New Music Orchestra


WELCOME TO THE
GREATEST CONTEMPORARY ORCHESTRA
IN THE WORLD!!

First and foremost, THANK YOU

Thank you for being such incredible musicians, thank you for being such enthusiastic colleagues, and thank you for being the most amazing, patient, and supportive friends I could ask for – YOU ROCK!!!

As promised, this page will give you a rundown of “Things to Know” about the new orchestra… except for the name.  😉

The Mission
The Vision
The Business Model
The Venue
Why We Need A Contemporary Music Ensemble
Our Audience
How Can You Help?
When Is The Rollout?
What Does A Concert Cycle Look Like?

THE MISSION

The mission of the orchestra is to perform and promote orchestral repertoire written by today’s living composers, as well as by those of the late-20th and early-21st centuries, while establishing an atmosphere of learning, partnership, growth, and exploration for audiences and musicians alike.

We will work to establish a reputation for imaginative performances and creative productions, which will put the orchestra on par with other critically acclaimed contemporary ensembles.

What will set us apart from these ensembles (which comprise of 10-30 musicians each) is our focus on music written for symphony orchestras, which typically consist of over 65 players on stage.

 

THE VISION

The orchestra will be the premiere source of contemporary orchestral repertoire for the worldwide music community, and a conduit through which audiences can develop an understanding and appreciation for today’s composer and tomorrow’s masterworks.  A focus on new repertoire will also afford us the opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations with organizations in the U.S. and around the world.

The more attention we bring to today’s composer,
the more great new music they’ll write for us to perform!

 

THE BUSINESS MODEL
A Home in Every City: Breaking the Centuries-Old Mold of the Professional Orchestra

In 1926, the Harlem Globetrotter began showcasing their artistry in an effort to grow an audience at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago.  Following the success of their first tour across southern Illinois, the team extended the schedule of their encore itinerary by blanketing the entire Midwest.  That year’s tour would be the last the group would ever undertake – and it has continued for over 90 years.

This decades-long adventure has brought the group to over 124 countries and territories, and endeared them to hundreds of millions of fans around the world.  The combination of their groundbreaking business model, fun audience engagement and cultivation initiatives, and an ever-evolving program has helped make the nomadic Globetrotters “the world’s team”, and one of the most successful tour-based organizations ever.

Following in the footsteps of the Globetrotters, our orchestra will not have a primary concert hall to call home, but rather perform in a new city and venue for every concert cycle.  In addition to the fun we’ll have visiting different cities across the country, the decision of adopting this unique business model will also help the group financially.  In fact, by performing in different venues and hiring local professional talent to fill 30% of the orchestra, we will save over $150,000 each cycle.

 

THE VENUE

With 65-70 players on stage for every concert, ours will be a “midsized orchestras”.  As such, the venues we perform in will need to have a stage large enough for all of our players and equipment.  Similarly, the size of the hall itself must also be fitting for the size and sound of the orchestra.  Venues perfect for us will have 400-1,100 seats, which will offer our audiences a more intimate experience that can’t be achieved in a larger hall.

If you have any recommendations on venues, please let me know.

  

WHY WE NEED A CONTEMPORARY MUSIC ENSEMBLE

In a word: progress.  Compositions that stand the test of time are those that reflect the progress and growth of their respective eras.  Haydn’s music is representative of the 18th century Renaissance, Beethoven’s of the 19th century Classical Era, and Stravinsky of the early 20th century Modernist movement.  Because these composers chose to push the envelope and challenge the status quo of their time, the music they gave us continues to be played today in order to give voice to the past.

No matter the era or genre, every generation of arts patrons wants to add their voice to the lexicon of their favorite medium.  They seek out artists whose work speaks to their own ideology and temperament, and at times, to the current state of sociopolitical affairs.  As the audience for new music continues to grow, our orchestra will serve as a platform through which they can discover, connect with, and support these incredible composers, thus helping to give today its voice and sound.

 

OUR AUDIENCE
An Inch Deep and 24,901 Miles Wide

With over 1,500+ professional and community orchestras in the U.S. performing mostly traditional masterworks, the audience for standard repertoire is expansive and plentiful.  However, the audience for new music is more of an underground niche.  Our job as the premiere orchestra for contemporary works is to give those audiences a reason to come out of the shadows.

 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?  SPREAD THE WORD!!

As this group will focus 95% of our marketing and fundraising online, it will be imperative that everyone involved do what they can to share our activities online.  The more people helping get the word out, the more people who will hear it.

Between us all, I estimate that our social media network has the potential to reach over 750,000 friends, patrons, and colleagues worldwide!!

Since the best way to cultivate and engage an online audience is to give them a peek behind the scenes, utilizing platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, SnapChat, and Instagram, will be crucial in getting people involved.

post a picture/video (with hashtags) of yourself with the music when it first arrives [ideally two months in advance]; post another of you and your instrument while practicing; when packing for the trip; when your at your airport, in the plane, and in the host city.  We want everyone to feel they’re a part of what we’re doing every step of the way so they’ll know that the music we play is the music of their era.

The “official” hashtags for these posts will be sent out via email soon.

 

WHEN IS THE ROLLOUT?

Orchestra Launch: Late January.
Later this month, we will officially launch the orchestra!
Soon thereafter we will be launching our first crowd funding campaign.

First Fundraiser: Late Jan/early Feb.
Our first-ever fundraising campaign will be crucial in helping to establish the orchestra as a modern organization, so we will need everyone’s help in getting the word out to those music lovers around the globe.

 

WHAT DOES A CYCLE LOOK LIKE?

Each concert cycle will consist of four rehearsals and two performances over the course of six days.  Ideally, Day 1 of the cycle will be a Wednesday and Day 5 will be a Sunday.

Day 1:

  • Everyone arrives in town before 3 pm.
  • First Rehearsal
  • Orchestra Dinner

Day 2

  • Second Rehearsal (AM)
  • Lunch/Downtime
  • Third Rehearsal (late afternoon)
  • Sponsored Dinner

Day 3

  • Fourth/Dress Rehearsal (AM)
  • Lunch/Downtime
  • First Concert (Evening)
  • Sponsored Dinner

Day 4

  • Downtime (AM)
  • Local Cultural Group Activity (early afternoon)
  • Downtime
  • Second Concert (Evening)
  • Sponsored Dinner

Day 5

  • Breakfast at hotel
  • Paychecks Distributed
  • Shuttles begin airport runs
  • BON VOYAGE!!

 

Once again, friends, THANK YOU ALL so much for your encouragement and support over the last 2+ years of planning. Your excitement for the music and enthusiasm for this project has been my inspiration, and I can guarantee that nothing will be more exciting for us all than coming together to give the 21st century its voice on the stage!

Thank you for being a part of this new adventure!! 

You ARE the BEST!!!
-Andrew

© Andrew J. Lyon 2018.