A 16-member ensemble composed of strings, winds, piano and classical vocalists, Opus Nine Ensemble formed in late 2008, “to explore the infinite possibilities offered by chamber music’s diverse instrumentation, sizing, genres, and periods.” All of its members are under the age of thirty and fresh from the top music academies in America. I recently asked mezzo-soprano Alysia Lee, as well as some of her fellow ensemble members, to tell me more about this energetic and ethnically diverse group.

Alysia, can you tell us a bit more about Opus Nine’s mission and work?

We promote the works of well-known and lesser-known composers, choosing concert repertoire that’s relevant (we think) to both current and future classical music enthusiasts. We believe that musicians can play a pivotal role in community building and in music’s capacity as an agent for change.  Opus Nine also provides arts programming for public school students and their families, free community concerts, and interactive programs for adults.

On your website, it says that Opus Nine is “dedicated to approaching the most challenging and exciting concert repertoire with new ideas, dramatic modern contrasts, and passionate exuberance”. Can you give us examples of some of the new ideas and/or contrasts that you have put forth?

The 2009-2010 Concert Series is filled with great examples. In September, we’ll be producing “Road Trip USA,” a concert that explores various composers’ journeys through our country, specifically highlighting the travels of Dvorak, Schoenfield, Copland and more. The concert will include songs and readings about the joys and self-discoveries of travel and a vacation slide show. As performers, we often dig up many historical artifacts in an effort to find personal relevance to the music — we hope to guide audiences in their own personal journey.

All the members of Opus Nine are under age 30. Is this the age group that you are targeting as your audience as well? Do you think it is difficult to turn 20-somethings on to classical music?

Yes! We are targeting people that are under 30.  The way that we listen to and consume music is totally different than any previous generation.  We offer interactive concert experiences that use other art forms that we love — dance, visual arts, spoken word, drama, and more.  Our demographic typically views classical music as elitist and difficult.  However, all of the Opus Niners are young people passionate about classical music and we’ve found it relevant to our modern lives — that’s something we can share with our peers.

Who/what are your biggest influences? (Chime in, Opus Nine members!)

“Yo-Yo Ma is easily my biggest influence. Perhaps never in the history of classical music has a single performer been so involved in music as a force to bring people together. Not only does he integrate dance and world music into his concerts, he teaches, promotes new artists, builds gardens symbolizing Bach cello suites, and consistently demonstrates that music is truly a form of expression, not just a way to regurgitate something rehearsed. I try to emulate him as much as I possibly can.” — Jeremy, cello

“The people I’m around! My teachers: Charles Neidich, Ayako Oshima, Judith Mendenhall, David Krakauer. Also, my colleagues who I work with day to day.” — Crystal, clarinet

“I am inspired by other artist-led ensembles, like Alarm Will Sound and A Far Cry. I love that artists are taking control of their own artistic messages to audiences.” — Alysia, mezzo soprano

Tell us about the workshops that Opus Nine held this spring. Is this something you plan to continue doing in the future?

Because we all value the caring musicians who have inspired us, we offer low-cost music outreach workshops and residencies to community partners and public schools. This spring we debuted our workshop “Stretching Your Musical Imagination: Exploring a Composer’s Toolkit” for 400 elementary students in Philadelphia. Violist Jarvis Benson’s workshop with first graders allowed students to explore varying dynamic levels with their ears, bodies, instruments, and their voices.

What has been Opus Nine’s greatest success to date?

Our greatest success has been self-producing a successful debut concert tour in Philadelphia, Baltimore and NYC.  It took a massive collaborative effort to make it work.  Opus Nine is self-managed, so it was a tremendous effort to manage all of the behind-the-scenes affairs: designing programs, publicizing the performances, selling tickets, and booking venues.  By working together, we were able to get everything done!

What motivated you to become a member of Fractured Atlas? How do you use your membership?

We discovered Fractured Atlas in our research for potential fiscal sponsors. We were impressed by the services available to emerging arts organizations. As an artist-led ensemble, we have found the online courses very helpful in bolstering our skills. Of course, the special offers and discounts on everything from Amazon.com to car rentals to Broadway tickets have also been great!

Is there any advice that you would give to a musician at the start of their career?

“Be focused and know what you want…but at the same time be open minded. It helps to know what’s going on in your field. Get into the know: check out what’s happening via the internet and classical music magazines/publications. Make friends along the way: tell people what you are doing (and not just music people — we are in a profession where networking is essential!), and be a good colleague. What goes around comes around…” — Crystal, clarinet

What’s next on Opus Nine’s professional horizon?

We are busy curating our 2009-2010 NYC concert series, planning our next tour, and creating community partnerships. We all work together behind the scenes to choose repertoire, concert themes, venues and more. It is a very creative and exciting time for Opus Nine.

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To learn even more, read their blog, and see their concert schedule, visit Opus Nine’s website: www.opusnine.org. You can also find Opus Nine on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.