Dr. Michael Ippolito, Associate Professor of Music Composition, was recently featured on the debut album of c/o chamber orchestra, Divertissement! which was released on June 4, 2021.
The c/o chamber orchestra is a thirty-musician collective from a dozen European countries. c/o was founded in 2014 as an unconducted chamber ensemble that celebrates the responsibilities of collaboration and stewardship. As they deliver their performances much like a letter being delivered care of another, c/o delivers the works of composers through unique, organic performances.
Divertissement! features Divertissement pour orchestra de chambre by Jacques Ibert, Divertissement pour instruments a vent, Op. 36 by Emile Bernard, Divertimento for string orchestra, Sz. 113 by Bela Bartok, and Divertimento for chamber orchestra by Michael Ippolito.
Divertissement! was named BBC3 Record of the week for week of July 19th, and has been broadcasted throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. The album has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, especially in regards to Dr. Ippolito’s work. Praise for Divertimento includes:
Remy Franck – Pizzicato:
The Divertimento by the American composer Michael Ippolito…mixes motion and humor, irony and the grotesque in a highly entertaining manner, and is also notable for its fine orchestration.
Jari Kallo – Adventures in Music:
The album closes with Michael Ippolito’s spellbinding Divertimento…Concluding with an ingenious mixture of a sublime chorale and a turbulent whirl, Ippolito’s finale is a delight.