San Diego Symphony

The San Diego Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in San Diego, California. On 6 December 1910, it gave its first concert as the San Diego Civic Orchestra.

Currently, the Symphony performs over 100 concerts each season. The symphony performs subscription series concert at Copley Symphony Hall, which was built in 1929 as a French Rococo style luxury movie theater, the Fox Theater. It was conferred to the Symphony in 1984. The Symphony Towers (the second tallest building in San Diego County) building was built around Copley Hall in 1989. The San Diego Symphony performances include the Masterworks series, the Winter Pops series, annual holiday programs, a Family Festival series, and the Light Bulb Series. From July through September, the Symphony presents an outdoor Summer Pops season. Recently, a "Thursday Night Lite" series was initiated. [ [http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060216/news_lz1w16symph.html Valerie Scher, "Sounds great! Less filling!" "San Diego Union Tribune", 16 February 2006.] ] Since 2005, symphony musicians have also performed as the pit orchestra for San Diego Opera. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060122/news_1a22turegano.html Preston Turegano, "The opera's proving to be a boon for symphony's musicians". 'San Diego Union Tribune", 22 January 2006.] ]

The orchestra encountered several periods of fiscal trouble over its history which forced it to cease operations. The first such period was from 1921 to 1926. The orchestra resumed limited summer concerts in 1927, but disbanded again in 1936. In 1949, the symphony began to play concerts again. From 1996-1998, the fiscal troubles of the orchestra led it to file for bankruptcy in May 1996 [ [http://www.icsom.org/pdf/senza365.pdf "Senza Sordino", October 1998, p. 8.] ] and to cease operations. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061112/news_1a12talmi.html Valerie Scher, "Talmi is back, with an 'Elegy' in hand". "San Diego Union Tribune", 12 November 2006.] ] With a bankruptcy plan centered around a $2 million gift from Larry Robinson [ [http://www.icsom.org/pdf/senza365.pdf "Senza Sordino", October 1998, p. 8.] ] and through the "pro bono" efforts of prominent bankruptcy attorneys Ted Graham and Jeff Garfinkle of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, the orchestra reorganized and restarted in 1998, with Jung-Ho Pak serving as artistic director. He had become the symphony's assistant conductor in 1994. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061001/news_1a01chamber.html Valerie Scher, "Passionate Pak a 'crusader' on a mission". "San Diego Union Tribune", 1 October 2006.] ]

Several years after the orchestra's reorganization, on January 14, 2002, the San Diego Symphony announced the single largest donation ever made to a Symphony Orchestra, $120 million (USD) by Joan and Irwin Jacobs. One report stated that the arrangement is for $50 million to be donated over a period of 10 years, at $5 million a year. The remainder would then be left to the orchestra as a bequest. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061008/news_1a08finances.html Preston Turegano, "Balancing the books: 'It's never easy in this business'". "San Diego Union Tribune", 8 October 2006.] ] [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061008/news_1a08symphm.html James Chute, "Signs of life". "San Diego Union Tribune", 8 October 2006.] ]

In 2001, the orchestra had ratified an agreement which would increase the musicians' annual base salary from $25,920 (USD) to $45,750, with an expansion of the concert season from 26 weeks to 41 weeks. In 2006, the orchestra ratified a new 5-year contract that raised the annual minimum salary from $45,750 (USD) to $57,776 over five years. The 41-week season will also enlarge to 42 weeks. As of 2006, the annual budget of the orchestra was $14 million (USD). [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060630/news_7m30symph.html Valerie Scher, "Symphony musicians approve contract". "San Diego Union Tribune", 30 June 2006.] ]

Since 2004, the musical director is Jahja Ling. In October 2007, Ling extended his contract with the orchestra to 2012. [cite news | author=Valerie Scher | title=Ling's contract is renewed | url=http://cfx.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20071005-9999-1c05ling.html | work=San Diego Union-Tribune | date=5 October 2007 | accessdate=2007-11-04] Since 2003, the executive director of the orchestra is Edward Gill. Since 2006, the principal pops conductor of the orchestra is Marvin Hamlisch. [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060409/news_1a09season.html Valerie Scher, "Orchestra makes a 'great investment in the pops'". "San Diego Union Tribune", 9 April 2006.] ] [ [http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070216/news_lz1c16twopart.html Valerie Scher, "Two-part harmony". "San Diego Union Tribune", 16 February 2007.] ]

Melvin G. Goldzband, the San Diego Symphony's archivist, has published a book about the orchestra, "San Diego Symphony From Overture to Encore". [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20070311-9999-1a11viewm.html Valerie Scher, "Melvin G. Goldzband gets the ins and out of a San Diego institution between covers". "San Diego Union Tribune", 11 March 2007.] ]

Music Directors

* Roscoe Schryock (1912-1920)
* Nino Marcelli (1927-1938)
* Robert Shaw (1953-1958)
* Earl Bernard Murray (1959-1966)
* Zoltan Rozsnyai (1967-1971)
* Peter Erős (1972-1980)
* David Atherton (1980-1987)
* Yoav Talmi (1987-1996)
* Jung-Ho Pak (1998-2002, artistic director)
* Jahja Ling (2004-present)

References

External links

* [http://www.sandiegosymphony.com/ San Diego Symphony website]
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060604/news_lz1a04view.html Preston Turegano, "It's a tough job, but she enjoys it". "San Diego Union Tribune", 4 June 2006] (profile of San Diego Symphony librarian Nancy Fisch)
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061112/news_mz1j12music.html Valerie Scher, "Music to his ears". "San Diego Union Tribune", 12 November 2006] (feature article on San Diego Symphony clarinettist Frank Renk)
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061231/news_1a31class.html Valerie Scher, "Leading an orchestra on the upswing". "San Diego Union Tribune", 31 December 2006] (feature article on San Diego Symphony concertmaster Jeff Thayer)
* [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070304/news_1a04bass.html James Chute, "Covering the basses". "San Diego Union Tribune", 4 March 2007] (profile of San Diego Symphony principal double bass Jeremy Kurtz)