About ICOA
Founded in 2013, the International Chamber Orchestra of America is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization based in New York City. Our musicians number among New York’s most active and sought-after young professional performers, and our partnerships with other celebrated arts and educational organizations allow us to create truly world-class classical music experiences for people of all ages. Our performing and educational activities bridge many strata of New York society; the community we’ve fostered around the orchestra includes over 8,000 concert attendees as well as more than 150 aspiring musicians, to whom we’ve awarded a total of $100,000 in scholarships for musical study through our Artists for Tomorrow program. This community-minded approach drives all of the ICOA’s artistic projects, and we welcome newcomers to our programs so that we can deepen our contribution to New York’s vibrant cultural landscape.
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, 2016
Our cultural purpose
As Classical Music is increasingly perceived and relegated to “study” or “recreational” purposes, the ICOA is dedicated in its innovation and renewal, and to dispel such misconceptions. We actively seek out new audiences, new artists, and new modes of expression. By embracing the future, we are also honoring the musical legacy of our forefathers. It is this belief that forms the cornerstone in our Love and Sorrow concert, which conjoins the past with the future – amalgamating live classical performance with cutting-edge technologies.
In today’s landscape of interactivity, the ICOA and the wider Classical Music world is called to provide audiences with a more immersive and visceral concert experience. We are dedicated in our persistence to be bold and current as the brilliant musicians who came before us in order to inspire and garner new listeners. By interweaving music, art and technology together, we mean to bring ever increasing numbers of peoples in sharing in this and thus revitalize the rich, passionate, contemplative, and humanizing experience that is classical music.