A Far Cry
Photo by Anja Schütz
LINKS & ASSETS
Biography | High Resolution Photos | Concert Schedule | Website
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MANAGEMENT & PR
Christina Jensen, christina@jensenartists.com
Gina Meola, gina@jensenartists.com
646.536.7864
“a superb, perfectly calibrated performance, full of subtle nuances and real power”
“This conductorless chamber orchestra is one of Boston’s most admired musical groups. Each concert is the idea of various members of the ensemble”
Called a “world-wide phenomenon” by Boston’s WBUR, A Far Cry has nurtured a distinct approach to music-making since its founding in 2007. The self-conducted orchestra is a democracy in which decisions are made collectively and leadership rotates among the players (“Criers”). This structure has led to consistently thoughtful, innovative programming — and impactful collaborations with celebrated performers and composers.
A Far Cry has risen to the top of Billboard’s Traditional Classical Chart, been named Boston’s Best Classical Ensemble by The Improper Bostonian, and celebrated two Grammy nominations for its Visions and Variations. The Boston Musical Intelligencer sums up the group: “This conductor-free ensemble has earned and sustained a reputation for top-drawer playing, engrossing programming, and outstanding guest artists.”
A Far Cry’s omnivorous approach has led to collaborations with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Simone Dinnerstein, Awadagin Pratt, Roomful of Teeth, the Silk Road Ensemble, Vijay Iyer, and David Krakauer. The Blue Hour—“a gorgeous and remarkably unified work” (The Washington Post) written by a collaborative of five leading female composers (Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Shara Nova, Caroline Shaw, and Sarah Kirkland Snider) was released in 2022 in partnership with New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records and was named one of NPR’s Top 10 Albums of 2022. In 2023, in a testament to the group’s strength as a collaborator, all three albums A Far Cry released were nominated for Grammy Award: The Blue Hour (New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records), Stillpoint (New Amsterdam Records), and A Gentleman of Istanbul (Crier Records).
A Far Cry’s in-house label, Crier Records, launched auspiciously in 2014 with the Grammy-nominated album Dreams and Prayers. Its second release, Law of Mosaics, appeared on many “Top 10 of 2014” lists, including those from The New Yorker’s Alex Ross and WQXR’s Q2 Music, which named A Far Cry among the "Imagination-Grabbing, Trailblazing Artists of 2014.” In 2018, Crier Records released Visions and Variations, featuring works by Britten and Prokofiev alongside Ethan Wood’s re-imagining of Mozart’s Ah vous-dirai-je Maman. The album received two Grammy nominations, including one for Best Chamber Music Performance.
The 19 Criers are proud to call Boston home, and maintain strong roots in the city. The group recently celebrated the conclusion of a 10-year residency at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Through educational partnerships with the New England Conservatory and Project STEP, A Far Cry aims to pass on the spirit of collaboratively-empowered music-making to the next generation.
“A Far Cry has but one collective ear. The cohesive ideas, extreme sensitivity of musical line, and balance astounded.”
NEWS
“the soft close of the third-movement Élégie was beautifully handled, one of many examples throughout the afternoon of the ensemble’s gift for unified shifts of dynamics”
PHOTOS
“well-articulated yet emotionally invested... and an amazingly spacious and biting performance”