In Tuesday’s (11/26) Gazette (Montreal, Canada), Lev Bratishenko writes about Pronto … Musica, a new “adjustable-size” ensemble created by McGill University graduate Eli Weinberger. “They are a group of recent music grads he gathered after pianist Amy Zanrosso told him careers thrive or flounder in the first five years after school. Weinberger also plays cello in the group…. Several musicians whom they’d invited to join ended up with jobs at orchestras, but this is exactly what they want to encourage…. There are McGill students regularly substituting at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and other top ensembles.… There is no fixed size or roster of musicians, so their première [on November 9] featured two symphonies and a sextet…. Their next two concerts, in February and March, … will feature a five-piece wind ensemble and La Fête sacrée for four flutes, and Schubert’s Fifth Symphony. It’s rare for a group to shrink and grow like this, and remain an ensemble. One hopeful sign for the project is the recent change in provincial law allowing cultural non-profits to offer extra tax deductions to donors…. Weinberger summed up their goal as ‘diversity in our musicians, diversity in our repertoire, and also diversity in venue.’ ”
Posted November 27, 2013
