Forty years ago, a young musician from Philadelphia named Linda Reichert, fresh out of Temple University with a doctorate in piano performance and nowhere in particular to go, decided to start a new music ensemble, a daring endeavor at the time, to put it mildly. And so, with the help of a band of similarly visionary artists, including composer Joseph Waters, Network for New Music was launched. Four decades hence, the group is as vibrant and vital as ever, now under the artistic leadership of composer and guitarist Thomas Schuttenhelm.
In the early days NNM, as it is commonly known, struggled for a foothold. Contemporary classical music was in a transitional period, and it was hard for audiences, especially those new to that sphere, to know what to expect. New…
