violin

Byron Hitchcock, an artist born and bred in Wyoming, is being praised all over America for his "uncanny ability to grasp a musical thought and then convey that to others." He received his BM from the Cleveland Institute of Music under David Updegraff's tutelage and will earn his MM in this May from New England Conservatory under Lucy Chapman. He was among eight semi-finalists this fall in the California International Young Artists Competition, and has previously won numerous concerto competitions in the Rocky Mountain area.

Hitchcock's genuine enthusiasm and energetic fervor have been reaching acclaim in a variety of chamber and orchestral performances around the United States. His genre of choice is chamber music, and here has worked with many distinguished persons such as Peter Salaff, Roger Tapping, Ronald Copes, and the Cavani and Miami Quartets. The last few summers have been spent at the Kneisel Hall, the Kent/Blossom Festival, and a festival he has developed in Wyoming with the Parnassus Quartet, a group that has toured the Rocky Mountain region for the past decade. This past fall, the Orwell Piano Quintet, of which he is a member, was selected for the Outreach Fellowship at NEC and will be presenting events throughout Boston this spring.

Orchestrally, Hitchcock has also been quite active, appearing as concertmaster with the Atlantic Symphony, New England Conservatory Chamber and Philharmonia Orchestras, and the New Artists Philharmonic in Colorado. Conductors have included Theodore Kuchar, Hugh Wolff, Allan Scott, and James Gaffigan.

Performances

Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | January 25, 2008

News and Press

[Concert Review] BMOP explores many faces of modern music

Friday’s wide-ranging Boston Modern Orchestra Project concert demonstrated how unhelpfully vague the umbrella term “modern music” can be. Some New England Conservatory link was the only correspondence among the disparate works, gathered under the title “Boston ConNECtion” (and performed under Jordan Hall’s architecturally ill-mannered “New England Conservatory” signboard, which continues to intrude on the season’s concert experience like a dinner-time telemarketer).

The Boston Globe Full review
[Concert Review] Country for old men

BMOP has become so popular, you have to look hard in the program to find its full name: Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Founder Gil Rose and his outstanding ensemble celebrated their 10th season at the New England Conservatory on Friday with their annual concert devoted to Boston composers. An enthusiastic and diverse audience (diverse especially in age) cheered, whistled, and hooted its approval for pieces, including two world premieres, by five composers also diverse in age. All the pieces were lively and (unlike Gerontius) fun.

Full review