Charleston Symphony Orchestra 22-23 Subscriptions

Let’s Dance

Saturday, April 1, 2023 | 7:30pm

About Charleston Symphony Orchestra

Since its inception in 1936, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has been a pillar of the Charleston, South Carolina arts and culture scene, producing high-quality symphonic and chamber music performances, as well as inspiring education and outreach activities. The CSO’s performance series include Masterworks, Pops, and Chamber Music, conducted by Music Director Ken Lam, Principal Pops Conductor and concertmaster Yuriy Bekker, and Chamber Music under the baton of Yuriy Bekker. We perform at the historic Dock Street Theatre and the Gaillard Center.

Charleston Symphony History

Charleston’s Rich Orchestral History Began In 1819 With The Creation Of Its First 30-Person Orchestra. The Musicians Then Conducted Intimate Concerts For Friends And Family.

Miss Maude Winthrop Gibbon and Mrs. Martha Laurens Patterson, music aficionados, created the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in 1936. (CSO). The inaugural concert was conducted at Hibernian Hall on December 28, 1936, under the direction of Mr. Tony Hadji. During the first season, the CSO performed the music for The Recruiting Officer, the newly refurbished Dock Street Theatre’s opening night production. DuBose Heyward, composer of Porgy and Bess, produced an original prelude for the concert. Three years were spent in the Dock Street Theatre by the CSO.

During The 1940s And 1950s, The Cso Moved To Memminger Auditorium, With Performances By Robert Merrill, Eleanor Steber, Blanche Theirbom, Jan Pierce, And Donald Vorhees. Under the batons of conductors J. Albert Frecht, Tony Hadji, Don Mills, and Lucien DeGroote, the orchestra played a significant part in the cultural growth of the community. In 1942, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra joined 39 other orchestras from 17 states to form the American Symphony Orchestra League.

The CSO began as a professional group with a core of full-time, conservatory-trained first chair musicians in the late 1980s. It was the only orchestra in the state to obtain “Metropolitan” accreditation from the American Symphony Orchestra League.

The CSO relocated to the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium in the early 1980s, and its ensemble groups played across the city with Pops performances in parks, in the U.S. Yorktown aircraft carrier, and at the U.S. Customs House.

In 1984, David Stahl Become Music Director And Conductor Until his death in 2010, he directed the orchestra for 27 years and transformed the CSO into one of the top arts organisations in the Southeast. His vigour and commitment inspired a generation of concert masterwork and popular repertoire enthusiasts. Stahl, a valued member of the Charleston community, is credited with increasing the quality and professionalism of the CSO.

Charleston Symphony Orchestra (Symphony Orchestra)

Founded: 1936 – Charleston, South Carolina, USA

The Charleston Symphony Symphony (CSO) is the largest resident orchestra in South Carolina and performs the majority of its concerts at the newly rebuilt Gaillard Centre in downtown Charleston. The orchestra’s performance season includes the Masterworks, Pops, and Chamber Music series, as well as a number of special concerts showcasing a wide variety of repertoire, including some of the most cherished classical works, vibrant new music, choral works, opera, and collaborations with renowned composers and artists. Additionally, the CSO is visible in the community through conducting chamber ensemble concerts in clubhouses, churches, and private venues throughout the year. It presently employs 24 musicians full-time. The purpose of the CSO is to engage and inspire the community via extraordinary musical performances and educational programming.

The first orchestra in Charleston consisted of 30 musicians and was formed in 1819. The musicians then conducted intimate concerts for friends and family. Miss Maude Winthrop Gibbon and Mrs. Martha Laurens Patterson, both music enthusiasts, created the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in 1936. The inaugural concert was conducted at Hibernian Hall on December 28, 1936, under the direction of Mr. Tony Hadji. During the first season, the CSO performed the music for The Recruiting Officer, the newly refurbished Dock Street Theatre’s opening night production. DuBose Heyward, composer of Porgy and Bess, produced an original prelude for the concert. Three years were spent in the Dock Street Theatre by the CSO.

Robert Merrill, Eleanor Steber, Blanche Thebom, Jan Pierce, and Donald Voorhees were among the performers that performed at Memminger Auditorium throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Under the batons of conductors J. Albert Frecht, Tony Hadji, Don Mills, and Lucien DeGroote, the orchestra played a significant part in the cultural growth of the community.

The CSO began as a professional group with a core of full-time, conservatory-trained first chair musicians in the late 1980s. It was the only orchestra in the state to obtain “Metropolitan” accreditation from the American Symphony Orchestra League.

The CSO relocated to the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium in the early 1980s, and its ensemble groups played across the city, including Pops performances in parks, aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown aircraft carrier, and at the U.S. Customs House.

David Stahl, who studied with Leonard Bernstein and was renowned for his interpretations of Gustav Mahler’s works, was appointed Music Director and Conductor in 1984. Until his death from lymphoma on October 24, 2010, he directed the orchestra for 27 years and built the CSO into one of the region’s top arts organisations. His vigour and commitment inspired a generation of concert masterwork and popular repertoire enthusiasts. Stahl, a valued member of the Charleston community, is credited with increasing the quality and professionalism of the CSO. The CSO dedicated its conductor’s podium to Maestro Stahl on November 21, 2015.

Today, the CSO calls the Gaillard Center’s newly rebuilt, acoustically ideal concert hall home. Major concert series, such as Masterworks, Pops, and Chamber Orchestra, provide spectators performances that are rich and varied. In addition, they provide an array of educational programs that connect us with students, help them succeed, and inspire a lifelong love of music. Meet our board and employees.

In April 2012, the CSO launched an international search for a new Music Director to replace the late David Stahl. Maestro Ken Lam was appointed Music Director of the CSO in 2014 and began his first full season with the orchestra in September 2015. In addition to conducting the CSO, he regularly conducts the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as their Associate Conductor for Education where he is also Artistic Director of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras. In the summer he is Resident Conductor of the Brevard Music Centre in North Carolina and maintains his connections in his native Hong Kong as Artistic Director of Hong Kong Voices. Since 2011, he has been Associate Professor and Director of Orchestra at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Previously Ken held positions as Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra.

At its February 11, 2012 Masterworks Concert, which featured L.v. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, the CSO performed the South Carolina premiere of a violin concerto by local composer Edward Hart, and CSO Concertmaster Yuriy Bekker played a priceless 1686 Stradivarius violin. At this concert, the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium was at 99% capacity. This concert became the highest grossing concert in the history of the organisation until the recent Masterworks concert on February 26 and 27, 2016, featuring pianist Sandra Wright Shen. From 2010 to 2014, Bekker served as Acting Artistic Director. In 2016, the CSO named Yuriy Bekker Principal Pops Conductor beginning with the 2016/2017 season.

In response to declining access to arts education, the CSO offers a broad array of educational programming to the Charleston tri-county area. The CSO serves K-12 students from Berkeley, Dorchester, and Charleston counties and is particularly dedicated to partnerships with Title I schools that have large concentrations of low-income students. The CSO plays two Young People’s Concerts each season, conducts master classes and in-school performances, and hosts the National Young Artist Competition in the spring each year. The CSO has repeated interactions with approximately 20,000 students per season.