Passionate and Powerful
The Owensboro Symphony is building more than a reputation for ovations

A big sound for a small city is just one of the surprises that the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra (OSO) provides for its community of listeners, but hardly the only one. The OSO is known as a premier producer of live classical and pops music for the Western Kentucky region. And that reputation continues to grow. Among the top 20 Kentucky arts organization, the Symphony has increased its programming nearly 50 percent in the last three years and performs over 60 times each year to reach an estimated audience of more than 50,000.

“Many people are surprised to find out a city this size has a symphony,” says Paige A. Moore, Director of Marketing. “Then when they hear us they are simply amazed. Owensboro is extremely fortunate to have a top-notch performance hall like RiverPark Center, very talented professional musicians, and a number of businesses that generously support the arts.”

There is a good reason that the community, and especially the business community, is so supportive of the Owensboro Symphony. “It’s an example of how a community can offer the conveniences of a smaller town with the culture of a larger city,” Moore says. “That combination is one of the reasons so many new or expanding companies choose to locate in Owensboro.”

Deep roots
The OSO tradition of serving the community can be traced back to 1919 when an Owensboro violin teacher, George Vestal, started the first Owensboro Symphony with about 30 musicians. In its first heyday, the Symphony grew in strength to about 50 musicians but disbanded in 1950.

Today’s Owensboro Symphony Orchestra was born in 1967 when the Brescia-Owensboro Orchestra and a chamber orchestra at Kentucky Wesleyan College merged to form a single orchestra with a professional director.

Today the OSO is a professional orchestra that typically has about 80 musicians perform for each event. The OSO season includes seven Masterworks series classical concerts, three Pops Concerts, four free summer concerts, one family concert, Arts Teach Kids performances, and other concerts in Owensboro and throughout Kentucky.

Recent appearances include Gov. Paul Patton’s inauguration in December 1999 and the 2000 Vice-Presidential Debate at Centre College in Danville.

Opportunities to teach and touch through music include OSO’s Youth and Cadet Orchestras, Musicians in the Schools, a residency program by guest artists, School Day performances, and a Young Artist Competition.

Looking ahead
“In the coming years the Owensboro Symphony will continue to expand its audience not just in number, but in other ways”, Moore says.

Those plans for the future include moving the orchestra’s office to a downtown location adjacent to RiverPark Center. Preliminary architectural plans have been drawn and fund-raising efforts are underway. The Orchestra’s leadership also intends to renovate a circa 1887 building on Second Street between the Owensboro-Daviess County Tourist Commission and the International Bluegrass Music Museum.

 

Deanna Mascle is a staff writer for The Lane Report.
editorial@lanereport.com

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