New West Symphony

New West Symphony
Orchestra
Founded 1995 (1995)
Website www.newwestsymphony.org

The New West Symphony is a regional professional symphony orchestra serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was founded in 1995. The New West's players are professional musicians drawn from the rich pool of classical musicians in the Los Angeles region, many of whom work as session players for film, television and audio recording in the entertainment industry, and play for other area orchestras as well. The New West Symphony is a 501c3 charity governed by a 30-member board of directors.

The orchestra performs in three concert halls: the 1,500-seat Oxnard Performing Arts Center, the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Antoine Predock-designed Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, and the 1,200-seat Barnum Hall on the campus of Santa Monica High School. The organization offers six of classical programs annually with multiple concerts, with international guest artists usually featured soloists, as well as New West principal players upon occasion. The organization has a core audience of over 2,500 subscribers.

History

The symphony was founded in 1995 as the successor to two orchestras that ceased operations, the Ventura County Symphony and the Conejo Symphony Orchestra. Its founding music director was Boris Brott, whose programming emphasized the 19th and 20th century symphonic repertoire. The organization went through a financial crisis around 2008, and musicians took pay cuts to help the New West to survive.[1] During the 2011/2012 season, the symphony's board conducted a search for a new artistic director following Brott's resignation.[2] In May 2012, the orchestra announced the appointment of Marcelo Lehninger,[3] who had conducted the orchestra in January 2011 as an emergency substitution and then again in scheduled appearances in April 2012.[2] Lehninger became music director on September 30, 2012.[1]

The orchestra has served as the touring orchestra for Andrea Bocelli, completing its third such tour in 2010.

Educational programs

  • The Symphonic Adventures program provides an introduction to symphonic music in the concert hall for elementary school children, combined with classroom curriculum that prepares the children for the concert hall performance.
  • The New West Symphony Music Van—sometimes called a “musical petting zoo”—maintains a year-round schedule touring the region visiting elementary schools and festivals. The Music Van provides hands-on experiences with orchestral instruments for thousands of children.
  • Ensembles-in-the-Schools gives school children an opportunity to hear and talk with small groups of New West players in an assembly style presentation at their school.

Community outreach

  • Meet the Artist provides opportunities for the community to get acquainted with distinguished guest artists performing in the Masterpiece Series programs in an intimate one-on-one format.
  • Informances are the New West's version of the venerable pre-concert lecture, given by musicologist/composer/conductor Dr. Russell Steinberg in the concert hall immediately preceding the performances.

Auxiliaries

Several auxiliary organizations are affiliated with the New West Symphony Association and chartered to raise funds that support the Symphony’s programs. These organizations include:

  • New West Symphony League
  • West County Voice
  • LA Affiliates
  • Symphony of Wine

References

  1. 1 2 Swed, Mark (1 October 2012). "New West Symphony has reason to celebrate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 Lindell, Karen (27 September 2012). "Marcelo Lehninger to make his debut as New West Symphony conductor". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Ng, David (24 May 2012). "New West Symphony names Marcelo Lehninger as new music director". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.