| Canberra Symphony Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
 The Canberra Symphony Orchestra at Llewellyn Hall in 2022 | |
| Former name | Canberra Orchestral Society |
| Founded | 14 March 1950 |
| Concert hall | Llewellyn Hall |
| Principal conductor | Jessica Cottis |
| Website | www |
Canberra Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is the professional orchestra of the Australian Capital Territory based in Canberra, the national capital of Australia.
Officially formed on 14 March 1950 and registered as an amateur ensemble, the Canberra Orchestral Society (COS), held rehearsals in the ante-room of Albert Hall. In September 1953 Pieter Kruithof, a Dutch migrant with organ and choral background, was appointed conductor and director. [1] At that time the orchestra had 18 members and shared quarters at the Riverside Cultural Centre. [1] In the Netherlands, Kruithof had conducted choirs and orchestras for 16 years; [1] in Canberra, as of June 1954, he worked as a cleaner at the ABC radio transmitter for 2CY. [2] Concerts were also held in school halls and the Childers Street Hall of the Australian National University. On 8 June 1964, Pieter Kruithof died "after a long illness" and was survived by his wife and their four children. [3]
Wilfred Holland from England, with a conducting and performance background, led the orchestra from April 1961. [4] He also guided the Canberra Choral Society and the two organisations held joint performances of choral masterpieces.
In 1965 Ernest Llewellyn, former concertmaster of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, became Director of the newly formed Canberra School of Music. [5] In August of that year, he was also appointed conductor of the Canberra Orchestral Society. [5] [6] At the end of 1966 the society changed its name to Canberra Symphony Orchestra, with Llewellyn continuing as chief conductor and director. [6] Llewellyn's reputation made it possible to recruit top professional players to teach at the School and to join the orchestra. The CSO performed at the newly opened Canberra Theatre.
Llewellyn continued to extend the orchestra until his retirement in November 1980, [5] the new School of Music auditorium was officially named Llewellyn Hall in his honour. Llewellyn worked with the CSO during 1981 as a guest conductor. [5]
The CSO secured Leonard Dommett as the new Conductor and Musical Director by July 1982. [6] As the former Concertmaster of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Dommett brought a network of national and international artists to the CSO. Throughout the 1980s the orchestra continued to expand and artistic achievement was continually evolving.
Dommett retired in 1991 and the ensuing decade brought further change to the orchestra, including the implementation of fully professional status in 1994. Large opera gala concerts featured celebrity conductors such as Richard Bonynge and Isaiah Jackson.
When Richard Gill joined the CSO as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director in 2001, the organisation was going through difficult times. He brought much needed consistency and stability to the orchestra – and within a couple of years after his arrival, the CSO was back on a solid financial footing.
Dr Nicholas Milton took up the baton as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director in 2007 and his passion, vision and expertise has inspired players and audiences alike. Milton is a rising Australian conductor now based in Germany who is also a former violinist with the Macquarie Trio. Also in 2007 the CSO received Commonwealth Government funding for the first time, which has allowed for additional rehearsals and larger orchestras on stage.
For the Canberra Centenary season of 2013, the ACT Government enlisted the CSO to perform the world premiere of a commissioned work by Andrew Schultz, Symphony No. 3 – Century, as a feature of the official Canberra Day celebrations in March 2013.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The orchestra's most recent music director is Riccardo Muti, whose tenure spanned 13 seasons, from 2010 to 2023, and he continues to perform as director emeritus. The CSO is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five".
Bernard Johan Herman Haitink was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to London, as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1967 to 1979, music director at Glyndebourne Opera from 1978 to 1988 and of the Royal Opera House from 1987 to 2002, when he became principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. Finally, he was principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2010. The focus of his prolific recording was classical symphonies and orchestral works, but he also conducted operas. He conducted 90 concerts at The Proms in London, the last on 3 September 2019 with the Vienna Philharmonic. His awards include Grammy Awards and the 2015 Gramophone Award for his lifetime achievements.
The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the 'Portland Symphony Society' in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. Its home venue is the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland's Cultural District.
Richard Sidney Hickox was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music.
The San Antonio Symphony was a full-time professional symphony orchestra based in San Antonio, Texas. Its season ran from late September to early June. Sebastian Lang-Lessing, its music director from 2010 to 2020, was the last to serve in that capacity. The orchestra was a resident organization of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio. In August 2022, the orchestra's musicians reformed as the San Antonio Philharmonic, a name first used in 1914, and announced a ten-concert classical-music series for the 2022–23 season to be given at First Baptist Church of San Antonio, 100 yards from Tobin Center.
Jessica Cottis ) is an Australian-British conductor. She is currently artistic director and chief conductor of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
Wilfrid Holland was a British born composer, choral and orchestral conductor, pianist and teacher who spent the last 45 years of his life based In Canberra, Australia.
The Chicago Symphony Chorus began on September 22, 1957, when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced that Margaret Hillis would organize and train a symphony chorus. The music director Fritz Reiner's original intent was to utilize the chorus for the two weeks of subscription concerts that season, performing George Frideric Handel's Messiah in December and Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem in April. When Bruno Walter informed the orchestra's management that his March 1958 appearances would be his last in Chicago, the board president, Eric Oldberg, insisted that Walter conduct Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem utilizing the new chorus. During that first season, it was logistically impossible for Hillis to audition and prepare a new Chorus for three major works within less than four months. As an interim fix, the Apollo Chorus of Chicago was used for the Christmas Messiah concerts.
Leonard Bertram Dommett OBE was an Australian violinist, conductor, and teacher.
Ernest Victor Llewellyn CBE was an Australian violinist, concertmaster, violist, conductor and musical administrator. He was the founding director of the Canberra School of Music and is commemorated by Llewellyn Hall, the concert venue at the School.
Andrew Keith Wailes is an Australian conductor and music director. Winner of the Australasian International Choral Conducting Competition in Brisbane in 1999, he is the current artistic director and Chief Conductor of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Melbourne University Choral Society, and music director and Conductor of the Box Hill Chorale. From 1999 to 2020 he served as artistic director of The Australian Children's Choir, and for a decade was Director of the Australian Catholic University Melbourne Campus Choir. He is a former president of the Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association, and is a former Artistic Administrator and artistic director of The Chamber Strings of Melbourne.
The Canberra Choral Society (CCS) is an auditioned symphonic choir in Canberra, Australia. The choir is known both for traditional choral repertoire, and new music.
John Harding Hon DMus is an internationally renowned violinist. He has travelled the world as a soloist, teacher, concertmaster, chamber musician, conductor and recording artist.
Paul Beard was an English violinist, known particularly as leader of Sir Thomas Beecham's original London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Adrian Boult's BBC Symphony Orchestra. He was also a teacher, holding posts at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music.
Nicholas Christopher Milton is an Australian conductor and violinist.
Black conductors are musicians of African, Caribbean, African-American ancestry and other members of the African diaspora who are musical ensemble leaders who direct classical music performances, such as an orchestral or choral concerts, or jazz ensemble big band concerts by way of visible gestures with the hands, arms, face and head. Conductors of African descent are rare, as the vast majority are male and Caucasian.
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Dunedin Symphony Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Dunedin, New Zealand. It hosts an annual subscription series of concerts in the Dunedin Town Hall, performing repertoire from the Classical, Romantic and contemporary periods. It also regularly accompanies Dunedin stage performances by the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Opera Otago and City Choir Dunedin.
This article is for major events and other topics related to classical music in 2021.
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