Austin Symphony Orchestra
Austin Symphony Orchestra
Austin Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1911, the Austin Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest major orchestral ensembles in Texas. Along with orchestras in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Wichita Falls, Beaumont, and Lubbock, the establishment of the Austin Symphony Orchestra at the beginning of the twentieth century represents a widespread popular movement to bring classical music to the Southwest. The years following World War II brought another national surge in interest for classical music, as orchestras all around the country experienced a marked increase in both attendance and the number of performances given by orchestra companies. In 1946, for example, the number of performances for the entire year stood at only 546, while a decade later that number had risen to 3,217.
The first conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra during the post-World War II era was Dr. Hendrik J. Buytendorp, who hailed from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He began his career with the orchestra in 1938 and retired eleven years later in January 1949. The symphony chose Ezra Rachlin to replace Buytendorp. An experienced conductor in his own right, Rachlin, a native of California, was a cofounder of the Philadelphia Opera Company and later conducted the Lauritz Melchior’s Orchestra and the Memphis Open Air Theater. Rachlin, who remained conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra until the late 1960s, helped increase its local popularity, as well as its national stature as a musical institution.
In recent years, the symphony has been led by conductor Michael Bay, who took over the post in January 1998, after having held positions as the Musical Director of the Erie Philharmonic, the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Breckenridge Music Festival. He also worked as conductor for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Richmond Symphony in Virginia. Originally from Washington, D.C., Bay is a graduate of the University of Maryland and the Peabody Institute. In 1994, he was one of two conductors selected to participate in the Leonard Bernstein American Conductors Program. Bay made his Austin Lyric Opera debut in January 2002 with Andre Previn’s “A Streetcar Named Desire.” He also conducted Verdi’s “La Traviata” in November 2002, Puccini’s “Turandot” in November 2003, and Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” in April 2005.
Although it presents numerous musical performances to the general public throughout the year, the Austin Symphony Orchestra also offers a variety of educational programs geared toward students and young adults. These include having musicians perform in local public schools, inviting students to concert performances, and allowing students to meet and perform with a professional orchestra. Through its efforts, the Austin Symphony Orchestra helps provide some 90,000 children annually with an opportunity to learn about and be involved in symphonic music.
Shaun Stalzer
