The Orchestra Now

The Orchestra Now (or TON) fills a dual role: it is part of a master's degree program at Bard College in upstate New York, but it also has performed around the greater New York area and beyond. The Orchestra Now proclaims itself "a group of vibrant young musicians from across the globe who are making orchestral music relevant to 21st century audiences." The group was founded in 2015 by its conductor, Leon Botstein. TON is based at Bard's Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. In 2018, TON made its debut on recordings as part of the successful Romantic Piano Concerto series, backing pianist Piers Lane in piano-and-orchestra music by Ferdinand Ries. Beginning in 2020, TON released albums of unusual 19th and 20th century repertory with Botstein as conductor. These included Buried Alive, Piano Protagonists, and Classics of American Romanticism.