Yale Symphony Orchestra

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Founded in 1965 to provide opportunities for undergraduate orchestral music, the Yale Symphony Orchestra has grown to become one of Yale University's best-known musical groups. The orchestra performs in Yale's Woolsey Hall and tours internationally and domestically. The present Music Director is Toshiyuki Shimada.

1 History
2 The Yale Symphony Orchestra today
3 Conductors
4 Premieres
5 Notable alumni and soloists
- 5.1 Alumni
- 5.2 Soloists
6 Source
7 External links

[edit] History

The Yale Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1965 by a small group of Yale students who sensed the need for an ensemble devoted to the performance of orcherstral repertoire. It developed from Yale's Calhoun College Chamber Music Orchestra when three of its members, Paul Gacek '67, William Krinsky '67, and John Baron '67 decided to expand the orchestra to provide an opportunity for larger-scale orchestral performances.

In its first campus-wide incarnation, the Yale Symphony Orchestra was known as the Yale Symphonic Society. It was originally composed of both undergraduates and graduate students from the Yale School of Music, in contrast to its primarily undergraduate population today. By 1967, the campus had begun to refer to the Yale Symphonic Society as the Yale Symphony Orchestra instead, and the orchestra had instated Richmond Browne as its first permanent conductor.

The following years saw huge growth for the orchestra as former undergraduate and then-graduate student John Mauceri '67 replaced Browne as conductor in the fall of 1968. Mauceri's adventurous programming helped the orchestra expand its membership and its popularity on campus. In 1971, the orchestra traveled to France for its first international tour; domestic and international tours have continued to the present day.

[edit] The Yale Symphony Orchestra today

The membership of today's Yale Symphony Orchestra is composed primarily of undergraduates, who audition in early September and are "tapped," a scaled-down version of the selection of a capella groups, shortly thereafter. Yale Symphony Orchestra rehearsals take place twice a week for two and a half hours in Woolsey Hall. The orchestra performs five regular concerts per season, with programming varying from the traditional (Beethoven's Symphony no. 6) to the adventurous (Ligeti's Apparitions).

The Halloween Show has become a campus-wide tradition. The orchestra spends the months before Halloween shooting and editing a silent film, which they screen at 11:59 PM on October 31 in Woolsey Hall. The orchestra plays a soundtrack with selections ranging from repertoire staples to arrangements of pop songs.

On March 31 2007, the Yale Symphony Orchestra became the first undergraduate orchestra to perform as the featured orchestra in Video Games Live.

[edit] Conductors

The following people have served as conductors of the Yale Symphony Orchestra over its 41-year history:

Richmond Browne, 1967-1968

John Mauceri '67, 1968-1973

William Harwood, 1973-1977

Robert Kapilow, 1977-1983

Leif Bjaland, 1983-1986

Alisdair Neale, 1986-1989

David Stern, 1989-1990

James Ross, 1990-1994

James Sinclair, 1994-1995

Shinik Hahm, 1995-2004

George Rothman, 2004-2005

Toshiyuki Shimada, 2005-present

[edit] Premieres

Throughout its history, the Yale Symphony Orchestra has performed new music as well as staples of orchestral repertoire. Examples of some notable world and regional premieres are:

Leonard Bernstein's Mass, 1973, European premiere

Charles Ives' Three Places in New England, definitive restoration

Claude Debussy's Khamma, United States premiere

Benjamin Britten's The Building of the House, East Coast premiere

[edit] Notable alumni and soloists

Several notable women and men of the Yale Symphony Orchestra have enjoyed highly successful musical careers. The orchestra has also hosted internationally-known soloists in concert.