Lineup: Catie Curtis and the New Philharmonia Orchestra

Venue: First Baptist Church, Newton

When: September 21, 7:00 pm

Tickets: $25-$250, available here

In the past few years, some of our favorite singer-songwriters, including Josh Ritter and Gregory Alan Isakov, have performed with full orchestras, reimagining their songs with expanded accompaniment and added depth. For all the love we have of music that is stripped down to one voice and one guitar, there is no denying the beauty and breathtaking quality of an orchestra working in harmony to realize the vision of a song together. 

Later this week, Catie Curtis will perform as part of the Silver Anniversary Gala of the New Philharmonia Orchestra in Newton. The nice thing about this event is it does marry genres of music, arranging Curtis’s music with the orchestra, but it also works composed by Aaron Copland and Charles-Camille Saint Saenes, so there is a variety of music to enjoy. 

Catie reflected on the difference between this experience of performing live and having strings recorded for a studio album: “In the late 90’s when I was signed to EMI/Guardian Records, we hired David Campbell to compose string arrangements for two songs on my self-titled record. David has composed arrangements for countless artists including Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Adele and Paul McCartney. The arrangements appear on the recordings of the two songs: Falling Silent in the Dark and The Truth Is. On the recordings, the strings are obscured by piano, electric mandolin, drums, bass, electric guitar and harmonies, so I’ve never heard them fully!” For this performance, Catie said she would really be hearing, “the arrangements for the first time, with a full string section. I anticipate that the strings will heighten the emotion of these songs, so I will brace myself to avoid being reduced to a puddle of tears during the concert!” Us too, Catie! 

Check out the tickets for the show and support a thriving musical community that embraces a variety of genres and its obligation to nurture and mentor young talent in the Greater Boston community. Indeed, one of the other soloists for the Gala is violinist Keila Wakao, who is just thirteen. Wow.