NEC Philharmonia + Christopher Wilkins: Walker, Romero, Assad, & Britten

George Walker | Lyric for Strings (1946)

Aldemaro Romero | Fuga con Pajarillo from Suite for Strings No. 1 (1990)

Clarice Assad | Impressions (2008)

I. Personas: Theme and Variations
II. Fusion: Dança Brasileira
III. Affection: Slow Waltz
IV. Precision: Perpetual Motion
V. Unity: Coda

Benjamin Britten | Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10 (1937)

I. Introduction and Theme
II. Adagio
III. March
IV. Romance
V. Aria Italiana
VI. Bourrée classique
VII. Wiener Waltz
VIII. Moto perpetuo
IX. Funeral March
X. Chant
XI. Fugue and Finale

Christopher Wilkins

Christopher Wilkins is in his tenth season as Music Director of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, an orchestra employing many of the finest professional musicians in the Boston area. Under his leadership, the orchestra has expanded its mission of making great music accessible to the whole community. Programs designed to break down barriers for all Bostonians have led the Mass Cultural Council to award its UP designation to the orchestra, recognizing its commitment to universal access and diversity. In the summer of 2020, the orchestra performed a series of live-streamed concerts prioritizing works by composers of color and by women, including a program featuring Grace Kelly—NEC Prep graduate—on the one-hundredth anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

        Mr. Wilkins also serves as Music Director of the Akron Symphony, where he is now in his fifteenth season. There he has led inclusive and community-based programs, working with partners from throughout Northeast Ohio. The orchestra’s initiatives have been awarded a series of major grants from the Knight Foundation, supporting innovation and collaborative work. For the 2020–2021 season, the orchestra is committed to employ all its musicians fully, offering service-oriented programming throughout the community.

        Born in Boston, Mr. Wilkins performed in NEC Prep ensembles from a young age. He earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard College and his master of music degree from Yale School of Music. As a guest conductor, Mr. Wilkins has appeared with many of the leading orchestras of the United States, including those of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. Previously he served as Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Colorado Springs Symphony, and as Resident Conductor of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, assisting in the formation of the orchestra in its inaugural season, and leading it on tours throughout the Americas.

Personnel

First Violin
Leonard Fu
Grace Clifford
Chae Lim Yoon
Sory Park
Eric C. Chen
Hannah Price

Second Violin
Minchae Kim
MinJi Lee
Liucong Feng
Caroline Jesalva
Aileen Chung

Viola
Yizhu Mao
Ayano Nakamura
Aidan Garrison
Karlie Roberts

Cello
Gabriel Martins
Andres Sanchez
Mari Nagahara
Yoojin Lee

Bass
Diego Martinez
Wen Peng