Appalachian Spring

"McKay and the musicians wove through the complex textures and often counter-intuitive wanderings of this score with admirable devotion and precision."

"...the Dallas Chamber Symphony and the Bruce Wood Dance Company...make an ideal cultural ambassador for the city to major urban centers in the United States and beyond."

"McKay and the musicians wove through the complex textures and often counter-intuitive wanderings of this score with admirable devotion and precision."

"Best Way to Watch A Silent Film 2014: ...they showed us that there’s nothing quite like watching a movie to the sound of a live orchestra."

"The mostly young ensemble of two dozen strings responded with performances as eager and expressive as they were accomplished."

"For this symphony the educational outreach is far-reaching."

"…the orchestra here demonstrated a continually improving precision and comfort in a room that can be unforgiving. The Warlock Suite provided ample opportunity for McKay to show off a wonderful ability to evoke the special atmosphere, at once modern and archaic, that the composer created here."

"Renaissance harmonies abounded, tinged with just the right spice of 20th Century dissonance and bi-tonality. It was brought out at just the right level by McKay."

"The pointed intentionality of last night's programming, which initially looked like a musical mishmash, was to breathe new life into the old. And the structure of it was brilliant: 'Here's something you'll know. Here's something you should know. And here's something fun, so you leave feeling elated.'"

"The Dallas Chamber Symphony is nothing if not ambitious."

"This combination of old and new elements helped transport the audience to a different time and place without over-doing musical clichés."

"The audience was drawn into the film from the start, bursting into laughter and interacting with the story audibly."

"On Tuesday night, the Dallas Chamber Symphony proved they know exactly how to create a well-executed, interactive and entertaining live music/film screening experience."

"They have some incredible talent in their midst."

"There were a lot of excited whispers and shoulder grabs as people stood up to leave. I rarely see crowds so invigorated after classical productions."

"If we want to keep classical music relevant, we need to fuse it naturally with our other passions. It should be an accompaniment to our lives, not just a fancy auditory meal gobbled up occasionally while wearing fine clothes. The Dallas Chamber Symphony is making that happen."

"Shows like this reinforce that I'm on board; I'll see anything this group and its artistic director Richard McKay tries…"

"Dallas Chamber Symphony has, along with the presentation of a fresh and widely varied repertoire of standard and non-standard works, carved a notable niche on the local scene…"

"The orchestra and conductor McKay deserve hearty accolades for this ongoing silent cinema project, with hope that it will continue to enrich the local scene in upcoming seasons."

"McKay had a great sense for the tempo and character of the piece, which was clearly chosen to show off Takagi's technical and artistic skill."

"As they had been all night, phrases were beautifully shaped. Throughout the performance there was palpable emotion in the playing and ultimately that intangible -- artistic sensibility -- is what made this concert a success."

"The conductor’s long-term vision is precisely the kind of eclectic and occasionally challenging classical group Dallas really needs."

"Everything from the first note was locked in rhythmic precision, and difficult passages were clear, focused, and musical..."

"The ensemble is extremely adroit in their presentation as well as programming."