Montgomery Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Montgomery Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra in Montgomery, Alabama
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The MSO began in 1976 as a project of the city's Parks and Recreation Department, with thirty volunteer musicians and a part-time director. A board of directors now governs the orchestra, which is funded by concert sponsors and the Montgomery Symphony League. In 1989 the orchestra began performing regularly in the renovated Davis Theater in downtown Montgomery. The orchestra's most ambitious effort to date was a 1994 performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, involving 85 instrumentalists and more than 200 singers.
The MSO has a full-time director, Thomas Hinds, as well as two artists in residence who serve as concertmaster
and principal cellist. The current concertmaster and violin fellow (through 2009) is Sun-Young Gemma Shin. Dan Totan is the principal cellist and cello fellow (through 2010).
As of 2007 the orchestra had seventy-five members and presented eight concerts during the 2006-07 season, as well as educational programs and touring performances in central Alabama.
The MSO also sponsors the Montgomery Youth Orchestra.
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
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The MSO began in 1976 as a project of the city's Parks and Recreation Department, with thirty volunteer musicians and a part-time director. A board of directors now governs the orchestra, which is funded by concert sponsors and the Montgomery Symphony League. In 1989 the orchestra began performing regularly in the renovated Davis Theater in downtown Montgomery. The orchestra's most ambitious effort to date was a 1994 performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, involving 85 instrumentalists and more than 200 singers.
The MSO has a full-time director, Thomas Hinds, as well as two artists in residence who serve as concertmaster
Concertmaster
The concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
and principal cellist. The current concertmaster and violin fellow (through 2009) is Sun-Young Gemma Shin. Dan Totan is the principal cellist and cello fellow (through 2010).
As of 2007 the orchestra had seventy-five members and presented eight concerts during the 2006-07 season, as well as educational programs and touring performances in central Alabama.
The MSO also sponsors the Montgomery Youth Orchestra.