Columbus Symphony Orchestra

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Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Ohio Theater, Home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Ohio Theater, Home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Background information
Also known as CSO
Origin Flag of the United States Columbus, Ohio, United States
Genre(s) Classical
Occupation(s) Symphony orchestra
Years active 1951-present
Associated acts Columbus Symphony Chorus
Members
Music Director
Junichi Hirokami
Resident Staff Conductor
Albert-George Schram
Associate Conductor
Peter Stafford Wilson
Chorus Director
Ronald J. Jenkins

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra of the United States, based in Columbus, Ohio. Its Music Director is Junichi Hirokami.

The orchestra was founded in 1951 as the Columbus Little Symphony following the demise of the Columbus Philharmonic. Its first full season of concerts, in 1952, took place at Central High School (now COSI Columbus). From 1956-1970, the orchestra performed concerts at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Since 1970, the orchestra's home has been the Ohio Theatre, where it has its offices, rehearses and presents the majority of its concerts.

The Columbus Symphony currently consists of 52 full-time musicians and additional musicians employed as needed for individual performances.[1] The CSO presents a series of 12 pairs of classical concerts, a series of 6 pairs of pops concerts, and a Summer outdoor pops series presented on the lawn of the Chemical Abstracts Service. In addition, the CSO presents annual special events, concerts for children and students,and serves as the orchestra for Opera Columbus and BalletMet.

The first music director of the orchestra was the flutist and conductor Claude Monteux. The longest-serving music director was Evan Whallon, who led the orchestra for 26 seasons. Following Whallon were music directors Christian Badea and Alessandro Siciliani who presided over the CSO's growth into a prominent full-time ensemble. Gunther Herbig is the principal guest conductor of the orchestra, and was its music adviser after the tenure of Siciliani, during the recent search for a music director[2]. Following that search, Junichi Hirokami was named Music Director starting June 1, 2006. His initial contract is for 3 years.

The current executive director of the orchestra is Tony Beadle, who was named to the post in April 2006.[3] Recent financial problems for the orchestra have included deficits of $300,000 (USD) in the 2004-2005 season[4] and of $825,000 (USD) from the 2005-2006 season, as well as concerns about declining audience attendance.

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is in serious financial trouble. To balance the budget, a plan was established to reduce the number of paid positions in the CSO from 53 full time positions to 31 and eliminate half of the 2008-2009 concert season. As with all disputes there are at least two opposing points of view. CSO members of the American Federaton of Musicians Union Local 103 rejected these proposed cuts. Sponsors were unwilling to continue their contributions. Currently, the Orchestra is scheduled to shut down on June 1, 2008.c

Contents

[edit] Music Directors

[edit] Notable Events

  • 1951 - Columbus Little Symphony, conducted by violinist George Hardestry, debuts at the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Museum.
  • 1960 - Columbus Symphony Chorus is organized as an auditioned all-volunteer ensemble of more than 100 voices.
  • 1974 - A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts enables the Columbus Symphony to produce The Barber of Seville, making the CSO one of only a handful of U.S. orchestras producing opera.
  • 1978 - A grant from Battelle Foundation enables the Columbus Symphony to hire additional first full-time musicians, giving the institution a core of 13 professional players and helping it to achieve a higher quality of performance.
  • 1999 - The Columbus Symphony performs with Luciano Pavarotti for a sold-out crowd at the Schottenstein Center.
  • 2001 - As part of its year-long, 50th anniversary celebration, the Columbus Symphony and Chorus travel to New York City, where they perform in Carnegie Hall.
  • 2008 - The Columbus Symphony is in financial crisis. The summer Picnic with the Pops series for 2008 has been canceled. A new labor contract which would sharply reduce the number of paid musicians in the orchestra and eliminate about half of the 2008-2009 concert season was rejected by the musicians. The future of the Columbus Symphony is in doubt.

[edit] References

  1. ^ www.symphonymusicians.com
  2. ^ Barbara Zuck, "Symphony sets sail after choosing Hirokami for helm". The Columbus Dispatch, 31 December 2006.
  3. ^ Barbara Zuck, "Symphony fills management post". The Columbus Dispatch, 19 April 2006.
  4. ^ Barbara Zuck (contributor), "2006 Year-End Updates" - "Orchestra deficit : Needing a miracle". The Columbus Dispatch, 31 December 2006.

[edit] External links

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