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
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, the project is now called PLAYING THE MARKETS and will present pop-up events, followed by chamber and conducted ensemble visits. The 2024-25 series began with five pop-ups at Reading Terminal and Philadelphia (formerly Franklin) Mills Flea Market, and continues with almost a dozen events in June 2025, and more in August!
PLAYING THE MARKETS – JUNE 2025:
String Quartet
(including music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Rhiannon Giddens and Caroline Shaw)
Thursday, June 19, 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Fairmount Farmers Market, Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street & Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia 19130
Jazz Trio
(including music by Philadelphia jazz legends)
Sunday, June 15 (Father's Day), 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Reading Terminal Market
1136 Arch Street, Philadelphia 19107
Matt Davis, Jazz Guitarist
Thursday, June 12, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Fairmount Farmers Market, Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street & Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia 19130
Woodwind Quintet
(including music by Philadelphia composer Vincent Persichetti)
Thursday, June 5, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Produce Junction, Wynnefield
2241 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Philadelphia 19131
Woodwind Quintet
(including music by Philadelphia composer Vincent Persichetti)
Thursday, June 5, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Fairmount Farmers Market, Eastern State Penitentiary
22nd Street & Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia 19130
Woodwind Quintet
(including music by Philadelphia composers Samuel Barber and Vincent Persichetti)
Monday, June 2, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Cherry Street Pier – Artist Studios/Marketplace
121 N. Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia 19106
Percussion Duo
(including music by Icelandic composer Áskell Másson)
Sunday, June 1, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Philadelphia Flea Market, Franklin Mills
90 Franklin Mills Boulevard, Philadelphia 19154
PLAYING THE MARKETS lead support is provided by the William Penn Foundation
with additional funding from
PECO Powering the Arts.
Orchestra 2001 Percussionists take our Market Challenge: Purchase "Instruments" with $50 Cash in 30 Minutes (Video by Sharon Torello)
Join us for a final performance featuring the unique marriage of East African Kiganda folk and
contemporary classical music by Ugandan composer Justinian Tamusuza.
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2025 at 2:00 pm
Penn Museum, Widener Lecture Hall
3260 South Street, Philadelphia 19104
$25 General Admission • $10 Students
INCLUDES FREE ENTRY TO PENN MUSEUM!
CHAMBER MUSIC BY JUSTINIAN TAMUSUZA:
Mbeera Ggwe Wantonda for two prepared harps
Abaana Bange for soprano sax, marimba, and electric guitar
Mu Kkubo Ery 'Omusaalaba for string quartet
Abaafa Luli for woodwind quintet
A CENTURY OF ARGENTINE COMPOSERS (TANGO FOR STRINGS)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2025, 7:00 pm
$25 General Admission
MAAS Building, 1325 N. Randolph Street, Philadelphia 19122
Entrador – Mario De Marco
Todo corazón – Julio De Caro
En Pampa y la vía – Pablo Jaurena
La muerte del ángel – Astor Piazzolla
Milonga triste – Sebastián Piana
Astor de pibe – Diego Schissi
Yokan – Guillermo Rubino
El tero – Ernesto Montiel/Blas Martinéz Riera
Cielo – Guillermo Rubino
Meridional – Víctor Lavallén
Orchestra 2001 musicians will join Argentine violin tango master, Guillermo Rubino, and bandoneonist Shinjoo Cho to explore the development of the Argentine tango. This string ensemble will present tangos of the 1940’s, works by Astor Piazzolla, Argentine folkloric pieces, and new works by Mr. Rubino and Diego Schissi, Orchestra 2001’s ¡Conexiones! Argentina commissioned composer from 2021.
Coming Soon!
1st Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
2nd Amendment: Right to Bear Arms
13th Amendment: Abolition of Slavery
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.
Music by Philadelphia Composers – Celebrating 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)
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:
