Kenneth Slowik, conductor

The newly-established Smithsonian Academy Orchestra brings together top young early music professionals for a week of exploration of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century repertoire, using period instruments and tuning. Under the direction of School of Music Strings Literature Lecturer Kenneth Slowik, performers delve into classical performance practice and attend lectures by esteemed musicologists, deepening their understanding of the repertoire's historical context.

As a part of its inaugural project, the Academy Orchestra performs works by Haydn and Beethoven. The 33-piece ensemble mirrors the size of the ensemble that premiered Beethoven's Fourth Symphony, providing audience members a similar experience to those who witnessed its first performance in 1807. In addition to its performance at UMD, the Academy Orchestra will be performing at Cornell University, the Pennsylvania State University and the Smithsonian Institution.