Michigan Philharmonic
| Michigan Philharmonic | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Location | Plymouth, Michigan |
| Principal conductor | Nan Washburn |
| Website | www.michiganphil.org |
The Michigan Philharmonic, (or “Michigan Phil”), is an innovative and dynamic professional symphony orchestras in Southeast Michigan. The Michigan Phil brings its events into an ever-expanding roster of Michigan communities, including Plymouth, Canton, Birmingham-Bloomfield, the Grosse Pointes, Downtown Detroit, and many others. The organization is committed to reaching out to a broad and diverse array of audiences and providing enjoyable cultural and social experiences, and encourages anyone who loves live music events to “Spend an evening with Michigan Phil." Nan Washburn, Music Director & Conductor since 1999, has won 17 ASCAP Awards for Adventuresome Programming of Contemporary Music from the League of American Orchestras.
Founded in 1945, the orchestra has grown from a dedicated nucleus of a dozen volunteer community players to over 60 professional musicians and performs a wide range of chamber, jazz, popular, and standard symphonic repertoire, ranging from the 17th century to the present. A review of past programs shows that the orchestra has performed approximately 1,500 symphonic works. Hundreds of guest artists and several thousand singers have performed with the orchestra. In 2008, the orchestra produced its first commercial CD, "Magical Tunes & Marvelous Tales," now available on iTunes, Amazon.com and CD Baby.
The orchestra has been under the direction of seven conductors throughout its history: Paul Wagner (1945-1950), Wayne Dunlap (1951-1979), Johan van der Merwe (1980-1985), Charles Greenwell (1985-1986), Leon Gregorian (1986-1987), Russell Reed (1987-1999) and Nan Washburn (1999-present).