About
Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston is an innovative, musician-run orchestra that brings a creative mix of classical and new music to the concert stage while truly reaching out to the community. Pro Arte is one of New England’s only professional cooperative chamber orchestras. Its players are among the area’s finest free-lance musicians, and they perform regularly with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Boston Ballet, Handel and Haydn Society, and the Boston Lyric Opera.
Mission
Pro Arte is a professional, musician-led cooperative chamber orchestra that shares its passion for music through exceptional performances that enrich, engage, and educate. The ensemble performs familiar and adventurous music in concert halls and welcoming community settings.
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In June of 1994 the Orchestra received an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) award for adventurous programming of contemporary music. Moreover, Pro Arte seeks to make classical music accessible to the entire community.
History
Founded in 1978 by Harvard chaplain and visionary Larry Hill, Pro Arte is one of only four cooperative orchestras in the country. Unlike traditional orchestras, Pro Arte’s players, as well as the conductor, decide what music the Orchestra will perform and who the guest artists will be.
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“A special spirit comes across because we really care about what we’re doing. We’re not hired by someone else but have chosen to play because we love to perform with Pro Arte,” says Orchestra president and founding member Barbara Englesberg. “Many of us have been together a long time,” adds violinist Mary Alyce Groman; “there’s a lot of respect and camaraderie.”