Highlights
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1916 as a municipal orchestra, supported by taxpayer money. Gustave Strube served as the first conductor of the group of about 50 players. It became a private institution in 1942. The orchestra came into its own in the 1960s when philanthropist Joseph Meyerhoff became president. During his tenure, the BSO moved from the Lyric Opera House to its new permanent home at the 2,443-seat Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The orchestra also performs at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. The BSO had many firsts under conductor Sergiu Comissiona, whom Meyerhoff appointed. Comissiona expanded the orchestra's season to 52 weeks. The BSO went o...
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1916 as a municipal orchestra, supported by taxpayer money. Gustave Strube served as the first conductor of the group of about 50 players. It became a private institution in 1942. The orchestra came into its own in the 1960s when philanthropist Joseph Meyerhoff became president. During his tenure, the BSO moved from the Lyric Opera House to its new permanent home at the 2,443-seat Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The orchestra also performs at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. The BSO had many firsts under conductor Sergiu Comissiona, whom Meyerhoff appointed. Comissiona expanded the orchestra's season to 52 weeks. The BSO went on its first international tour in 1979 and became the first American orchestra to be invited to the Dresden Music Festival in 1981. Comissiona also led the BSO's first recordings. Under director David Zinman, the BSO was the first American orchestra to tour the Soviet Union after cultural relations were resumed at the end of the Afghanistan war. The BSO won several Grammys for its recordings with Yo-Yo Ma in the 1980s and '90s and received nominations for other works. In 2005, the BSO made history when it named Marin Alsop its 12th director, making her the first woman to be appointed music director of a major U.S. orchestra. Under Alsop, the orchestra released recordings on iTunes and was broadcast on XM Satellite Radio. For the 2007-2008 season, the orchestra unveiled a ticket sales plan intended to boost attendance. New and current BSO subscribers paid $25 per concert for seats anywhere in the hall.
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8 classical music events from Bernstein to Galway
Special to Newsday; STEVE PARKS; Research by Judy RaiaBernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds (Sept. 24-Dec. 13). Manhattan will be a Leonard Bernstein festival, with 50 events marking the 90th anniversary of his birth, the 65th anniversary of his debut with the New York Philharmonic and the 50th...Tags: Colleges and Universities, Billy Joel, St. George, Manhattan (New York City), Music
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More classical highlights
And keep in mind... SEPT. 17. New York Philharmonic: Lorin Maazel - A Grand Finale. Season-opening gala. Works by Berlioz, Ibert and Tchaikovsky, with conductor Lorin Maazel and flutist James Galway. Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. nyphil.org, 212-...Tags: Billy Joel, Manhattan (New York City), Music, Classical Music, Brookville
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Bernstein's 'Mass'
Leonard Bernstein wrestled much of his life with issues of religion, politics and social conscience. He poured a combustible mix of feelings about those topics into a huge "theater piece for singers, players and dancers" called Mass, composed for the...Tags: Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Marin Alsop, Classical Music, Leonard Bernstein, Morgan State University
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September Social Calendar
Baltimore Sun reporterThursday, Sept. 4 "Salsabration" Benefits Fuel Fund of Maryland Business casual/festive attire Havana Club, 600 Water St. 6 p.m. Tickets $55 in advance, $60 at the door Call 410-821-3022, Ext. 107 or go to www.fuelfundmaryland.org Friday, Sept. 5 "Polo...Tags: Maryland, Wine, Beer, and Spirits, Movies, American Visionary Art Museum, Morgan State University
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Give underrated composer a listen
Looks, as everyone knows, can be deceiving. Consider Ralph Vaughan Williams - well-fed and rather rumpled in his favored thick, three-piece suits; hair usually a bit mussed. One wag thought that the eminent English composer suggested a farmer "on his...Tags: Clothing and Textiles Industry, Death and Dying, Music Industry, Music, Classical Music
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On a mission to share her love of music, art
[Special to The Baltimore Sun]Mary Boehly has a kaleidoscope view of culture. For years, she was a spectator, enjoying the theater and musical events. Then she joined the Baltimore Mandolin Orchestra, with which she performed for about eight years. "Being a musician helped me gain...Tags: Maryland, Music Industry, Music, Classical Music, Culture
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Classical
Classical Charlestown CommunityOur Lady of Angels Chapel, 711 Maiden Choice Lane, Catonsville / 410-737-8838, ext. 8577. •3 p.m. Sunday: U.S. Naval Academy's Woodwind Quintet. Free. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall1212 Cathedral St. / 410-783-8000....Tags: Colleges and Universities, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, College Park, Catonsville, Music
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Crowds to blame for BSO's split personality
Sun Music CriticBack in the day, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's summer season at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall steered a fairly straight classical course. Sometimes, there were substantive chamber music programs as appetizers before the orchestral concerts. Edible...Tags: Public Holidays, Music, Classical Music, Dance, Mount Vernon Place
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Influential books: Jeffrey Sharkey
As the director of the Peabody Institute, Jeffrey Sharkey is the leader of undergraduate and graduate students in the Peabody Conservatory and Preparatory at the music school at the Johns Hopkins University. Sharkey has been the director for two years,...Tags: Johns Hopkins University, Peabody Conservatory
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BSO players agree to new three-year contract
Sun Music CriticMore than a month before their two-year contract expires, musicians of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra have ratified a new three-year deal that will see a total increase of 17.4 percent in base salary. By the 2010-2011 season, that base pay will be $90,...Tags: Martin Luther King Jr., Maryland, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Marin Alsop, Popular Music
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Morris L. Scherr, 76
Morris Lewis Scherr, a retired hospital administrator who did needlework and built dollhouses, died of lymphoma Thursday at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The Towson resident was 76. Born in Baltimore and raised on Egerton Road, he was a 1950...Tags: Maryland, Ellicott City, Forest Park, Pikesville, Death and Dying
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Fleisher shows off musical gift on his 80th birthday
Sun Music CriticLeon Fleisher, who turned 80 on Wednesday, marked the milestone by conducting and playing music by Mozart with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble he has been close to for more than three decades. This was the first occasion in many years...Tags: Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Music, Classical Music, Peabody Conservatory
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