Orchestra 2001 is a collective of adventurous, virtuoso performers dedicated to the music of our time. The ensemble is a leader in connecting diverse audiences with the greatest music of the 20th and 21st centuries, engaging new listeners through exhilarating concerts, innovative artistic collaborations, and enriching community partnerships in Philadelphia and beyond.
Orchestra 2001 is a Programming Partner at
Cherry Street Pier.
TANGO FOR STRINGS
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2025, 7pm, $25 admission
MAAS Building, 1325 N. Randolph Street, Philadelphia 19122
Orchestra 2001 musicians will join violin tango master, Guillermo Rubino, and bandoneonist Shinjoo Cho to explore the development of the Argentine tango. Music will include tangos of the 1940’s, music by Astor Piazzolla, traditional folkloric music, and contemporary tangos by Mr. Rubino and Diego Schissi, Orchestra 2001’s commissioned composer from ¡Conexiones! Argentina 2021.
Launching in Spring 2025:
1st Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
2nd Amendment: Right to Bear Arms
13th Amendment: Abolition of Slavery
15th Amendment: Right to Vote Not Denied by Race
19th Amendment: Women’s Right to Vote
21st Amendment: Repeal of Prohibition
A MORE PERFECT UNION will present concerts across the city, leading up to America’s 250th anniversary in the Summer of 2026. The project will celebrate Philadelphia’s role as the birthplace of our nation, and the Constitution’s progress in achieving a more equitable blueprint for democracy. Many of the subjects addressed have more relevance now than ever, exploring both profound and lighthearted music by dozens of composers, past and present.
Orchestra 2001's ongoing project has presented dozens of performances of contemporary classical music and jazz to thousands of Philadelphians where they shop and work, including parts of the city with little access to live music. Aimed at eliminating barriers to attendance, EMERGING MARKETS was honored with an Arts and Business Council Award from the Chamber of Commerce.
To develop sustainable new audiences,
PLAYING THE MARKETS will
now present
pop-up events, followed by chamber and conducted ensemble visits. The 2024-25 series started with five pop-ups at Reading Terminal and Philadelphia (formerly Franklin) Mills Flea Market.
Orchestra 2001 Percussionists take our Market Challenge: Purchase "Instruments" with $50 Cash in 30 Minutes (Video by Sharon Torello)
Music by Philadelphia Composers – Celebrating Five Years of Cherry Street Pier
Coming Soon:
Adam Silverman – Downtown is the Battery for Percussion (2018)
Maurice Wright – Set-Up Music for Percussion (1982)
Vincent Persichetti – Pastorale for Wind Quintet (1951)
Samuel Barber – Summer Music for Wind Quintet (1956)
Andrea Clearfield –
Compass Kaleidoscope
for Wind Quintet
(2015)
Composer Justinian Tamusuza, Sylvia Nannyonga-Tamusuza, Orchestra 2001, conductor Na'Zir McFadden (standing center); Cathedral Basilica rehearsal, June 2024
Justinian Tamusuza, composer
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor
Orchestra 2001 was joined by husband-wife team composer Justinian Tamusuza and musicologist, Sylvia Nannyonga-Tamusuza who shared a cross-continental composer residency from Uganda, prior to visiting Philadelphia in June 2024. Justinian was trained in both Kiganda (Ugandan) folk music and Western classical music, and composed music for our musicians, using extended instrumental techniques and polyrhythms that marry contemporary classical music and traditional Kiganda folk music. Six concerts were presented along West Philadelphia's Baltimore Avenue Corridor, prior to the finale on June 14, 2024 at the Cathedral Basilica.
ENGOMA ENTEERA – Project Highlights (Sharon Torello, Videographer)
Mark Loria, conductor; Martha Guth, soprano
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2023; 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Teatro Esperanza
4261 North 5th Street, Phila. 19140
Roberto Sierra – Bongo-O
Angélica Negrón – Quimbombó
Angélica Negrón – Tembleque
Ana María Hernández – Fantasía sobre el seis Mapeyé
Roberto Sierra –
Canciones de amor, poetry by Julia de Burgos (World Premiere)
Sonia Morales-Matos –
Fiesta #1
THURSDAY, May 18, 2023 | 2:45 PM
Teatro Esperanza: Student Event
4261 N. 5th Street, Phila. 19140
WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2023 | 7:30 PM
Main Gallery at Slought
4017 Walnut Street, Phila. 19104
GEORGE CRUMB: SCORES AT AN EXHIBITION explores Philadelphia’s well-known contemporary composer (1929-2022) and long-time Orchestra 2001 collaborator, in a visual arts setting. His stunning visual scores are works of art, and presenting them in a gallery context allows for a more complete appreciation of these masterpieces.
FIRST Performance: (SOLD OUT!)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2023 | 7:30pm
Clef Club of Jazz
736 South Broad Street, Philadelphia 19146
ENCORE Performance:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023 | 7:30pm
Mummers Museum
1100 S. 2nd Street, Philadelphia 19147
History-making jazz with humble beginnings in a basement on Manhattan’s West 55th Street... the 12 tunes from that collaboration of jazz and classical giants are a collector’s classic, and forged decades of new directions in concert halls, jazz clubs, and film scores.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022 | 7:30 PM
Teatro Esperanza
Mark Loria, conductor
Ernesto Abelardo Valdés – Almendra
Tania León – Toque
Ileana Pérez Velázquez – Zunzun
Leo Brouwer – La Niña Bonita
Paquito D'Rivera – Preludio y Merengue
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022 | 7:30 PM
American Hats Factory Showroom
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022 | 7:30 PM
African American Museum in Philadelphia
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor
William Grant Still — Summerland
Undine Smith Moore — Afro-American Suite
Duke Ellington — Single Petal of a Rose
(Elizabeth Steiner, harp)
George Walker — Lyric for Strings
Valerie Coleman — Portraits of Langston
Jessie Montgomery — Source Code
Orchestra 2001 featured musical compositions by Philadelphia composers in pop-up concerts at train stops, parking lots, businesses, murals, and parks along the 45-minute SEPTA route that cuts across dozens of diverse communities.
Left to right: Orchestra 2001 at CHOP Karabots campus (West Phila.), the "Love Lot" (Kensington), and 30th Street Station (University City).
Donations support performances in all corners of Philadelphia! Our concerts
would not be possible without the support of Individual Donors.
Orchestra 2001 is grateful to its Foundation, Government, and Organizational Contributors and Partners:
