About Us

Phoenix is an award-winning orchestra presenting music in accessible and social atmospheres for all audiences. Known for its unique approach to audience interaction, the orchestra emphasizes creating real relationships with everybody that comes to see its shows. Since its inception in 2014, when it was called “eminently worth your attention” by The Boston Globe, Phoenix has been wowing classical music aficionados and rookies alike with its energetic playing, versatile programming, and an individualistic approach to larger orchestral repertoire.

In 2016 the group expanded its mission to include the promotion of composers from groups that traditionally experience trouble having their voices heard in the orchestral world, including women and composers of color, presenting music by Anna Clyne, Osvaldo Golijov, Jessie Montgomery, and Florence Price in the following year.

In conjunction with its mission of reaching new audiences of all backgrounds, Phoenix is proud to be ensemble in residence at Aeronaut Brewing Company in Somerville. The residency is the first between an orchestra and a brewery in the United States, and is a result of both Phoenix’s drive to engage a wider audience for classical music and Aeronaut’s investment in culture and events.

In 2017 Phoenix presented Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat at Aeronaut’s Pindrop Series with Frontline’s Will Lyman narrating. In Season 5 the orchestra presented two programs at Aeronaut: the first showcased the works of living Boston-area composer and the second featured soprano Margot Rood in Samuel Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915. This past February Phoenix returned to Aeronaut to perform a program entitled “nevertheless . . .”, which celebrated the voices of women in classical music.

2018 was a banner year for the group, featuring the world premiere of Maria Finkelmeier’s Daft & Gritty for Chamber Orchestra and Phoenix’s first appearance at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. In 2019 the orchestra gave the world premiere of Jeffrey Mumford’s of radiances blossoming in expanding air… with cello soloist Deborah Pae.

Throughout 2019-2020, Phoenix presented works by composers including Roberto Sierra, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Missy Mazzoli, Julia Wolfe, Judd Greenstein, Arnold Schoenberg, David Lang, and Valerie Colemen, and appeared at venues including the Gardner Museum, Bully Boy Distillers, Aeronaut Brewery, and the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum.

In Season 7 (2020-2021), Phoenix will embark on a digital journey through music history from about 1685 to the present day in its virtual episodic series, The Chronophone.