeBoor Canfield (birth name, David Ellis Canfield) was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 23, 1950. Early music ...

's ''Rhapsody after Gershwin'', written for the violinist Rachel Patrick, in a US premiere performance. Followed by Gershwin’s ''Porgy and Bess: a Symphonic Picture'' and finally Sousa’s ''Stars and Stripes Forever''. *Mendelssohn’s '' Elijah – Oratorio on Words of the Old Testament'', with the Oratorio Society and nine soloists. *Final concert with Stravinsky’s Pulchinella Suite, Glazunov’s Violin Concerto, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic poem, Scheherazade. Violin soloist for the Glazunov and Rimsky-Korsakov was

, former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

About the Orchestra

In addition to the approximately fifty contracted players and the Music Director, Sinfonia da Camera employs area musicians on an as-needed basis. The orchestra typically performs six subscription concerts each season and has recorded twelve concerts. Recordings of recent concerts are broadcast on "Prairie Performances" on select Fridays by WILL-FM Radio.

References

External links

Sinfonia da Camera Krannert Center for the Performing ArtsIan Hobson
{{authority control 1984 establishments in Illinois Chamber orchestras Musical groups established in 1984 Orchestras based in Illinois