Orchestra Spotlight: Page 3

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, now in its 47th season, is one of the youngest of the top 20 American symphonies. Musicians and staff alike attribute its relative youth to the proximity of the Chicago Symphony, which frequently performed in Milwaukee in the early part of the century.

Most orchestra musicians probably haven’t given very much thought to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, but throughout recent years the ensemble has established itself as one of the most financially stable Canadian orchestras.

Did you hear? They’re building a $120 million symphonic concert hall in Nashville. You read that correctly; it’s not a typo – Nashville, Tennessee. Even more, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra Association owns and operates the 197,000-square-foot neo-classically inspired Symphony Center that maintains the goal of transforming Nashville’s musical landscape and becoming the cultural heart of the city’s downtown area.

Among the professional level orchestras throughout the United States, perhaps none is as unique as the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra (GPSO). The Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF) was initially conceived by Chicago Mayor A. J. Cermak during the Great Depression in 1931 when the city presented a series of free concerts to lift the spirits of Chicagoans. The following year, James C. Petrillo, the president of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, vigorously labored to turn these concerts into a permanent summer tradition. Petrillo’s motives were twofold: to make classical music available for all Chicagoans, and to provide secure employment for union musicians.

The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) gave its first concerts in December 1911, and since then has developed a long and distinguished history marked by artistic excellence, dedication to community, educational initiatives, international tours, acclaimed recordings, and innovative programming for which the Orchestra has garnered numerous awards.