World Premieres and Old Favorites

New York Scandia String Orchestra, June 14, 8 PM, Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church, 152 West 66th Street, Manhattan

On Saturday evening, June 14, the New York Scandia Symphony String Orchestra, under the leadership of conductor Dorrit Matson, presented a colorful and exciting concert at the Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. This was a new performance venue for the group, which specializes in music from Scandinavian countries. The ensemble of 22 string players played with fire and precision, taking advantage of the fine acoustics of this old church, which was built in 1886.

Three new works by composers Nikolaj Hess, Josefine Opsahl and Frank Foerster, commissioned by Dorrit Matson, provided the most outstanding moments of a highly enjoyable program that paired new music with older favorites.

The concert opened with a violin concerto by Johan Helmich Roman, a Swedish composer of the Baroque era. Concertmaster Mayuki Fukuhara excelled in the solo part, which he played with sincerity and fire.

Mr. Fukuhara was also the soloist in the next work on the program: Pastoral Impressions, by Danish composer Nikolaj Hess. This lovely work, first performed by the orchestra in 2023, delighted the listeners with its rich and attractive harmonic language. Most effective were the slow sections, in which Mr. Fukuhara’s violin soared above the luscious sounding string accompaniment.

The next work (and the first world premiere) on the program was Frank Foerster’s Concertino Festivo. Mr. Foerster, who is the principal violist of the orchestra, had composed a joyous and marvelously inventive piece, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the orchestra’s Scandinavian Summer Music Festival. The music was melodious and engaging, ranging in style from serious Renaissance music to cheerful Scandinavian folk dances, tango and ragtime. The concluding humorous musical horse race displayed the impressive sound potential and virtuosity of this string orchestra.

After the intermission, we had the opportunity to listen to Carl Nielsen’s Little Suite op.1, his first published work, written in 1888. Dorrit Matson’s interpretation was a real treat; she succeeded in bringing out the many contrasting moods and dynamics of this expressive music.

Danish composer Josefine Opsahl’s All We Know is that it Radiates was the second world premiere of the evening. The young Miss Opsahl has already achieved celebrity status in her homeland, and this new work clearly displayed her outstanding talent. Often the string sections were divided into smaller groups of overlapping solo voices, creating a shimmering tapestry of sound that was very magical. Other sections sounded crisply rhythmic and energetic, contrasting effectively with the more ethereal moments. Ms. Matson conducted Miss Opsahl’s complex score with clarity and intelligent balancing of the many voices.

The three sympathetic composers were present at the concert and, together with the brilliant artistic director Dorrit Matson, received enthusiastic applause not only from the audience, but also from the musicians of the orchestra.

As a rousing encore, the orchestra played the first movement of Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite; a perfect choice to end the delightful evening.

Thomas Todd

Cultural Contributor

The New York Theatre Wire

New York, June 15, 2025

New York Scandia Symphony

Thousands of miles from the “Northern Lights” that illuminate Scandinavian skies near the Arctic Circle at night this natural spectacle was celebrated on a Manhattan stage with music by composers from the Nordic nations.

On April 18 at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Alice Tully Hall, “Finlandia,” a seminal work of the Scandinavian repertoire by Finnish composer Jan Sibelius opened the program “Under Northern Lights”, as it was titled.

The Scandia Symphony of 52 top New York musicians was the featured orchestra. Scandia played under the baton of its founder Dorrit Matson, a Copenhagen native and one of a growing roster of female international conductors. She brought to life the Sibelius masterpiece and works by two Danish masters-Carl Nielsen and Emil Hartmann. Scandia performed on a luminous spring night like those that are the setting for viewing the “aureola borealis”- the scientific name of the phenomenon created when particles from the sun penetrate Earth’s atmosphere, producing an electromagnetic explosion of inspectacular color blends in purple, green, yellow, red, and occasionally, blue.

Stephanie Chase was the soloist for Emil Hartmann’s violin concerto Opus 19. Her instrument emanated warmth and intimacy, delivered with a crystal clear, powerful tone.

In the Hartmann work her lyrical expressiveness blossomed into powerhouse virtuosity that shot up above the orchestra like the Northern Lights’ multicolored beams, then melted into tenderness resting on

an undulating sound carpet in the string section that danced into a playful waltz rhythm.

Matson also led Nielsen’s Symphony No. 5. Its ear-piercing melodies and rhythms were as dramatic as the colors that play out in the night skies. Here especially, Scandia Symphony’s silken sounding, soulful strings and woodwinds were well rooted in the orchestra’s richly muscular brass.

The “Finlandia” symphonic poem was a fitting reminder of that country’s proximity to Russia, coinciding with some foreign policy pundits’ whispers that Russian leader Vladimir Putin may have his eye on Finland as a nuclear arms rival and possible conquest akin to that of Ukraine. Any such fear was allayed in the climax of Finlandia” – a brassy anthem that sounded like a victorious declaration from the mouths of the trumpets and trombones – a musical ode to a free Scandinavian spirit

ERSO Offers Aspiring Musicians a Platform for Success

In a 1964 issue of Musical Times, William Cole recognized Ernest Read’s impact on musical education by stating it was difficult to estimate his influence on education of professional and amateur musicians. Read’s impact on music education and youth orchestras became evident through the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra (ERSO). A pioneer in developing music education, Read’s legacy and ERSO are still impacting today’s aspiring musicians.

Read launched ERSO, a program for children, in 1931 but did not hold his first children’s concerts until years later. Beginning in 1945, the Ernest Read Concerts for Children sold out yearly for over 50 years. When organizing these events, Read concentrated on the length, content, and style to engage audiences.

Based in Camden, England, an area in London, ERSO now hosts five concerts a year, including two focusing on children. These concerts allow students to participate in an orchestral performance outside of school, improve their skills as musicians, and prepare them for their musical exams. ERSO also offers young musicians a platform for launching their careers through the Talent Program, which offers opportunities for students to showcase their performance skills and obtain additional concert exposure.

For example, the “Soloist of the Year” competition is one part of the Talent Program. Winners of ERSO’s Soloist of the Year competition receive £150 and the chance to perform a concerto of their choice with ERSO in front of an audience.

This event is a pinnacle part of the year and illustrates ERSO’s ability to help students improve their musical skills. In 2023, June Lee, a violinist from South Korea, won the competition to perform with ERSO at the Waterloo Festival. She is attending the Royal College of Music and studying for her Artist Diploma. Lee has already completed her Master of Performance degree from the same school.

Whether training students for a career in concert music or helping young musicians establish themselves, ERSO has opened doors for many. Evelyn Rothwell, an oboist and ERSO alumnus, became one of the UK’s most famous oboists after winning in 1931. In December 1959, Guy Johnston, who performed with ERSO in 1959 and went on to become the BBC Young Musician of the Year, reached fame as a solo cellist and became a professor at the Royal Academy of Music. Other players who have benefited from playing with ERSO include Dennis Brain (horn player), Jack Brymer (clarinetist), and James Galway (flutist).

ERSO’s success happens, in part, because it works with experienced conductors. Its principal conductor, Christopher Stark, the co-founder and principal conductor of the Multi-Story Orchestra (a Royal Philharmonic Society Award winner), has performed with the English Touring Opera and Glyndebourne, an opera house. John Crawford, a professor at Trinity Laban and former member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, is another highly experienced conductor working with students at ERSO. For more information on the Talent Program or the school, visit erso.london/about.