Meet Warren Cohen of MusicaNova

Today we’d like to introduce you to Warren Cohen.

Warren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
MusicaNova was created in 2003. There were several people, who, for a variety of personal reasons, wanted to develop another professional Symphony Orchestra in the Phoenix Metropolitan area; things came together quickly. MusicaNova was incorporated on March 26th, I was appointed Music Director a few days later, and the first concert was held on May 18th. The first full season began in November of 2003, and the first concert, dedicated to music that had been suppressed by the Nazi regime., was a harbinger of the musical vision of the organization.

MusicaNova would be dedicated to playing great music that had been unfairly neglected or suppressed, and we would further have a commitment to new music, especially new music from composers who were outside of the power centers of the classical music establishment. This vision has not merely informed our orchestra concerts but our other initiatives-the community concerts that often focus on unusual instruments and folk music from different parts of the world, and the attention we give to emerging talent in our Young Artist Series.

The MusicaNova Orchestra has performed over one hundred regional or world premieres over the last fifteen years. Our outreach efforts and community building projects are focused on underserved communities, and we bring great and often unusual music to the schools we serve. From the modest beginnings of a small orchestral season we have added these other initiatives, true to our mission, but expanding us far beyond where we began.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. The founders were not rich people, and paying for a full professional Symphony Orchestra is an expensive proposition. In the early years, before we were established, it was hard to get grants-people want to see that you have a track record before they fund you, which can be a catch-22 in getting worthy projects off the ground.

We made things more difficult by our focus on less well-known music, which makes it difficult to get and develop an audience. There has been an enormous commitment required from a dedicated band of volunteers, some of whom have been with the organization since its inception, to find the resources to keep us above board.

MusicaNova has proven itself remarkably resilient and flexible in finding ways to keep its mission intact and continue to provide music to the Phoenix area that no other group has done or could do.

MusicaNova – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As we have said in previous answers, MusicaNova is an organization dedicated to presenting new, neglected, and suppressed music and to offering concerts of music that other organizations will not do, We also offer opportunities for performance to emerging artists.

We are known internationally for our repertoire and dedication to music that others do not do. The Pittsburgh based critic Alan Krueck said: “this writer can think of no other place in the world… that continues season after season to maintain a performing organization of such foresight, integrity, and professional caliber.” The British Critic Rob Barnett said ‘…

The MusicNova concert programmes should be an education to the administration and policy people in the world’s ‘great’ orchestras with their tired programme choices and dowdy predictability.” Such international acclaim is deeply satisfying, and the fact that we have been able to survive with our vision and integrity intact is something that I am deeply proud of.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It would impossible to give a single moment for our work at MusicaNova. There have been several; the inaugural concert, a near impossible feat that we accomplished in a short time; the commercial recordings of the Arnell Symphonies.

The concert collaboration with NPR host Martin Goldsmith in a program honoring the legacy of his musician parents; the endorsements of our live recordings of the Bruckner Symphonies by the Bruckner Society.

The first concert this season as a sponsored organization at the Musical Instruments Museum. All these were great moments, and there are many more.

Pricing:

• Concerts at the Musical Instruments Museum tickets are $33 and $38
• Young Artist Concerts at Arizona Piano Company are $15 and $10

Contact Info:

• Address: 4801 East Ray Road, Suite 23-115 Phoenix AZ 85044
• Website: www.musicanovaaz.com
• Phone: 480-750-9466
• Email: info@musicanovaaz.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicaNovaOrchestra
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/musicanovaaz/
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/musicanovaaz

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.