Orchestra of St. Luke's

The 2008–2009 season marks the 34th year of America’s foremost chamber orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, a unique musical organization that comprises the Orchestra, the Chamber Ensemble, and the St. Luke’s Arts Education Program. St. Luke’s currently performs approximately 100 orchestral, chamber, and educational concerts throughout New York each year, all showcasing the hallmark collaborative spirit that has garnered consistent critical acclaim for vibrant music making of the highest order.

Formed at the Caramoor International Music Festival in the summer of 1979, the Orchestra evolved from the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble (founded in 1974), with Ensemble members forming the Orchestra’s artistic core as principal players. In addition to being presented by Carnegie Hall in its annual series, the Orchestra continues a collaborative relationship with the Hall spanning more than 20 years that currently includes participation in such events as annual holiday concerts, the Choral Workshop, Family Concerts, and concert presentations of musical theater. The Orchestra is also engaged throughout the year in a number of artistic collaborations, and serves each summer as Orchestra-in- Residence at the Caramoor International Music Festival.

In chamber music, St. Luke’s performs annual concert series in three of New York’s most esteemed art institutions: the Morgan Library and Museum’s Gilder Lehrman Hall, the Brooklyn Museum, and Dia:Beacon in upstate New York. The St. Luke’s Arts Education Program comprises free education performances and yearlong inschool residencies supported by professional development for teachers and standards-based curriculum materials. The program serves 25,000 New York City schoolchildren and their teachers annually.

St. Luke’s has released two critically acclaimed recordings on its own label, St. Luke’s Collection: Mozart’s Symphonies Nos. 39 and 41, “Jupiter,” under the direction of Donald Runnicles, and Bach’s “Brandenburg” Concertos. The collection also includes Morning, Noon and Evening, featuring Haydn’s Symphonies Nos. 6, 7, and 8; With Valour Abounding, featuring music by Handel inspired by the Old Testament; and a DVD of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons accompanied by animated artwork by New York City public school students. These are the most recent additions to an already stellar and extensive discography, numbering more than 70 recordings, that includes four Grammy Award–winning discs.

Please visit OSLmusic.org for the St. Luke’s calendar of events, tickets, and more information.