From Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Melinda Wagner (interviewed by ECO GM Steve Weiser) Can you tell us a little bit about this Flute Concerto – its genesis, structure, inspirations, etc… A number of years ago, Paul Dunkel conducted the American Composers Orchestra in a performance of an early orchestral work of mine, Falling Angels. During rehearsals … More Genesis of a Concerto, part 2
From ECO program note author Professor Annmarie George I was 8 yrs. old and going shopping on our standard Saturday shopping trip to downtown Erie with my mother all dressed up in my pretty dress, white gloves, black patent shoes and white lace trimmed socks. After we were done shopping my mom discovered that our … More An Unlikely Beginning
Preview for our Season Finale Concert from Music Director Matthew Kraemer
Our live radio show from April 15th with special guests Dr. Martha Summa Chadwick, David Graham, Brad Amidon and James Mohney along with host Brian Hannah.
From ECO soloist Dr. Martha Summa Chadwick and General Manager Steve Weiser Reprinted with permission from Exceptional Parent Magazine – subscribe here! A spectacular series of concert performances, lectures, and workshops to advocate for a very special musical cause is scheduled in the beautiful city of Erie, Pennsylvania, during the week of April 13-17, 2015. … More The Burden of Genius
From ECO soloist Dr. Martha Summa Chadwick The ECO chamber music concert on Monday evening April 13th is designed as a unique celebration of both the aesthetic and therapeutic value of music. While much is known about how music influences mankind on the hedonic level, little is generally known about how music is actually experienced … More Prelude to the Dream
Preview for our Beautiful Mind Festival from Music Director Matthew KraemerSee the full lineup of events here!
From Barber National Institute Executive Vice President Maureen Barber-Carey This past March was the 30th anniversary of national Music In Our Schools Month! This is a great time to celebrate the wonderful ways that music enhances learning. Several years ago, we made the commitment to boost the music program in our school. We began by … More Music in our Schools
Our live radio show from March 13th with guests from the Magic Flute, including Jamie Flora, Shannon Dooley, John Dooley, Natalie Polito, Marc Webster, Kate Amatuzzo, Rob Frankenberry, Kris Denton and GM Steve Weiser along with host Brian Hannah.
From ECO Trumpet, and host of Classics on WQLN Radio, Brian Hannah The sensitive side of Mozart in his own words. Generally, based on the stories we’ve all been told, when asked to describe Mozart a few thoughts probably come to mind: Precocious child prodigy? Prankster? Yes, he was both of these things and more. … More The Sensitive Side of Mozart
From ECO Keyboardist Beth Etter I can relive the experience vividly, though it’s been decades ago. It was summer. I had just graduated from Allegheny College as a music major. Even then, the question was, what now? Great college, but. . .music major, from a small, rural, liberal arts college, where pre-med and pre-law students … More Mozart and Me
From ECO Soloist Kate Amatuzzo (Papagena in our upcoming Magic Flute in Concert) I’ll never forget the first time I was cast in an opera. It was the spring of 2004, and I was just finishing up my freshman year of college at Mercyhurst University. I was a vocal performance major with a bit of … More Being Bad is Good
From ECO Music Director Matthew Kraemer I was awarded the Herbert Von Karajan Conducting Award in 2006, which afforded me the rare opportunity to serve as a conducting fellow with the Vienna Philharmonic during their annual summer residency at the Salzburg Music Festival. It was a seminal moment in my musical development made even more … More A Young American Conductor in Salzburg
Preview for our March 13 concert from Music Director Matthew Kraemer
Learn about our historical new recording project on Indiegogo. Click here to learn more and help us fund this project!
From ECO Principal Cellist Ruth Ann Scanzillo Composers, like poets or painters, travel incognito. They aren’t visibly weighed down, unlike instrumental musicians with those often unwieldy cases. And, unlike actors, they wear faces nobody knows. In mixed company, most might see them as afficionados or patrons. But, their agenda is a breed apart. When composers … More The Selfless Giant
Our live radio show from February 13th with guests David Graham, Hilary Philipp, Beth Etter, GM Steve Weiser and host Brian Hannah.
Preview for our February 15th and February 20th concerts from Music Director Matthew Kraemer
Listen to GM Steve Weiser and host Ben Speggen talk about the past, present and future of the ECO!
From ECO Concertmaster Maureen Conlon As a kid and teen, I’d envision myself in front of a big orchestra in these gorgeous halls playing all over the word to much acclaim….and then I grew up and I stopped dreaming. I guess it’s one of those things that happens as we get older; realism sets in … More When Dreams Come True
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