A Concert for Our Times
The Second Ending Ensemble, conceived by Music Director and Conductor, Ian Carleton Schaefer, has as its short and long-term goals to present classical music to the world in an accessible format that pairs warhorse symphonic works with those borne just months or weeks prior to performance by up-and-coming composers. In doing so, the goal is to allow audiences to experience the spectrum and journey of this great artform and find space for its relevance in today’s modern times and in an accessible format. No intermissions. No tuxedos. No fear of clapping between movements. And yes, we might even say some things here and there. The composition of the Second Ending Ensemble will be fluid by design, with performances including musicians from the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Juilliard School and the New York Youth Symphony. But the Ensemble will have as its constant a community of passionate musicians at that highest of levels who share the joy and the mission of this music and the power of music to transform lives and unite communities.
This program will pair rising star jazz musician, Alexa Tarantino’s first “World Premiere for Symphony Orchestra,” commissioned by the Second Ending Ensemble, with Tchaikovsky’s epic and heart-wrenching take on fate in his iconic Symphony No. 4. All of this in the intimate setting of the Appel Room with unparalleled views of Central Park for a fully immersive concertgoing experience.
