Enlighten Me: A Conversation with Violinist Simone Porter
Violinist Simone Porter invites you to ENLIGHTEN ME, a side-by-side performance with students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
On January 23-24, New Century Chamber Orchestra invites audiences on a radiant musical journey with ENLIGHTEN ME, a concert that explores illumination in its many forms. Guest violinist Simone Porter joins the orchestra for a program that spans nearly a millennium of music, brought to life through collaboration, curiosity, and shared discovery. We sat down with Simone to talk about the ideas behind the program and what audiences can expect.
New Century: The title ENLIGHTEN ME is evocative and intriguing. How do you think about this program as a whole?
Simone Porter:
It’s sort of a musical tour of illumination. All of the works on the program are linked because they all depict different types of light. From natural sunlight, to enlightened understanding, to the radiance of artistic and musical inspiration that can stretch through the centuries, to the glow of pure, infectious joy.
New Century: The repertoire spans an incredible range of time periods. Can you talk about that arc?
Simone Porter:
The works on this program span almost the last one thousand years. We go all the way back to a chant from Hildegard von Bingen, who was a medieval mystic and composer writing in the 12th century. From there, we journey forward to feature beloved classics from Bach and Mozart, and we also include 21st-century composers Andrew Norman and Juhi Bansal.
New Century: How do these very different pieces speak to one another?
Simone Porter:
I love every single piece of music on this program. They all shine and glitter in their own unique ways. There’s a lot of sonic diversity here, but the works really complement one another. I love the conversation that they enter, and the way they highlight different aspects of one another.
New Century: This concert is also a side-by-side performance with students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Why does that feel important for this program?
Simone Porter:
ENLIGHTEN ME lends itself really well thematically to this kind of collaboration. A program about illumination and light is also about the pleasures of noticing new things. Fresh perspectives and interactions on stage shed new light on the repertoire we perform, as well as on what it means to connect and make music together.
New Century: What can audiences expect to experience in the concert hall?
Simone Porter:
In these performances, the spotlight moves around the stage quite a bit. Each player is featured individually as well as part of the ensemble, always in different ways and formations.
New Century: Any final thoughts as the concerts approach?
Simone Porter:
I cannot wait for these concerts. Each piece of this repertoire is so special, they glitter and shine in their own way. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone and playing alongside everyone. We’d love to see you there!
Simone Porter
About Simone Porter
Born in 1996, Simone made her professional solo debut at age 10 with the Seattle Symphony and her international debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London at age 13. In March 2015, Simone was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Since then, Simone has performed extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally. Beginning this season, she is the artist in residence with the Oregon Symphony, and she released her debut album–ad tendo–in February 2025.
Concert Dates and Locations
Experience this special collaboration in this side-by-side performance with students from San Francisco Conservatory of Music with guest leader, violinist Simone Porter.
Friday, January 23, 2026 at 7:30PM – Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University
Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 7:30PM – Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
