New Century Chamber Orchestra

About New Century Chamber Orchestra (http://www.ncco.org)

New Century Chamber Orchestra is a virtuoso string ensemble that presents classical music in fresh and exciting ways to audiences throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and through national and international touring. Founded in 1992, this 19-member conductorless ensemble has offered innovative programs and performances of extraordinary quality for more than 30 years. The internationally acclaimed British violinist and Deutsche Grammophon recording artist Daniel Hope has been the ensemble’s Music Director since 2018. The gifted musicians of New Century come not only from the Bay Area but from across the United States and Europe.

With a commitment to the virtuosic performance of chamber orchestra masterworks, New Century also expands the genre through frequent commissions of new music and innovative collaborations with artists from other genres. New Century fosters an intimate relationship with music, not only by offering concerts in small, local venues throughout the Bay Area and beyond, but also by connecting our musical history to the work of living composers and the cultural narratives of today.

New Century’s live performances have continued to explore new ground. The recently completed 2023-24 season marked the orchestra’s return to five weeks of programming with partners like Stanford Live, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and SFMOMA; major works by Leonard Bernstein, Igor Stravinsky, and Caroline Shaw; and appearances by acclaimed guest artists such as Kelley O’Connor, Alexi Kenney, Sterling Elliott, Awadagin Pratt, and trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary in her US Debut.

Beyond its regular season concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area, New Century under Music Director Daniel Hope has expanded its touring profile, embarking on two European summer tours in 2019 and 2023, performing across Germany and Poland, at the Leonard Bernstein-founded Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Rheingau Festival, and the Philharmonie Essen, among others. New Century’s domestic performances have included coast-to-coast tours in 2011 and 2013, and an expanded portfolio of presentations across the state of California, including Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center, Stanford Live’s Bing Concert Hall, and a May 2023 debut at San Diego’s La Jolla Music Society.

New Century Chamber Orchestra is governed by an 18-member Board of Directors and has an administrative staff of four. The 2024-25 fiscal year operating budget is $1.6 million.