2016 Naxos Recording at NOI+F

Samuel Adams

The National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI+F) will create a live recording of its June 11, 2016 concert, to be released via top classical music label Naxos. This is the second year of an ongoing agreement, representing Naxos’ first partnership with a student-based summer music festival.

“With projects like NOI, it is often the case that the final performance of a work is not only a well-conceived rendition, but also a document of the emotional and intellectual transformation that the musicians experienced during the residency,” [Samuel] Adams said. “I feel incredibly privileged to have my work be a prism through which this kind of transformation can happen.”

“We are thrilled to continue this one-of-a-kind partnership with Naxos, the world’s most important classical recording label,” Richard Scerbo, newly appointed NOI+F director, said. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for our students to perform important American repertoire while also gaining the knowledge and experience of preparing a professional recording."

The all-American program, conducted by James Ross, features Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1; Randall Thompson’s Symphony No. 2; and Samuel Adams’ Drift and Providence. Adams, who was recently named composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will be in residence at NOI+F for the recording and performance of his work in June. Inspired his own move from the West Coast to the East Coast of America, Drift and Providence incorporates subtle electronic textural enhancements to its percussion parts, which Adams will be mixing live during the concert and recording of his piece.

“The electronic element in Drift and Providence is subtle and unobtrusive,” Adams said. “The sound designer, in real time, selects certain frequencies from the percussion section, transforms and highlights them to create a constant—yet constantly changing—cloud of digital noise. This process bridges the natural acoustic sound of the orchestra (wood, metal, skin) with the digital noises of contemporary life, which are unachievable with acoustic instruments.”

Adams finds the experience of working with young musicians to be deeply satisfying and valuable. “With projects like NOI, it is often the case that the final performance of a work is not only a well-conceived rendition, but also a document of the emotional and intellectual transformation that the musicians experienced during the residency,” Adams said. “I feel incredibly privileged to have my work be a prism through which this kind of transformation can happen.”

About The National Orchestral Institute and 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

NaxosLaunched 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.