National Orchestral Institute + Festival enters global classical music market

Naxos

This July, the National Orchestral Institute + Festival releases its first live recording on the internationally renowned Naxos record label. The release marks the festival’s official entry into the global classical music market.

The album will be released on July 8, 2016, and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

"This album represents the incredible sensation that is NOI+F,” Richard Scerbo, the program’s director, said. “For the first time, our students’ wonderful musicianship is available for worldwide appreciation and enjoyment though our partnership with Naxos. This is a significant and exciting milestone, both in terms of the richness of experience we can give our students; and in terms of showcasing the University of Maryland as a leader in the arts."

The National Orchestral Institute + Festival, a program of The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, brings together the country’s most talented young orchestral musicians for a summer of intensive learning and performance.

The album’s all-American program, which was recorded during the 2015 NOI+F, features Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller conducting Michael Torke’s Bright Blue Music; Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring; and John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1.

Participating in a commercial orchestral recording was a new experience for many of the NOI+F student musicians.

“If I could use one word to describe the whole process, I would say it was intense – in a great way,” Hilary Jones, a flutist who has participated in NOI+F for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, said. “Expectations are greater when you’re recording, and it pushes you to a higher level of musicianship. I think we rose to the occasion.”

The album will be released on July 8, 2016, and is currently available for pre-order from Amazon.com. The ongoing relationship between NOI+F and Naxos marks the label’s first partnership with a student-based summer music festival. The next NOI+F recording, featuring conductor James Ross leading a program of American symphonies, will be released in 2017.

About The National Orchestral Institute + Festival

Each year, NOI conducts a rigorous national audition process to select orchestral musicians on the threshold of their professional careers. They participate in a four- week intensive program to hone their skills as musicians in unconducted chamber orchestras, orchestral performance, community engagement and career management, studying under the tutelage of distinguished musicians who help them polish their ensemble skills. Each week culminates with a public performance in The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

About Naxos

Launched in 1987 and now offering more than 7,500 album titles, Naxos is the world's leading classical music label in terms of the number of new releases and the breadth of repertoire covered. Its strategy of recording exciting new repertoire with exceptional talent has been recognized with 19 Grammy awards, 800+ Penguin Guide 3-star the recommendations, 150+ Gramophone Editor's Choice awards and numerous other honors. Naxos is a truly international label and produces more than 200 new recordings a year in more than 30 countries.