The American Classical Orchestra opens its 2017-18 season on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center with a concert by Mendelssohn and Berwald, featuring the 12-year-old prodigy and winner of the Mensa Adrian competition Romoff in his early days at Lincoln Center, led by musical director and founder of the ACO, Thomas Crawford. The program includes Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G minor with Romoff on the pianoforte; Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian style”; and Berwald’s Symphony No. 3, “Singulière”.

“Mendelssohn is often considered one of the greatest child prodigies of all time,” Crawford said. “Having his piano concerto play on the pianoforte by another prodigy, Adrian Romoff, will provide the audience with a truly distinctive experience. Hearing how music could sound in Mendelssohn’s time, performed with the energy of an extremely talented young soloist is a rare opportunity. “

New this season are the premieres of concerts with the full orchestra, conducted by Maestro Crawford, starting half an hour before each concert. Members of the public are invited to listen to musical samples from the concert and hear information about the program. Concert previews are free for all ticket holders.

Additional concerts for the 2017-2018 ACO season include the first performance of Mozart’s Mass in C minor on November 7 with soprano Hélène Brunet and ACO choir in Alice Tully Hall, as well as a performance of the Magnificat by CPE Bach and the Christmas part of Handel’s Messiah. December 4 with the ACO choir and soloists at Saint-Ignace d’Antioche church. Returning to Alice Tully Hall, violinist Stephanie Chase will join the ACO in five Baroque concertos on February 8, followed by the return on March 24 of acclaimed contralto Avery Amereau in a program by Brahms, Schubert and Ries, joined by the ACO Men’s Chorus .

About Adrian Romoff

Adrian Romoff, 12, discovered his love of the piano at the age of four, first studying with his mother, Olga Romoff. By the age of seven, he had performed three times at Carnegie Hall and had performed at Radio City Music Hall and Beethoven House in Bonn, Germany. At age nine, Adrian was accepted into the prestigious Juilliard School of Music under the supervision of Veda Kaplinsky and Helen Huang, and at age 11, Adrian was selected for the New England Conservatory’s pre-university program to study under the supervision of Wha Kyung Byun, winner of the 2015 Tchaikovsky Competition.

Adrian has appeared on national television programs such as America’s Got Talent, The Ellen Shows and Queen Latifah, and appeared in the film Anchorman 2 with Will Ferrell. In May 2015, Adrian was invited to perform as a child star at the famous Apollo Theater, as well as a special appearance on the German television show Superkids. Adrian also performed with country song star Zac Brown and his band in front of 39,000 people at Fenway Park in Boston. In the summer of 2016, Adrian won the Mensa “Child Genius” competition on the Lifetime Network. In early 2017, Adrian won third prize at the 3rd Annual 92Y Concerto Competition and gave two concerts with the Laredo Philharmonic under the baton of Brandon Townsend.

In addition to his musical endeavors, Adrian has advanced academic achievements. After graduating from high school at the age of eleven with a GPA of 4.0 in May 2016, Adrian is currently a freshman at Simons Rock of Bard College, the youngest student in its history, where he studying science and math. Adrian is learning French and is fluent in English and Russian.

About Thomas Crawford

Artistic Director and Founder of the American Classical Orchestra, Thomas Crawford is a champion of historically accurate performance styles in Baroque, Classical and Early Romantic music. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with renowned soloists including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, André Watts, Dawn Upshaw, Richard Goode and Vladimir Feltsman; and has produced recordings with the great American pianists Malcolm Bilson and Keith Jarrett.

A passionate activist determined to bring the beauty of period music to a wider audience, Mr. Crawford has been recognized for the ACO’s musical vibrancy among schoolchildren in New York City. He holds a bachelor’s degree in organ composition and performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied choir and orchestral conducting under Samuel Adler. After graduation, he trained with Hugo Fiorato, conductor of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, and received a Master of Arts in composition from Columbia University.

About the American classical orchestra

Described as “simply splendid” by the New York Times, the American Classical Orchestra (ACO) is a leader in the field of historically accurate performances. A set of period instruments dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the repertoire of composers of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, ACO recreates the sonic world of the masters using invaluable historical instruments, as well as specific performance techniques at the time. Comprised of the world’s finest period instrumentalists, the ACO offers the public the opportunity to experience classical music in the specific way it was meant to be heard.

Highlights of ACO history include a concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with the museum’s exhibition Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825 – 1861, a first concert on the Lincoln Center Great Performers Series , a sold-out 25th anniversary performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Saint-Jean-le-Dieu Cathedral and a staging of Handel’s opera Alceste as part of the ACO’s Handelfest 2014.

The ACO has numerous recordings, including the complete Wind Concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart featuring the main ACO actors as soloists, Mozart’s Symphony No. 14, K.144, and the three Mozart’s Piano Concerti, K.107, and can be heard with renowned artists such as pianist Malcolm Bilson and horn virtuoso RJ Kelley. In 2010, the ACO released a recording of Baroque oboe concertos with oboist Marc Schachman on the Centaur label.

Founded by artistic director Thomas Crawford in 1984 as the Old Fairfield Academy Orchestra in Fairfield, Connecticut, the American Classical Orchestra moved to New York in 2005, becoming the first period instrument ensemble of the city.

ACO is dedicated to the appreciation and understanding of classical music through educational programs and the dissemination of historically informed performance practices to new generations. In order to provide audiences with a first-hand preview of the music, Music Director Thomas Crawford gives informative concert previews with live musical examples from the orchestra before each concert. Through its immersive school program, Classical Music for Kids, the orchestra has inspired hundreds of thousands of young students and musicians. For this work, the ACO received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Early Music America Award. For more information, visit www.aconyc.org.

Seasonal memberships are currently on sale through September 13 by visiting www.aconyc.org or calling 212-362-2727. Starting August 1, single tickets, priced at $ 35 to $ 95, can be purchased at www.lincolncenter.org, by calling Center Charge (212-721-6500), or by visiting the Alice Tully Hall box office. Student tickets of $ 15 are available at the Alice Tully Hall box office with a valid student ID. Please visit www.aconyc.org for more information.