Boston Landmarks Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Christopher Wilkins, is gearing up to offer another season of enchanting musical experiences under the stars in Boston. From the iconic DCR Hatch Memorial Shell to Boston neighborhood venues, the ensemble brings the joy of live orchestral music to audiences of all ages. With a diverse lineup that highlights community, inclusivity, and accessibility, these free concerts promise to be a source of delight and inspiration for all who attend. Landmarks Orchestra invites everyone to join us for an unforgettable summer filled with beautiful music and shared moments of connection.
Music Director Christopher Wilkins says, “It’s always a happy occasion to have the orchestra back together again. There’s nothing like making music on a beautiful summer evening along the banks of the Charles. Our special aim is to connect with people of all backgrounds, Bostonians from a variety of cultural traditions.”
Board Chair Emmett G. Price III adds, “We are tremendously grateful and excited for this substantial commitment from our long-standing partner, Free For All Concert Fund, in bringing exceptional LIVE music to Boston’s historic Hatch Shell. Free for All has signaled our value and our importance to the arts and culture fabric of Greater Boston and we are hopeful that others will join the cause and aid us in accomplishing our courageous and timely mission.”
Regarding the Free for All Concert Fund’s major grant to Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Rev. Dr. Ray Hammond, Chair of the Free for All Concert Fund board, said “Free for All is proud to support the great work of Boston Landmarks Orchestra as it continues to advance the legacy of our mutual founder, the late Maestro Charles Ansbacher. This two-year grant of up to $1.275M allows Landmarks to pursue our shared mission of bringing great music to all the people of Boston for free. We look forward to another memorable summer of beautiful music on the Esplanade.”
2024 Summer Concerts and Events
Brahms & Dvo?ák: Songs without Words
Saturday, August 3, 7pm ET | Hatch Shell
The orchestra “sings” in two melodious staples of the symphonic repertoire: Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture and Dvo?ák’s popular Symphony No. 8. Julia Perry’s Three Spirituals receive their first public performance, while Joel Hoffman’s moving Self-Portrait with Gebirtig features our Principal Cellist, Aron Zelkowicz, as soloist. Alfvén’s bubbly Midsummer Vigil make this the perfect program for a midsummer Saturday evening.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Aron Zelkowicz, cello
Johannes Brahms Academic Festival Overture
Hugo Alfvén Midsummer Vigil (Swedish Rhapsody No. 1)
Joel Hoffman Self-Portrait with Gebirtig, Aron Zelkowicz, cello
Julia Perry Three Spirituals (first public performance)
Antonín Dvo?ák Symphony No. 8
*****
Chamber Music: The Rivers School Conservatory
Saturday, August 10, 7pm ET | Hatch Shell
The Rivers School Conservatory performs an evening of chamber music at the Hatch Shell.
*****
Mozart & More
Wednesday, August 14, 7pm ET | Hatch Shell
with Boston String Academy Prelude Concert 6:30-6:50pm at the Hatch Shell
Thursday, August 15, 7:30pm | Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley Street, Boston
Friday, August 16, 7:30pm | Bethel AME Church, 38 Walk Hill St. Jamaica Plain
Saturday, August 17, 4:00pm | Peoples Baptist Church, 830 Tremont St, Boston
Mozart’s energetic Symphony 29 and Arturo Márquez’s energetic Danzón No. 2 set the upbeat tone for this year’s Mozart & More program. Violinist Adrian Anantawan will be featured in music by Florence Price and in Summer and Autumn from Astor Piazzolla’s engaging The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Adrian Anantawan, violin
Wolfgang Amadè Mozart Lucio Silla Overture
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George The Anonymous Lover: Ballet Music
Wolfgang Amadè Mozart Symphony No. 29
Eubie Blake Shuffle Along Overture
William Grant Still Can’t You Line ‘Em
Florence Price Adoration
Astor Piazzolla The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Primavera porteño (Spring)
Otoño Porteño (Fall)
Arturo Márquez Danzón No. 2
*****
Sheherazade & Borodin: Arabian Nights
Wednesday, August 21, 7pm ET | Hatch Shell
The familiar melodies of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, famously heard in the musical Kismet, open this program of evocative music. Boston-based composer Akram Haddad brings the music of his Arabic heritage, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s lush Sheherazade, a showpiece for orchestra based on the tale of the Arabian Nights, concludes our 2024 Hatch Shell season.
Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Alexander Borodin Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor Gity Razaz Mother
Akram Haddad Arabic Singers Medley
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Sheherazade
About Boston Landmarks Orchestra
Boston Landmarks Orchestra was founded in 2001 by conductor and community advocate Charles Ansbacher. The orchestra comprises many of the area’s finest professional musicians. In its earliest years, the orchestra performed in such historically important settings as Fenway Park, the USS CONSTITUTION pier, Jamaica Pond, Franklin Park, Copley Square, Boston Common, and other landmark locations. Since 2007, its principal home has been at the DCR’s Hatch Memorial Shell. For more history visit landmarksorchestra.org.
Major funders of Boston Landmarks Orchestra include the Free for All Concert Fund, The Boston Foundation, Encore Boston Harbor, Liberty Mutual and the Klarman Foundation. These programs are supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, the League of American Orchestras, and the Boston Cultural Council, a local agency which is funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts + Culture for the City of Boston. WCVB Channel 5 and CRB Classical 99.5 are proud media sponsors.
Press contact: Stephanie Janes, 617-419-0445, [email protected]