Albany Symphony Orchestra

The Albany Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a professional symphony orchestra based in Albany, New York. The upcoming season will mark the orchestra's 78th.

Founded in 1930 as the People's Orchestra of Albany by Italian-born conductor John Carabella, the Albany Symphony is the oldest professional symphony orchestra based in New York's Capital District. The ASO annually performs at performance venues such as The Palace Theatre in Albany, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, NY, Canfield Casino at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, NY, and the First United Methodist Church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

David Alan Miller has served as Music Director and Conductor of the orchestra since 1992. [ [http://www.albanysymphony.com/discover_conductor_cv.html Albany Symphany Orchestra Official web site] . Accessed January 4, 2008.] Former music directors have included John Carabella, Rudolf Thomas, Ole Windingstad, Edgar Curtis, Julius Hegyi, and Geoffrey Simon.

The ASO celebrated its 75th anniversary during the 2005/2006 season, which included solo appearances by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist Edgar Meyer, violinist Yura Lee, baritone Nathan Myers, violinist Colin Jacobsen, pianist Joel Fan, violinist Jonathan Gandelsman, clarinetist Susan Martula, pianist Findlay Cockrell, percussionist Colin Currie flutist Paolo Bortolussi, pianist Yefim Bronfman, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and Frederic Lacroix. Also during the season, the ASO presented several world premiere performances of ASO commissioned works by composers such as Stephen Dankner, Michael Woods, Bun Ching Lam, Carolyn Yarnell, and Michael Torke.

Also, this past season, the 77th, the ASO featured Joshua Bell in a concert where the young violinist played Mendelsohn's Violin Concerto and selections from "West Side Story".

Since the 1980s, the ASO has released more than 20 CDs, encompassing nearly 60 works, for New World Records, CRI, Albany Records, Argo, and London/Decca.

Members as of June 2006

*David Alan Miller, Music Director and Conductor

First Violin
*Jill Levy, "Concertmaster"
*Winona Fifield, "Assistant Concertmaster"
*Elizabeth Silver
*Paula Oakes
*Alexandra Cutler-Fetkewicz
*Heather Frank
*Christine Kim
*Paula Shaw
*Harriet Dearden WeltherSecond Violin
*Funda Cizmecioglu, "Principal"
*Mitsuko Suzuki, "Assistant Principal"
*Barbara Lapidus
*John Bosela
*Brigette Brodwin
*Ouisa Fohrhaltz
*Michael Glover
*Margret E. Hickey
*Marie-Claude Masse
*Margaret SchalitViola
*Susan St. Amour, "Principal"
*Noriko Futagami Herndon, "Assistant Principal"
*Carla Bellosa
*Robert A. Dean
*Nadege Foofat
*Kimberly Foster
*Marcia Nickerson
*Harriet Thomas
*Russell WilsonCello
*Susan Ruzow Libby, "Principal"
*Erica Pickhardt, "Assistant Principal"
*Petia Kassarova
*Kevin Bellosa
*Janet Taggart Blake
*Matt Capobianco
*Gail Falsetti
*Catherine Hackert
*Zig MielensBass
*Bradley C. Aikman, "Principal"
*Philip Helm, "Assistant Principal"
*Luke Baker
*James Caiello
*Michael Fittipaldi
*Jeffrey HerchenroderFlute
*Floyd Hebert, "Principal"
*Linda GreeneOboe
*Karen Hosmer, "Principal"
*Nancy Dimock
*Nathaniel FossnerEnglish Horn
*Nathaniel FossnerClarinet
*Susan Martula, "Principal"

Bassoon
*Stephen Walt, "Principal"
*Jonathan MacgowanHorn
*William J. Hughes, "Principal"
*Victor Sungarian
*Alan Parshley Trumpet
*Eric M. Berlin, "Principal"
*Eric J. LatiniTrombone
*Greg Spiridopoulos, "Principal"
*Karna MillenBass Trombone
*Wes CitronTuba
*Aubrey FoardTimpani
*Peter Wilson, "Principal"Percussion
*Richard Albagli, "Principal"
*Mark Foster
*Scott Stacey Harp
*Lynette Wardle, "Principal"

Discography

*"Peter Mennin". Albany Records 260:Peter Mennin: Concertato, "Moby Dick":Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 5:Peter Mennin: Fantasia for String Orchestra:Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 6
*"Morton Gould". Albany Records 300:Morton Gould: Show Piece for Orchestra:Morton Gould: Piano Concerto (Randall Hodgkinson, piano):Morton Gould: StringMusic
*"The Great American Ninth". Albany Records 350:Roy Harris: Memories of a Child's Sunday:Roy Harris: Symphony No. 9:Roy Harris: Symphony No. 8 (Alan Feinberg, piano)
*"Brutal Reality". Albany Records 354:Richard Adams: Brutal Reality:Arthur Bloom: Life is Like a Box of Chocolates:Evan Chambers: Concerto for Fiddle, Violin and Orchestra (Jill Levy, violin; :Nollaig Casey, fiddle):John Fitz Rogers: Verge:Kamran Ince: Fest for Chamber Ensemble and Orchestra
*"John Harbison". Albany Records 390:John Harbison: The Most Often Used Chords:John Harbison: Symphony No. 3:John Harbison: Flute Concerto (Randolph Bowman, flute)
*"Don Gillis". Albany Records 391:Don Gillis: Symphony "x" (The Big D):Don Gillis: Shindig:Don Gillis: Encore Concerto (Alan Feinberg, piano):Don Gillis: Symphony No. 5 - 1/2
*"Benjamin Lees". Albany Records 441:Andrew Bishop: Crooning:Allen Shawn: Piano Concerto (Ursula Oppens, piano):Paul Creston: Dance Overture:Benjamin Lees: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Ian Hobson, piano)
*"George Lloyd". Albany Reocords 458:George Lloyd: Cello Concerto (Anthony Ross, cello):George Lloyd: Orchestral Suite No. 1 from "The Serf"
*"Gould & Harris". Albany Records 515:Roy Harris: Symphony No. 2:Morton Gould: Symphony No. 3
*"William Schuman". Albany Records 566:William Schuman: Credendum:William Schuman: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (John McCabe, piano) :William Schuman: Symphony No. 4
*"Lopatnikoff, Helps, Thomson & Kurka". Albany Records 591:Nikolai Lopatnikoff: Festival Overture:Robert Helps: Concerto No. 2 for Piano & Orchestra (Alan Feinberg, piano):Virgil Thomson: Filling Station (complete ballet) :Robert Kurka: Symphony No. 2, Op. 24
*"Morton Gould Symphony No. 2". Albany Records 605:Steven Stucky: Son et Lumiere:Gabriel Ian Gould: Watercolors (Robert Sheena, English horn):John Harbison: Cello Concerto (David Finckel, cello):Morton Gould: Symphony No. 2, "On Marching Tunes"
*"Vincent Persichetti". Albany Records 771
*"Torke: Strawberry Fields". Ecstatic Records 92208 :Michael Torke: Strawberry Fields :Michael Torke: Pentecost for soprano and orchestra (Margaret Lloyd, soprano)

References

External links

* [http://www.albanysymphony.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.albanysymphony.com/davidalanmiller.htm Conductor David Alan Miller]