Orion Ensemble history
The award-winning Orion Ensemble is now the Ensemble-in-Residence of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. The nationally recognized and highly acclaimed group of five core musicians is dedicated to performing a broad repertoire of chamber music at the highest level. They bring world-class concerts to a varied, growing audience in Illinois and across the nation.
The Orion Ensemble tours nationally and presents three Chicago area series each year. One of Chicago's finest chamber music groups, the Orion Ensemble boasts a roster of superb musicians who have performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony, Moscow Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Music of the Baroque and at music festivals including Ravinia, Hollywood Bowl, Aspen, Salzburg, and Banff.
Their impressive repertoire combines an expansive range of composers and styles, including works by masters such as Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Debussy as well as pieces from contemporary composers, including William Bolcom, Peter Schickele, Robert Kritz, James Wintle, Jackson Berkey, and Augusta Read Thomas. Widely committed to expanding the repertoire for piano quartet and clarinet, the ensemble continues to inspire composers with commissions for new works written especially for their unique combination of instruments.
Audiences can hear Orion regularly on WFMT's nationally-broadcast series Live from Studio One as well as National Public Radio's Performance Today. The Ensemble received first prize in the festivals category of the 2000 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming for their critically acclaimed millennium celebration called An Inside Look at Contemporary Music.
Orion is indebted to the support of the Illinois Arts Council for its programs. In addition, Orion has now received two consecutive awards from the MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Over the years, the ensemble has received consistent support from the IAC, along with private support of many individual donors. A grant in 1999 from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music recognized Orion's dedication to furthering new and contemporary works. Especially, Orion appreciated a generous gift from the John Nuveen Company and an anonymous donor that made a major commissioning possible.
Orion was founded in 1992 by musicians Kathryne Pirtle, Florentina Ramniceanu, and Diana Schmück. Musicians Judy Stone and Jennifer Marlas joined the ensemble subsequently, creating a core of five musicians recognized as a major artistic force in chamber music. The first publicized season of the non-profit ensemble was in 1993-94. This premiere year began its regular subscription series in Chicago and Batavia, Illinois; live national broadcasts on WFMT-FM; and concerts at the Chicago Cultural Center. Orion is beginning its 11th annual season of these concerts.
Over the years, Orion has continually performed premieres of new works, invited collaborations with other artists, and sought opportunities for outreach of their music to new audiences. Recent premiers include works written for Orion Ensemble by Robert Kritz and Sebastian Huydts.
A major premiere for Orion came with the commissioning of Angel Musings by Augusta Read Thomas in 1999, the composer-in-residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The performance of the new work was met with rave reviews—most notably from the Chicago Tribune's John von Rhein. Other Orion premieres have included two works written for the ensemble by Mannheim Steamroller pianist Jackson Berkey—Earth Voices and Solomon Quintet. Another new work, The Miracle at the Pontoon Bridge, by Jim Wintle was written for Orion and based on a poem by Chicagoan, Vachel Lindsay. It was premiered in a live WFMT-FM Chicago broadcast in 1998 and featured the composer’s live commentary. Orion also performed the Chicago premiere of Peter Lieberson’s 1987 composition, Ziji, and new arrangement of Enesco's Rhapsodie Roumaine. The Enesco was specially arranged as a chamber work for Orion by Chicago musician Ilya Levinson of the University of Chicago.
Artist collaborations expand the ensemble's repertoire. Past collaborations have brought some world-renowned musicians to perform with Orion Ensemble, such as Alex Klein, past principal oboist of the CSO; Lyric Opera bassoonist James Birkenstock; Michele DuBost, former principal flutist of the Orchestre de Paris and current professor at Oberlin Conservatory of Music; CSO principal hornist Dale Clevenger; CSO bassist Robert Kassinger; Lyric principal clarinetist Charlene Zimmerman,and renowned guitarist Julian Gray of the Peabody Conservatory . For its 10th-anniversary season, Orion was joined by soprano Patrice Michels in performances in its series and live on WFMT. Other notable musicians have included soprano Virginia Croskery, hornist Alice Render; guest soprano Janet Robb and the addition of five extra musicians to perform the chamber version of the Mother Goose Suite in Orion's 4th season. The addition of visual artwork and poetry has brought works from the Beacon Street Gallery, the Batavia Artists Guild and individual artists such as Gus Alevisos, the late Mary Alice Reid and the late Carol JR Wendt.
In addition to the classical repertoire, Orion has performed an extensive contemporary programming mix. Through contemporary programming, Orion has encouraged the growth of chamber repertoire and sought to educate audiences. Works by Messiaen, Benjamin, Ravel, Phyllis Tate, Villa Lobos, Muczynski, Prokofieff, Copland, Bolcom and others have been performed along with Orion’s many premieres. A “Made in America” concert—presenting works by Schickele, Copland, Bernstein and Bolcom—opened with the surprise performance of guest soprano Janet Robb, singing three Bolcom cabaret songs. The refreshing introduction broadened the audience’s understanding of Bolcom’s range of compositional styles. Orion used each piece as an educational tool, supplying extensive program notes and discussing themes prior to each performance.
An important part of Orion’s history and mission has been its outreach to extend chamber music to new audiences, young and old. Early years included concerts at nursing homes, followed more recently by several years’ involvement in the Walworth County Arts Festival in Wisconsin—an outreach to the community and public school children in Lake Geneva. National tour concerts—23 in one year—have taken them to remote venues in Nebraska, the Dakotas and Minnesota as well as a performance for an audience of convicts in a Federal minimum-security penitentiary near Safford, Arizona.
Locally each year, Orion performs several free noontime concerts at the Chicago Cultural Center that reach a diverse audience mix including school children and the homeless. Orion Ensemble is a frequent performer as the guest of series throughout the Midwest and has welcomed opportunities to perform across the United States and abroad.
Thank you to all who continue to support Orion’s efforts to fulfill its mission.