A Far Cry

The Boston-based chamber orchestra A Far Cry has sought to redefine orchestral music for the contemporary scene. Consisting of 18 musicians who call themselves Criers, A Far Cry was founded in 2007 by a group of Boston musicians. The group’s membership has ranged in age from about 25 to 36 and has consisted mostly of American conservatory and music school graduates. A Far Cry has no permanent conductor and no hierarchy among the musicians; when a conductor is needed, the members take turns leading the group; they also rotate as section leaders in rehearsal. They rehearse in a storefront in the Boston neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. In residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston since 2009, they have also toured the U.S., playing in such venues as Columbia University’s Miller Theatre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York, Washington Performing Arts, and Toronto’s Royal Conservatory; they have performed with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, among other soloists, toured Europe in 2012, and performed in unconventional venues such as Boston’s Royale night club. Their programming is innovative and often combines established repertory with new music, such as the Piano Concerto No. 3 of Philip Glass, which the orchestra commissioned. A Far Cry released its debut album in 2009. They issued recordings devoted to Piazzolla (on Azica Records) and Mozart (with pianist Markus Schirmer, on Paladino Music) before founding their own label, Crier, in 2014. Their first release for that label, Dreams & Prayers, was nominated for a Grammy award in 2015 for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance; it featured music concerned with Christian, Jewish, and Islamic spirituality. A Far Cry and pianist Simone Dinnerstein issued Circles, combining the Glass Piano Concerto No. 3 with Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 7, BWV 1058, in 2018. ~ James Manheim