The Dudley Orchestra is an ensemble composed of musicians from Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, joined by students and staff from other Harvard schools, other area graduate programs, and the greater Boston community. In recent years, we have had members from Harvard's Law, Design, Medical, Education, Public Health, Government, and Business Schools, as well as from Harvard College, MIT, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Berklee, Longy, Boston University, and Northeastern. Unlike many undergraduate ensembles at Harvard, Dudley rehearses only once per week (usually Sunday evenings from 6:30 to 9:00 or 9:30) -- perfect for the busy graduate student schedule.

In recent years, the Orchestra has grown in size to its current complement of about 80 musicians. It has cultivated a reputation for presenting the less well known works of major composers, and the works of composers just outside the mainstream of Western art music. Since 2005, the Orchestra's repertoire has included the Elgar-Payne Third Symphony -- a Boston premiere -- Shostakovich's Twelfth, Barber's First, Berlioz's Les nuits d'été (with acclaimed soprano Susanna Phillips), and Beethoven's Eighth, in addition to works by Finzi, Korngold, Antheil, and Still. The '07-'08 season will be an especially exciting one. Alan Stepansky (Harvard class of '82), former principal cellist of the Boston Pops and associate principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, will be joining the orchestra for a season-ending concert in the historic Sanders Theatre during Harvard's Arts First celebration.

The Dudley Orchestra is proud of its tradition of inclusiveness. Our members range from former professionals to amateurs trying to get back into playing after a few years off. If you're interested in joining the orchestra, look around this website, listen to the sound samples, and then click the "To join..." link for information on how to get involved. We'll be kicking off our season with an open reading session and pizza party on Sunday, September 16th at 6:30pm. All are welcome -- bring your friends!

If you'd like to attend our performances, check this website as concert dates approach for information on how to get tickets. (Tickets for the November and May performances will be available at the Harvard Box Office in October and March, respectively.)