Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is an American
orchestra
based in Harrisburg
, Pennsylvania
, USA
.
The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra can be traced back to the early 1930s during the throes of the Great Depression. The orchestra gave its first concert at William Penn High School in Harrisburg on March 19, 1931. The conductor on that occasion was Maestro George King Raudenbush, who was to become the orchestra’s first music director. By the end of 1931 the orchestra had moved its concerts to the newly-opened Forum Auditorium, part of the Capitol Complex
, where it still performs to this day. The 1931-32 season included four concerts. The cost of a subscription: $2.00.
The Harrisburg Symphony is governed by a 27-member Board of Directors. The current Board Chairman is William M. Murray, M.D. The Symphony's volunteer organization, the Harrisburg Symphony Society, is currently led by Patricia Ferris, President. The Society provides support through various special event fund raising activities each year.
The orchestra membership consists of professional players from Central Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, New York, and other regions. Being able to select from such a wide variety of talent pools enables the HSO to perform at a particularly high artistic level. The HSO membership is represented by American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 269, and the group is a member of ROPA, the Regional Orchestra Players' Association.
The Masterworks Series will feature compositions by Antonín Dvořák, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Johanas Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ludwig von Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, and Camille Saint-Saens, among others.
Soloists during the season will include violinists Alexander Kerr, Augustin Hadelich, HSO principal cellist Fiona Thompson, and pianists Stuart Malina (HSO Music Director) and Daria Rabotkina.
The Capital BlueCross Pops season will open on the weekend of October 24–25, 2009 with a program entitled "Fantasy & Adventure."
The January 9 & 10 POPS weekend will feature several singers from New York, backed up by the HSO, singing some of the great favorites of Broadway in Broadway Rocks!
A young, dynamic trio of classically trained string musicians - Time for Three - will join the HSO for the March 13 & 14 POPS concerts. The audience will be entertained by a mix of classical, country-western, gypsy, and jazz pieces. The final POPS of the season, May 1 & 2, will feature Hilary Kole and Joel Malina - and, of course, the HSO - in a tribute to the Great American Songbook. Music from the likes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Harold Allen, among others, will be performed.
Tickets to all performances are available through www.harrisburgsymphony.org or by calling the HSO box office at 717.545.5527.
The Harrisburg Symphony is proud to continue "Get Hooked on the Classics," the specially priced new subscriber program launched during the 2007-08 season. The program offers a 50% discount off the regular subscription rate to anyone who has never subscribed to the Masterworks Full Season. There are seven seating areas to choose from, presenting options for every budget. – visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org for more details.
1950-1974: Edwin McArthur
1974-1978: David Epstein
1978-1994: Larry Newland
1995-1999: Richard Westerfield
2000–Present: Stuart Malina
in downtown Harrisburg, and at several area high schools.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
based in Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra can be traced back to the early 1930s during the throes of the Great Depression. The orchestra gave its first concert at William Penn High School in Harrisburg on March 19, 1931. The conductor on that occasion was Maestro George King Raudenbush, who was to become the orchestra’s first music director. By the end of 1931 the orchestra had moved its concerts to the newly-opened Forum Auditorium, part of the Capitol Complex
Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex
The Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is the administrative hub of the government of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At the center of the complex is the State Capitol with its gilt and marble halls, vast rotunda, murals and sculpture, sparkling...
, where it still performs to this day. The 1931-32 season included four concerts. The cost of a subscription: $2.00.
The Harrisburg Symphony is governed by a 27-member Board of Directors. The current Board Chairman is William M. Murray, M.D. The Symphony's volunteer organization, the Harrisburg Symphony Society, is currently led by Patricia Ferris, President. The Society provides support through various special event fund raising activities each year.
The orchestra membership consists of professional players from Central Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC, New York, and other regions. Being able to select from such a wide variety of talent pools enables the HSO to perform at a particularly high artistic level. The HSO membership is represented by American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 269, and the group is a member of ROPA, the Regional Orchestra Players' Association.
2009-2010 Concert Season
The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Stuart Malina, proudly announces its 2009-2010 performance schedule. The season titled Play On! features seven Masterworks concert weekends, four Capital Blue Cross Pops Series concert weekends, as well as several special events, including the annual "Stuart & Friends" concert and the Harrisburg Symphony Society's Fashion Show - Fashion Premiere Celebrating 80 years of Music, May 6, 2010.The Masterworks Series will feature compositions by Antonín Dvořák, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Johanas Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ludwig von Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, and Camille Saint-Saens, among others.
Soloists during the season will include violinists Alexander Kerr, Augustin Hadelich, HSO principal cellist Fiona Thompson, and pianists Stuart Malina (HSO Music Director) and Daria Rabotkina.
The Capital BlueCross Pops season will open on the weekend of October 24–25, 2009 with a program entitled "Fantasy & Adventure."
The January 9 & 10 POPS weekend will feature several singers from New York, backed up by the HSO, singing some of the great favorites of Broadway in Broadway Rocks!
A young, dynamic trio of classically trained string musicians - Time for Three - will join the HSO for the March 13 & 14 POPS concerts. The audience will be entertained by a mix of classical, country-western, gypsy, and jazz pieces. The final POPS of the season, May 1 & 2, will feature Hilary Kole and Joel Malina - and, of course, the HSO - in a tribute to the Great American Songbook. Music from the likes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Harold Allen, among others, will be performed.
Tickets to all performances are available through www.harrisburgsymphony.org or by calling the HSO box office at 717.545.5527.
The Harrisburg Symphony is proud to continue "Get Hooked on the Classics," the specially priced new subscriber program launched during the 2007-08 season. The program offers a 50% discount off the regular subscription rate to anyone who has never subscribed to the Masterworks Full Season. There are seven seating areas to choose from, presenting options for every budget. – visit www.harrisburgsymphony.org for more details.
Music Directors
1931-1950: George King Raudenbush1950-1974: Edwin McArthur
1974-1978: David Epstein
1978-1994: Larry Newland
1995-1999: Richard Westerfield
2000–Present: Stuart Malina
Youth Symphony Orchestra
The Harrisburg Youth Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1953 and one of the oldest youth symphonies in the country. The Youth Symphony operates under the umbrella of the Harrisburg Symphony. The current conductor of the Youth Symphony is Tara Simoncic (since 2010). The Youth Symphony performs the annual Holiday Spectacular in December, plus a number of other events in The Forum, at Strawberry SquareStrawberry Square
Strawberry Square is a mixed-use retail and commercial complex located in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is owned and managed by the Harristown Development Corporation , a non-profit organization.-History:...
in downtown Harrisburg, and at several area high schools.