The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra is a symphonic orchestra located in Huntsville, Alabama. The current conductor and music director is Gregory Vajda. Vajda has been the conductor since the 2011-2012 season. The orchestra's resident conductor is Joseph Lee.
The Huntsville Symphony was founded in 1955 by Alvin Dreger, a cellist from Huntsville. [1] Forty musicians participated, many of whom were scientists in German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun's team. The symphony's first conductor was Dr. Arthur M. Fraser. [1]
The HSO is the oldest continuously-operating professional orchestra in the state of Alabama. Past conductors include Arthur Fraser (1954-1959), Russell Gerhart (1959-1971), Marx Pales (1971-1988), Taavo Virkhaus (1989-2003) and Carlos Miguel Prieto (2003-2011).
The yearly concert programs include a Classical series, a Pops series and a "Casual Classics" series. Notable guest performers have included renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Canadian Brass and classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco.
The 2nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on November 29, 1959, at Los Angeles and New York. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1959. Hosted by Meredith Willson, this marked the first televised Grammy Award ceremony, and it was aired in episodes as special Sunday Showcase. It was held in the same year as the first Grammy Awards in 1959, and no award ceremony was held in 1960. These awards recognized musical accomplishments by performers for that particular year. Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington each won three awards.
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall. Simone Young is the orchestra's chief conductor and first woman in the role.
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it presents over 120 classical series, pops, rock, youth, and family concerts. During the summer months, the orchestra performs at parks and outdoor venues across Western New York.
Lori Singer is an American actress and musician. The daughter of conductor Jacques Singer, she was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and raised in Portland, Oregon, where her father served as the lead conductor of the Oregon Symphony from 1962 to 1972. Singer was a musical prodigy, making her debut as a cellist with the Oregon Symphony at thirteen, and was subsequently accepted to the Juilliard School, where she became the institution's youngest graduate.
Boris Brott, was a Canadian conductor and motivational speaker. He was one of the most internationally recognized Canadian conductors, having conducted on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall and Covent Garden. He was known for his innovative methods of introducing classical music to new audiences. Over his career, he commissioned, performed, and recorded a wide variety of Canadian works.
Jaime Laredo is a violinist and conductor. He was the conductor and Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and he began his musical career when he was five years old.
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra (HSO) is an American orchestra based in Hartford, Connecticut.
Gilad Karni is an Israeli violist who has played in the New York Philharmonic and is currently principal viola in the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich as well as a soloist and player in chamber ensembles. A founder member of the Huberman Quartet, with which he made his debut at Carnegie Hall, he has since appeared there with the Guarneri Quartet.
The Symphony Orchestra at The University of Southern Mississippi is the oldest orchestra in Mississippi. Established in 1920, it has been under the direction of music director Jay Dean since 1988. The orchestra is part of the University of Southern Mississippi School of Music.
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra based in Birmingham, Alabama. The orchestra's resident and principal conductor is Christopher Confessore. The Orchestra was first formed in April 1921 but had to close because of financial issues in 1993. It re-opened in 1997 after substantial fundraising.
Gregory Vajda is a Hungarian clarinetist, composer and conductor.
Carl Ray St. Clair is an American conductor.
The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra is a prominent orchestra from the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1958, is a professional symphony orchestra based in Boulder, Colorado. It is led by Music Director Michael Butterman. The Boulder Philharmonic's season at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus and other venues includes classical music, pops, school and family concerts, as well as an annual production of The Nutcracker with Boulder Ballet.
Emilio Colón is an American solo cellist, chamber musician, conductor, composer and pedagogue. He is an international artist, concertizing in Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Malta, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.
The Moscow Symphony Orchestra is a non-state-supported Russian symphony orchestra, founded in 1989 by the sisters Ellen and Marina Levine. The musicians include graduates from such institutions as Moscow, Kiev, and Saint Petersburg Conservatory. The orchestra has recorded over 100 CDs for Naxos and Marco Polo. The current Music Director is the Dutch conductor Arthur Arnold.
Robert Hart Baker is a symphonic and operatic [conductor] and music director based in Belleville, IL. Previously York, PA and Asheville, NC, United States. He has toured extensively, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Asia. Among the many concerts he has led have been the full works of the Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky symphonies and the Strauss tone poems, in addition to most of the orchestral works of Mahler, Dvorak, Schubert, Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, and Ernest Bloch.
Eric Jacobsen is an American conductor and cellist. He is currently a member of The Knights, and the Silk Road Project, and is the Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, and when was an artistic partner of the Northwest Sinfonietta from 2015-2018
John F. Bitter was an American musician, composer, and orchestra conductor who served as the second dean of the School of Music at the University of Miami from 1950 to 1963. He was also music director and conductor of the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra. Guest artists who appeared with the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra under his baton included pianist Artur Rubinstein, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, and violinist Mischa Elman.
Heinz Hilten was a German-American architect and member of the "von Braun rocket team." He was a later Operation Paperclip hire and was involved in the design of numerous buildings in Space Age-era Huntsville, Alabama, both for NASA and for general use.