Our Mission is to foster excitement, appreciation and popularity for classical music by presenting performances designed to achieve impact and intimacy and to provide opportunities for artists to develop their skills and careers.

Description:
Our Philosophy
We are an organization dedicated to bringing the thrill of great classical music performances to audiences in city and suburban neighborhoods — not just in the rarified precincts of large metropolitan concert halls, but in houses of worship, theaters and other intimate settings. Gateway presents high quality concerts of large music works, (opera, symphony, oratorio) and highlights thereof, with intensity and visceral impact. Expressed succinctly, Gateway is classical music that’s exciting.

Our aim is to make classical music works of art more accessible to the public at large. We believe there is great public hunger for the fruits of profound artistic genius, irrespective of labels like “classical.” An example from the world of visual art illustrates this point: In 1995, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. presented a retrospective exhibition of masterpieces by Johannes Vermeer. People from all walks of life began lining up to see the paintings at 5:00 a.m. — 5:00 in the morning! In Germany, audiences hail the Berlin Philharmonic with the ebullient enthusiasm that American audiences lavish on rock and roll stars. Gateway believes that we can make a difference in building that kind of popularity for classical music in America.

Our Programs
Great Works of Art Up Close and Personal
This program features large works of art (operas, symphonies and oratorios) presented in concert; or, in some cases, with minimal staging etc., in somewhat smaller than conventional venues. Musical masterworks presented in this way provide greater intimacy between artists and listeners, thus enabling the emotional impact of the music to be experienced with the intensity and passion intended by the composer.

Masterworks Illuminated
This program is designed to illuminate great musical masterpieces in concerts that will encompass performances of complete works, or excerpts thereof, that are highlighted by one or more innovative devices; such as, narration and biographical vignettes. The aim of this program is to open new vistas of music pleasure and appreciation to the general public, families and young adults.

Artistic Director

Ida Angland is the Artistic Director and Conductor for Gateway Classical Music Society. Capitalizing upon her extensive experience as assistant conductor and protégé to a world-recognized conductor,
Ida Angland’s commitment to providing opportunities for deserving artists and connecting the public to high art on a powerful level has, through her leadership, enabled Gateway to produce several highly successful performances under Gateway’s Great Works of Art Up Close and Personal program.

Future Plans
As growth allows, expanded programs will be introduced to fulfill the mission. Among these will be the development of an apprentice program for exceptionally talented young adults that will help bridge the gulf between formal education and a professional career.

History:
History

Gateway has been in existence since July of 2004 and, since that time, has produced several large music works under our Great Works of Art up Close and Personal program in Connecticut and New York City with full orchestra, chorus and soloists acquired through competitive audition. Beginning in October, 2004 with Verdi’s Aida, Gateway produced Carmen and Aida in 2005 and the Verdi Requiem as well as a concert of Highlights of orchestral overtures, opera arias and ensembles in 2006.

Audience Responses

After our inaugural performance of Aida, a young man exclaimed, “Wow! I had no idea opera could be like this. I was blown away.” A woman who insisted her reluctant husband attend Aida reported, “His whole personality changed. He couldn’t wait to clap and yell ‘bravo’ at every possible opportunity. I’ve never seen him so excited by a concert.” A young woman who took her grandparents to see the Verdi Requiem said, “They usually fall asleep at concerts but they were both sitting there with their eyes wide open the whole time and said afterwards that is was the best thing they’d ever heard.”

Quotations
Oct 10, 2004 inaugural performance of Verdi’s Aida in Old Greenwich, Connecticut “…This very professional group deserves much praise for its performance and for adding yet another dimension to the lives of those fortunate enough to have enjoyed their debut…” Letter to the editor…Greenwich Post, Oct. 14, 2004

May 22 and May 23, 2005 Bizet’s Carmen in Old Greenwich, CT “On May 21, we attended a rousing and magnificent performance of Bizet’s Carmen… Ida Angland conducted a thrilling and compelling performance… The superb Gateway Classical Music Society should not be a rose in the desert for none to see…” Letter to the editor…Greenwich Time, June 13, 2005

October 20, 2005 Gateway’s New York City debut with Verdi’s Aida “From the opening bars to the soaring passages of The Grand March…to the silence of the tomb finale, the superb Gateway Orchestra and Chorus sang as one breath. The audience heard nuances and colors in the score that were a revelation…This was an unforgettable experience and we all welcome this new and amazing company to New York City.” Review…The Italian Voice, Nov. 17, 2005

April 29 and May 2, 2006 Verdi Requiem in Old Greenwich and New York City “The soft opening notes took one into a spiritual realm that grew and reached heights and depths that only a sorcerer could delve… The orchestra literally wept in the Lacrymosa. Never have I heard it so powerfully done.” Review of Verdi Requiem in New York … The Italian Voice, May 11, 2006

June 28, 2006 Highlights in New York City
“Under the inspiring leadership of conductor Ida Angland, an unforgettable magic carpet of a musical journey awaited us… The cheers of the audience resounded throughout the church. There is a great need for this kind of evening in the lives of us all.” Review of Highlights…The Italian Voice, July 6, 2006

Contact person: Ida Angland, Artistic Director, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (203) 629-3398

Address:

1117 East Putnam Avenue #315 Riverside, CT 06878 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.gatewayclassical.org

Directions:

Directions provided by phone.

Miscellaneous Information

Does your agency have weekend volunteer opportunities?
	Yes
Does your agency have evening volunteer opportunities?
	Yes
Does your agecny accept court ordered communituy service volunteers?
	No
Does your agency accept and coordinate group projects for corporate volunteers?
	Yes
Does your agency accept and coordinate group projects for youth volunteers?
	Yes
Does your agency accept youth volunteers ages 8-13 with adult supervision?
	No
Does your agency accept youth volunteers ages 14-18?
	Yes