- Memphis Symphony Orchestra
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The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is a professional orchestra in Memphis, Tennessee.
Contents
History
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra was established in its present form in 1960 as an outgrowth of the Memphis Sinfonietta, a chamber group formed eight years earlier under the direction of cellist Vincent DeFrank, with support from the Memphis Orchestral Society and the Memphis Arts Council.[1][2]
Classical orchestras had existed in Memphis earlier, notably the Memphis Symphony Society, which was established in 1939 by Burnet C. Tuthill, head of the music department at Southwestern College. That orchestra consisted largely of amateur musicians who offered four or five concerts each season for several years, but ceased to operate before the 1947-48 season.[1]
Vincent DeFrank directed the Memphis Symphony Orchestra until 1984, when he retired and was replaced as musical director by Alan Balter.[1] Balter retired in 1998 and was replaced by David Loebel, who directed the orchestra until 2010. In February 2010 Mei-Ann Chen was named music director beginning in the fall of 2010.[2]
Musicians and programs
The Memphis Symphony has 36 full-time professional musicians.[3]
The orchestra's members supplement the concert schedule and the orchestra's finances by providing contracted services that include mentoring of inner-city students, conducting corporate "leadership" programs, and offering performances in nontraditional venues.[3] The orchestra's "Family Tunes & Tales" program offers free concerts for young children and their families at public libraries and Borders Books and Music stores.[4] Kinderconcerts, offered in the schools for kindergarten through grade 2, send a pair of string musicians into a school to perform, demonstrate their instruments, play music games, and introduce basic musical concepts. MSO Ensemble Concerts are performances in schools for students in grades three through twelve, including strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. The Symphony also works with the Memphis City Schools on a collaborative program called "Music, Math, Science and Technology," in which school subjects such as weather, geography, and history are explored through music.[5] Mentoring of middle school students at the Soulsville Charter School began in the 2007-2008 school year.[6]
Elvis' birthday
Concerts in honor of Elvis Presley's birthday are an annual feature of the Memphis Symphony's season.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Roy C. Brewer, Symphony Orchestras, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, December 25, 2009; last updated February 28, 2011; accessed June 28, 2011
- ^ a b Mission & History, Memphis Symphony Orchestra website, accessed December 11, 2010
- ^ a b Joseph Horowitz, Why Memphis Matters to Every American Orchestra, Arts Journal blog, January 29, 2010
- ^ Family Tunes & Tales, Memphis Symphony Orchestra website, accessed December 11, 2010
- ^ Music for Schools, Memphis Symphony Orchestra website, accessed December 11, 2010
- ^ Soulsville Mentoring, Memphis Symphony Orchestra website, accessed December 11, 2010
- ^ Elvis Birthday Concert Tribute by Memphis Symphony Orchestra Returns!, Elvis Presley official website, December 2, 2010
External links
Categories:- American orchestras
- Musical groups from Memphis, Tennessee
- Musical groups established in 1960
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