Charleston Symphony Orchestra

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The Charleston Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Charleston, South Carolina at the Gaillard Center. The current roster of the orchestra numbers 22 musicians.

History[]

Maude Winthrop Gibbon and Martha Laurens Patterson founded the orchestra in 1936. The orchestra gave its first concert on 28 December 1936, conducted by Tony Hadgi, at the Dock Street Theatre. The orchestra subsequently relocated to the Memminger Auditorium. In the 1980's, the orchestra took up residence at the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, now folded into the Gaillard Center.

The longest-serving music director of the orchestra was David Stahl, from 1984 until his death on 24 October 2010.[1] Following Stahl's death, Yuriy Bekker served as the orchestra's acting artistic director from 2010 to 2014. In 2016, Bekker became the principal pops conductor of the orchestra.

The orchestra's current music director is Ken Lam, whom the orchestra appointed to the post in 2014, and who began his first full season with the orchestra in September 2015. He is scheduled to conclude his tenure as music director after the 2021-2022 season.[2]

In March 2021, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the orchestra announced a structural reorganisation. This reorganisation includes elimination of the position of music director.[2]

In response to declining access to arts education, the CSO offers of K-12 educational programming in Berkeley, Dorchester, and Charleston counties with a focus on Title I schools. The CSO plays two Young People's Concerts each season, conducts master classes and in-school performances, and hosted the National Young Artist Competition in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The CSO has repeat interactions with approximately 30,000 students per season.

Music Directors[]

  • Tony Hadgi (1936-1940)
  • J. Albert Frecht (1941-1958)
  • Don Mills (1959-1963)
  • Lucien DeGroote (1964-1981)
  • David Stahl (1984-2010)
  • Ken Lam (2014-present)

References[]

  1. ^ "Charleston Symphony Orchestra director dies at age 60". WCSC Channel 5. 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Maura Hogan (2021-03-09). "Facing pandemic losses, Charleston Symphony rethinks organization". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2021-03-15.

External links[]

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