Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The Sacramento Philharmonic is the leading symphony orchestra in the Sacramento region, having been established in 1997 after the disbandment of the Sacramento Symphony that same year. Lead by Maestro Michael Morgan, the orchestra over the past 10 years has established a strong presence not only within the Sacramento region, but throughout the classical community. The orchestra performs at the Community Center Theatre and at the Mondavi Center at the University of California, Davis

1 History
- 1.1 Sacramento Symphony Orchestra
- 1.2 The Sacramento Philharmonic
2 References

[edit] History

[edit] Sacramento Symphony Orchestra

The Sacramento Symphony was established in 1948 and rapidly became a well-respected large regional orchestra. However, starting in 1986 and continuing through the mid-nineties when most orchestras were benefiting from the rapid expansion of the stock market, the Sacramento Symphony ran into significant operating deficits and repeatedly filed for bankruptcy. Despite several large bail-outs from business members, the general public and local government, in 1997 the Sacramento Symphony officially closed its doors.

[edit] The Sacramento Philharmonic

The financial failure of the Sacramento Symphony left strong support in Sacramento for a professional orchestra. Established the same year as the Symphony shut down, the new Sacramento Philharmonic featured a significantly smaller schedule and more prudent business plan. The goal of the newly established orchestra was to provide Sacramento with the highest quality music and to revive the city’s passion for classical music. The Philharmonic, with the support of Sacramento County, sought to avoid the unfortunate fate of the defunct Symphony and requested several market studies from national firms to help determine the potential for professional orchestral music in the Sacramento region. With a similar population to Orlando and Cleveland, both of which have impressive orchestras, the potential, as determined by the studies, seemed positive.

Despite promising potential, the Philharmonic stumbled out of the starting gate several times. The first two years were plagued by management and artistic leadership issues. Finally, with the arrival of Michael Morgan as Music Director in the 1999-2000 Season, the Sacramento Philharmonic began to realize its potential musically and as a successful non-profit organization. With 2006/2007 marking its 10th season, the philharmonic enjoys a strong reputation as one of the leading orchestras in the Sacramento metropolitan area and the central valley.