The longtime PBS series Great Performances is turning its focus to the young artists behind the New World Symphony on Miami Beach.
The first episode of Chasing Crescendos releases Wednesday, on Great Performances' digital platforms.
The New World Symphony is based in the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center in South Beach. There, 87 fellows live and practice together as they navigate an intense schedule of rehearsals, lessons, master classes and weekly performances. Chasing Crescendos captures the passion of the young musicians making their way in the demanding world of classical music.
Bassoonist Elani Katz, a New World Symphony Fellow from 2021 to 2023, is the focus of the second episode of Chasing Crescendos. She is currently on the bassoon teaching faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music.
READ MORE: How Frank Gehry's New World Center changed the face of Miami Beach — and classical music
" Everyone encouraged me to be authentic and represent my actual process of what it is like to be a classical musician," Katz told WLRN.
Katz's story highlights the influence and commonalities of yoga on playing a wind instrument, and delves into the art of reed-making, revealing the discipline and skill required to shape both sound and self. She said that Chasing Crescendos highlights the countless small and often technical details that come together to make an orchestra sing.
" The community at New World Symphony is really strong, and vibrant, and all these small parts make something really special and art that hopefully makes audience members understand classical music on a deeper level," Katz said.
Each episode of the four-part series highlights a NWS fellow and gives viewers a rare, up-close look at the fellows’ day-to-day lives, ambitions, triumphs and challenges during this formative stage of their careers.
You can catch the first episode on the PBS website, app and the Great Performances Facebook and YouTube Channels. The episodes will come out weekly, with the last episode releasing on March 4.
