Bloomington Symphony Orchestra (Minnesota)
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| Bloomington Symphony Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  Bloomington, Minnesota, USA |
| Genre(s) | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Symphony Orchestra |
| Years active | 1963-present |
| Associated acts | Normandale Choral Society, Angelica Cantanti |
| Website | http://www.bloomingtonsymphony.org/ |
| Members | |
| Joseph Schlefke, Music Director John Bulger, President Greg Granum, Executive Director Milana Reiche, Concertmaster |
|
The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was founded in 1963 by the City of Bloomington, Minnesota. The orchestra was created to provide Bloomington's citizens with classical orchestral music and to create an outlet where area instrumentalists could develop their musical abilities. [1]
The founders of the Orchestra were Gene Kelly, City of Bloomington’s Parks & Recreation Director, and renowned jazz musician Paul W. Doc Evans, who served as music director until 1977. Directors since then have included Steven Amundson of St. Olaf College; William LaRue Jones of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, and the University of Iowa; Akira Mori of the University of Minnesota, and current Music Director, Joseph Schlefke.
The orchestra is made up of amateur and freelance professional musicians who are selected by competitive audition. The Orchestra presents four to five classical programs each season, featuring instrumental soloists, which includes students, area college/university faculty and members of the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
The BSO performs an annual summer concert at the Lake Normandale Bandshell, as part of Bloomington’s "SummerFete" or its "Arts in the Park" series, featuring motion picture scores, show-tunes, and light classical music.
The Orchestra collaborates extensively with other Bloomington-area arts groups. Choral collaborations with Angelica Cantanti (Bloomington’s children’s choir), the Normandale Choral Society and others have produced major works including: Orff's Carmina Burana, Honneger’s King David Oratorio, Brahms' German Requiem, Holst's The Planets, Shostakovich’s Songs of the Forest, Durufle’s Requiem, and Mahler's Symphony #2 "Resurrection". Bloomington Kennedy High School’s women’s choir “Viva Voce” has joined the with the BSO to perform Debussy’s Nocturnes. Bloomington’s Continental Ballet Company collaborated with the BSO for a fully staged production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Chamber ensembles made up of players from the Orchestra are also active playing music for Bloomington events and organizations.
Outreach efforts are ongoing in other Minnesota suburbs and rural communities in an effort to expose residents to quality classical music.
The BSO is funded by corporate and private donors, fundraisers, dues from member-musicians, and an Arts Grant from the City of Bloomington. The BSO is a Minnesota non-profit corporation with the Section 501(C)(3) designation from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The orchestra is administered by a Board of Directors which includes both musician-members and community members. The BSO is currently led by President John Bulger, Music Director/Conductor Joseph Schlefke, Executive Director Greg Granum, Concertmaster Milana Reiche and Personnel Managers John Metcalfe and Julie Guerber.
