{"id":123446,"date":"2026-02-05T02:40:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T02:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/123446\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T02:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T02:40:09","slug":"defying-tradition-is-fundamental-to-peter-and-the-wolf-and-to-the-uws-symphony-performing-it-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/123446\/","title":{"rendered":"Defying Tradition is Fundamental to ‘Peter and the Wolf’ — and to the UWS Symphony Performing It This Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A Riverside Symphony performance. Photo courtesy of Riverside Symphony<\/p>\n

By Saul Dennis<\/p>\n

\u201cMiraculous, magical. A work of blinding genius.\u201d That\u2019s Anthony Korf, the Riverside Symphony\u2019s co-founder and composer-in-residence, talking about the symphony\u2019s upcoming production, Saturday February 7, of \u201cPeter and the Wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first glance, this popular, decidedly mainstream piece may appear to run counter to Riverside\u2019s reputation for exposing audiences to lesser-known and new works in the classical canon.<\/p>\n

Yet \u201cPeter and the Wolf\u201d is emblematic of another, deeply held tenet of Riverside\u2019s mission: Educating young people to the joys of classical music.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat the orchestra can capture a character, make an oboe sound like a duck, a flute like a bird, horns, the wolf \u2013 for the young listener it\u2019s so immediate, wow,\u201d enthused George Rothman, the symphony\u2019s fellow co-founder and conductor.<\/p>\n

The Rag caught up with the symphony\u2019s leaders in Rothman\u2019s sunny Upper West Side apartment. In addition to music education, the Riverside Symphony is known for artistic excellence, innovative programming, and a dedication to something the founders call Musical Discovery. So, along with hearing more about the upcoming production, we wanted to get a richer sense of the role Riverside has played in the lives of Upper West Side classical musical lovers for nearly 45 years.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Anthony Korf (left) and George Rothman in the early years of their musical collaboration, and during a recent interview with WSR. Photo on the left courtesy of Riverside Symphony. Photo on the right by Saul Dennis.<\/p>\n

Co-founders George Rothman and Anthony Korf met as students at the Manhattan School of Music in the late 1970\u2019s. As Korf put it, \u201cWe had uncannily similar taste,\u201d meaning, he said, that each found \u201csomeone who hears music the way you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a love for classical but also loved jazz and sort of off-beat, popular music,\u201d remembered Rothman.<\/p>\n

Of those early years, Korf said: \u201cAfter graduation, George and I were pursuing careers in classical music. George was a conductor looking for an instrument, we call the orchestra an instrument.\u201d And Korf, a self-described \u201cup-and-coming composer,\u201d had his own contemporary music ensemble.<\/p>\n

Coming together to found the symphony involved a combination of chutzpah and happenstance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could do that sort of thing in those days,\u201d said Korf, referring to the economic challenges of starting out in New York in the early 1980\u2019s versus today. \u201cWe didn\u2019t think [about] ten years from now, we just took it one year at a time. That was the magic of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, even magic needs its moment. Through connections, they heard Riverside Church \u2014\u00a0another longtime UWS neighbor \u2014 was looking for what can best be described as a house band. Korf and Rothman agreed to supply it, in return for a place to rehearse and perform with their budding symphony. (Though they played Alice Tully Hall for many years, the symphony now calls W83 Ministry Center, on West 83rd Street, home.)<\/p>\n

From the start, the pair was determined to do things differently. As Korf put it, \u201cWith American orchestras, 90% of the repertoire is the same 40 pieces. We refer to it as the Top 40. We\u2019ll do a Top 40 piece, but you\u2019re also going to hear pieces you\u2019re not going to hear elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an example, the symphony\u2019s co-founders recalled a Riverside concert from last year: Two rarely heard \u2014\u00a0perhaps never heard, at least in New York \u2014 symphonies by Haydn. Humorously, the two debated how many symphonies Joseph Haydn had composed. 104 or\u2026?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a subset of classical music fans who don\u2019t just want to hear the same programs,\u201d said Korf.<\/p>\n

Giving opportunities to young composers, emerging talent and soloists is another pillar of the founders\u2019 vision. \u201cIt\u2019s like the Olympics,\u201d said conductor Rothman, \u201cPeople want to see a young person. It\u2019s exciting \u2014\u00a0are they going to make [it]?\u201d<\/p>\n

Four decades later, the pair say their formula has been copied by more than a few orchestras around the world. With wry smiles, they assure the Rag they\u2019re only mildly chagrined. Far more meaningful is the fact that Riverside\u2019s way of doing things has resonated closer to home.<\/p>\n

How close? Well, right in the orchestra, for starters.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Alan Kay, the Riverside Symphony\u2019s principal clarinetist and, at 43 years, the longest serving member of the orchestra. \u201cFeaturing new works or works off the beaten path allows me to get the full picture of what a composer is all about. It\u2019s much more interesting,\u201d said Kay. Playing with young, aspiring soloists is also, \u201cvery exciting, satisfying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kay also hints at why the UWS is, in Korf\u2019s words, \u201cvery hospitable\u201d to Riverside\u2019s vision. \u201cThe Upper West Side audience is intrepid, not afraid, more curious,\u201d said Kay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey trust us to pick pieces that are more interesting. We\u2019re like curators,\u201d Rothman said of the UWS audiences. \u201cIf we\u2019re enthusiastic, others will be, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outreach and education have also long been central to Riverside\u2019s mission. The symphony regularly provides free and discounted admission to a variety of community, philanthropic, and social organizations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Students at one of Riverside Symphony\u2019s Music Memory contests. Some could identify a piece of music after hearing a single note. Photo courtesy of Riverside Symphony<\/p>\n

For nearly 25 years, Riverside\u2019s Music Memory program brought music education and appreciation to 4th to 6th graders throughout public schools in the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe trained teachers how to teach students to listen,\u201d says Rothman. Students would listen to classical recordings, guided and engaged by illustrated music maps, depicting instruments and sounds. Every year, schools took part in the Citywide Finals, a Name That Tune-type competition where Riverside Symphony played pieces that the students competed to identify correctly.<\/p>\n

Like many arts initiatives, Music Memory fell victim to the pandemic. Still, the spirit of the program lives on. \u201cPeter and the Wolf\u201d is the first in Riverside\u2019s new Family Concert Series. \u201cThis came out of the Music Memory project,\u201d said Korf. \u201cWe\u2019re pivoting to have more control.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Saturday afternoon performance features Rothman at the baton and local TV journalist and WABC anchor Bill Ritter as the narrator. Alexandra Joan will solo at the piano. (Ms. Joan is a sought-after soloist in the Europe and the US. If you don\u2019t know her, well, that\u2019s kind of the point.)<\/p>\n

The upcoming show is geared for ages 8 and above. According to Korf, \u201cWe want interest to spill over in the household. To remind adults \u2018I want this to be a part of my life\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, as an old Riverside Symphony tagline says, What you don\u2019t know just might thrill you.<\/p>\n

Find details on Riverside Symphony\u2019s February 7 concert of Peter and the Wolf \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to West Side Rag\u2019s FREE email newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>. And you can Support the Rag\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Riverside Symphony performance. Photo courtesy of Riverside Symphony By Saul Dennis \u201cMiraculous, magical. A work of blinding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,53899,129,131,130],"class_list":{"0":"post-123446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-the-bronx","8":"tag-bronx","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-nyc","12":"tag-riverside-symphony","13":"tag-the-bronx","14":"tag-the-bronx-headlines","15":"tag-the-bronx-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}