New Philharmonia Orchestra of Massachusetts

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The New Philharmonia Orchestra of Massachusetts, founded in 1995, is a 75-member non-professional regional orchestra based in Newton, Massachusetts. The "New Phil" performs in Wellesley (at the Sorenson Auditorium of Babson College), at the First Baptist Church of Newton, and on occasion at Mission Church in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, as well as other locations in the region.

The current and founding music director of the orchestra is Ronald Knudsen, a long-time violinist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and occasional guest conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

The motto of the orchestra is Music for All. In that spirit, the orchestra conducts active outreach programs in the Boston public schools and has strong links to other local school systems and civic organizations. The orchestra's programs include a mix of familiar and unfamiliar classical repertoire (including collaborations with local choruses), as well as new music, including commissions. In 2005, the New Philharmonia participated in the Made in America' commission from noted American composer Joan Tower, and premiered a number of other pieces by local composers. The 2005-2006 concert series also included a performance of Mahler's second symphony. Eminent soloists over the past decade have included the flutist Eugenia Zuckerman, violinist James Oliver Buswell III, cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Randall Hodgkinson. The orchestra's inaugural season featured a guest conducting appearance by Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops.

The New Philharmonia Orchestra is a member of the American Symphony Orchestra League and the New England Orchestra Consortium.

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