Amit Peled and his story to performing Mozart in Jeans

Amit Peled believes in performing classical music in a casual way with the Mount Vernon Virtuosi, a Baltimore-based group he founded.

That’s why he created the annual concert series, Mozart in Jeans, which features an all-Mozart program in a casual setting.

Peled said he believes in a “dress down philosophy” in classical music.

“I really believe that we have to break the barriers between us performers, the music we play, and the audience,” Peled said.

Mount Vernon Virtuosi will bring its next D.C. performance to St. Ann Catholic Church in Tenleytown on Dec. 14, starting at 3:00 pm. The concert is free.

Peled said that he feels wearing a tuxedo creates more barriers and makes the audiences feel like they are in a museum. Peled said his group and other performers wear their “special shirts” that display the three pillars of which they perform upon: Concerts, Education, and Community.

Katherine Needleman, an oboe player and a member of the Baltimore Symphany Orchestra, will be joining Mozart in Jeans. This is Needleman’s first time working with Peled and Mount Vernon Virtuosi.

“I am also so happy that Amit has entertained my somewhat wild cadenza idea, which involves the orchestra, and can’t wait to explore that with everyone and see how it turns out,” Needleman said.

Peled said this program started years ago, wanting to make the musicians feel a little bit out of their comfort zones. Peled said the performers feel weird wearing jeans when performing Mozart on stage.

“It created this fun atmosphere with the audience,” Peled said. “I always tell the audience the concept before.”

Peled said this event brings more young people because it is such a casual event.

“You play the highest level, and you treat it the most serious way, the music, but you don’t have to create a barrier between you and the audience by wearing something that people wore 200 years ago,” Peled said.

Peled said he originally started his music career in Israel with a crush on a girl who was four years older than him.

Peled said his class only about six or seven students on average, so the relationships with the teachers were very personal. Peled said he chose the cello because that is what his crush played, but he had immediately fell in love with the cello.

Peled said he went to an art-type school in Tel Aviv, but his music career was slightly derailed. Peled was drafted to the army at 18 in Israel but was accepted into the only string quartet that represents the Israeli defense force.

“There are only four people who are lucky enough to win this position, and then for three years instead of fighting, you play music for soldiers and for the prime minister,” Peled said.

Peled said he could not really practice during his three years of service, but he was able to continue to play music. Once Peled completed his service, he received a full scholarship to Yale University. After Yale, he went to the New England Conservatory and finished his graduate studies in Berlin, Germany.

At 27, Peled had his Carnegie Hall debut recital. At this time, Peled had his first opportunity to teach a masterclass at Baltimore’s Peabody Institute. At 28, Peled then offered an official teaching position at Peabody.

“I got this opportunity to be myself, to be an artist, to be a teacher, and to get to know this area of the world, of America and to make it my own and to try to make a change in it,” Peled said.

In 2018, while teaching, Peled had noticed something that bothered him: extraordinary talents are brought here and the day they finish Peabody, they leave. Peled said he felt bad and wanted them to stay here.

“I wanted this area to be a cultivating ground for great artists to create a better environment,” Peled said.

Peled felt that students that leave universities are not ready for the professional world because they are trained in a classroom and are not truly trained to be performing artists. So, Peled said he created what he calls the “Cello Gang.”

In a professional setup, Peled does a program called Around the World in six cells. With current students and former students alike, they join together and get paid for it. Peled said the group started touring the world and making CDs.

“It promotes the ability to be on stage and not just to study with me in the classroom,” Peled said.

After seeing the success, Peled decided to transform the “Cello Gang” into a chamber orchestra. Peled wanted to expand his mission of keeping more musicians in the area and producing more concerts and professional opportunities for them. Peled also had another thought: keeping the concerts free.

“I don’t want these people to pay in order to hear this extraordinary young, talent,” Peled said.

Peled thought about equal opportunities for musicians but also equal opportunity for community members, especially underprivileged ones, to hear classical music. This was the start of the Mount Vernon Virtuosi.

“Everybody thought, and still thinks, I’m crazy, but I thought that if wealthy people in our area or in our world would actually know the mission,” Peled said, “you want this in your community for free.”

Peled said that now in its seventh year, they are able to maintain the group through donations. With 52 concerts a year throughout the D.C. area, the group plays nearly once a week. Peled said the goal is to spread the group and mission throughout the United States.

Needleman said the Mount Vernon Virtuosi’s involvement in the community combined with the opportunities for young musicians had caught her attention.

“I’m thrilled to share the stage with a curious artist who speaks out about the value of music and against the injustice,” Needleman said.

Peled said he is an actor when performing and that the script he plays is written in the language of music. Peled said music is the only language that forces you to listen while speaking.

“You cannot speak language of music without learning to listen to what happens while you’re speaking,” Peled said.

Peled said he is trying to be as approachable as possible. Peled wants people to have the opportunities that he was able to have because of his parents and upbringing.

“We are not the Beatles, and we don’t have thousands of followers and bodyguards,” Peled said, “I want to be there for the people.”

More events can be found at the Mount Vernon Virtuosi website.