Charlotte Symphony Orchestra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Charlotte Symphony Orchestra |
|
|---|---|
Belk Theater, home of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
|
|
| Founded | 1932 |
| Concert hall | Belk Theater, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center |
| Principal conductor | Christopher Warren-Green |
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is a famous group of musicians in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play beautiful classical music. Their main home is the Belk Theater, which is part of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. This theater can hold almost 2,000 people!
The orchestra also plays for other groups. They are the official orchestra for the Charlotte Master Chorale, a singing group. They also play for Opera Carolina, which performs operas, and Charlotte Ballet, which performs ballets. In the summer, the orchestra plays outdoor concerts at Symphony Park in SouthPark. These are called Summer Pops concerts.
History of the Orchestra
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra started a long time ago in 1932. A Spanish conductor and composer named Guillermo S. de Roxlo created it. At first, there were only 15 musicians. But for their very first concert on March 20, 1932, they had 57 musicians playing! This first concert was held at the Carolina Theatre.
Many talented people have led the orchestra over the years. Richard Cormier was their first full-time music director, from 1963 to 1967. The person who led the orchestra for the longest time was Leo Driehuys. He was the music director from 1977 to 1993.
From 2001 to 2010, Christof Perick was the music director. During his time, in 2007, the orchestra released its first music CD. It featured music by famous composers like Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, and Mozart. After Perick finished his time as music director, he was given the special title of conductor laureate for the 2010–2011 season.
The orchestra's most recent music director was Christopher Warren-Green. He led the group from 2010 to 2022. After his time as music director ended, he also received the title of conductor laureate and artistic advisor.
In January 2023, Kwamé Ryan was a guest conductor for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He came back to conduct again in November 2023. In December 2023, the orchestra announced that Kwamé Ryan will be their next music director. He will start in the 2024-2025 season and will lead the orchestra for four years.
Music Directors of the Charlotte Symphony
Here is a list of the people who have led the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as music directors:
- Guillermo de Roxlo (1932–1944)
- Guy Hutchins (1945–1948)
- Lamar Stringfield (1948–1949)
- James Christian Pfohl (1949–1957)
- Henry Janiec (1958–1963)
- Richard Cormier (1963–1967)
- Jacques Brourman (1967–1976)
- Leo Driehuys (1977–1993)
- Peter McCoppin (1993–2000)
- Christof Perick (2001–2010)
- Christopher Warren-Green (2010–2022)
- Kwamé Ryan (designate, effective 2024)
