The Albany Symphony Orchestra is a professional

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ...

based in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Ci ...

. Founded in 1930 as the People's Orchestra of Albany by Italian-born conductor John Carabella, the Albany Symphony is the oldest professional symphony orchestra based in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

's Capital District. The orchestra annually performs at venues such as the Palace Theatre in Albany and the

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, is a performance space in Troy, Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The music hall, renowned for its acoustics and an Odell concert organ, is operated by a not-for-profit organization. It was designated a ...

Troy, NY Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. David Alan Miller has served as Music Director and Conductor of the orchestra since 1992. Former music directors have included John Carabella, Rudolf Thomas,

Ole Windingstad Ole Windingstad (May 18, 1886 – June 3, 1959) was a Norwegian conductor, pianist and composer. He was the conductor of the Scandinavian Symphony Orchestra in Brooklyn, New York and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. His most notable symphonic compo ...

, Edgar Curtis,

Julius Hegyi Julius Hegyi (February 2, 1923 – January 1, 2007) was an American conductor and violinist. He spent his lifetime building orchestras, founding chamber music groups and instilling a passion for music in young and old alike. His belief in con ...

, and

Geoffrey Simon Geoffrey Philip Simon (born 3 July 1946) is an Australian conductor resident in London. Recordings Geoffrey Simon was born on 3 July 1946 in Adelaide. He was a student of Herbert von Karajan, Rudolf Kempe, Hans Swarowsky and Igor Markevitc ...

. Since the 1980s, the Albany Symphony has released more than 20 CDs, encompassing nearly 60 works, for New World Records,

CRI Records Composers Recordings, Inc. (CRI) was an American record label dedicated to the recording of contemporary classical music by American composers. It was founded in 1954 by Otto Luening, Douglas Moore, and Oliver Daniel, and based in New York City. ...

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. See also * List of record labe ...

, Argo,

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ...

, and

London/Decca This is a list of phonograph manufacturers. The phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone, record player or turntable, is a device introduced in 1877 for the mechanical recording and reproduction of sound. Phonograph manufacturer ...

. The orchestra won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

in 2014 and in 2021 and was nominated for an award in 2020. The Albany Symphony is unique in its mission statement to perform new works by modern composers, thereby exposing audiences to a new generation of orchestral music.

History

Founded in 1930 as the People's Orchestra of Albany by Italian-born conductor John Carabella, the Albany Symphony is the oldest professional symphony orchestra based in

's Capital District. The Albany Symphony celebrated its 75th anniversary during the 2005/2006 season, which included solo appearances by cellist

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

, bassist

Edgar Meyer Edgar Meyer (born November 24, 1960) is an American bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. He has won five Grammy Awards and been nominated seven times. Meyer is a member of the Telluride Bluegras ...

, violinist Yura Lee, baritone

Nathan Myers Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible *Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David and ...

, violinist

Colin Jacobsen Colin Frederick Jacobsen (born 13 April 1937), better known by his stage name Col Joye, is an Australian pioneer rock singer-songwriter, musician and entrepreneur with a career spanning some sixty years. Joye was the first Australian rock and r ...

, pianist

Joel Fan Joel Fan (b. United States, July 29, 1969) is an American pianist and Steinway Artist "who has won praise for his technical expertise, lyrical playing, and outstanding interpretation". The New York Times has described Joel Fan as an "impressive pi ...

, violinist

Jonathan Gandelsman Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...

, clarinetist

Susan Martula Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

, pianist

Findlay Cockrell Findlay may refer to: Places ;In the United States *Findlay, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Findlay, Illinois, a village *Findlay, Ohio, a city *Findlay Township, Pennsylvania, a civil township ;Elsewhere *Findlay, Manitoba, a locality wi ...

, percussionist Colin Currie, flutist

Paolo Bortolussi Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian language, Italian form of the name Paul (name), Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art *Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1 ...

, pianist Yefim Bronfman, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and

Frederic Lacroix Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanes ...

. Also during the season, the Albany Symphony presented several world premiere performances of commissioned works by composers such as

Stephen Dankner Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

, Michael Woods,

Bun Ching Lam Lam Bun-Ching (; b. Macau, 1954) is a Chinese American composer, pianist, and conductor. Early life and training Lam holds a B.A. degree in piano performance from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (1976). She obtained a scholarship from the ...

, Carolyn Yarnell, and

Michael Torke Michael Torke (; born September 22, 1961) is an American composer who writes music influenced by jazz and minimalism. Torke was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended Wilson Elementary School, graduated from Wauwatosa East High School, ...

. The Albany Symphony has performed with a wide variety of guest artists, including violinist

Joshua Bell Joshua David Bell (born December 9, 1967) is an American violinist and conductor. He plays the Gibson Stradivarius. Early life and education Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, to Shirley Bell, a therapist, and Alan P. Bell, a psycholog ...

who was featured during the orchestra's 77th season in a concert that included

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...

Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque music, Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first dev ...

and selections from ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid- ...

''.

Music Directors

* John Carabella (1930–1938) * Rudolph Thomas (1939–1944) * Ole Windingstad (1945–1947) * Edgar Curtis (1948–1954) *

(1965–1988) * Geoffrey Simon (1987–1991) * George Lloyd (1990–1991) * David Alan Miller (1992–present)

Discography

*''Peter Mennin''. Albany Records 260 :Peter Mennin: Concertato, "Moby Dick" :Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 5 :Peter Mennin: Fantasia for String Orchestra :Peter Mennin: Symphony No. 6 *''Morton Gould''. Albany Records 300 :Morton Gould: Show Piece for Orchestra :Morton Gould: Piano Concerto (Randall Hodgkinson, piano) :Morton Gould: StringMusic *''The Great American Ninth''. Albany Records 350 :Roy Harris: Memories of a Child's Sunday :Roy Harris: Symphony No. 9 :Roy Harris: Symphony No. 8 (Alan Feinberg, piano) *''Brutal Reality''. Albany Records 354 :Richard Adams: Brutal Reality :Arthur Bloom: Life is Like a Box of Chocolates :Evan Chambers: Concerto for Fiddle, Violin and Orchestra (Jill Levy, violin; :Nollaig Casey, fiddle) :John Fitz Rogers: Verge :Kamran Ince: Fest for Chamber Ensemble and Orchestra *''John Harbison''. Albany Records 390 :John Harbison: The Most Often Used Chords :John Harbison: Symphony No. 3 :John Harbison: Flute Concerto (Randolph Bowman, flute) *''Don Gillis''. Albany Records 391 :Don Gillis: Symphony "x" (The Big D) :Don Gillis: Shindig :Don Gillis: Encore Concerto (Alan Feinberg, piano) :Don Gillis: Symphony No. 5 - 1/2 *''Benjamin Lees''. Albany Records 441 :Andrew Bishop: Crooning :Allen Shawn: Piano Concerto (

Ursula Oppens Ursula Oppens (born February 2, 1944) is an American classical concert pianist and educator. She has received five Grammy Award nominations. Biography Ursula Oppens was born on February 2, 1944, in New York City into a highly musical family fr ...

, piano) :Paul Creston: Dance Overture :Benjamin Lees: Piano Concerto No. 2 (Ian Hobson, piano) *''George Lloyd''. Albany Reocords 458 :George Lloyd: Cello Concerto (Anthony Ross, cello) :George Lloyd: Orchestral Suite No. 1 from "The Serf" *''Gould & Harris''. Albany Records 515 :Roy Harris: Symphony No. 2 :Morton Gould: Symphony No. 3 *''William Schuman''. Albany Records 566 :William Schuman: Credendum :William Schuman: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (John McCabe, piano) :William Schuman: Symphony No. 4 *''Lopatnikoff, Helps, Thomson & Kurka''. Albany Records 591 :Nikolai Lopatnikoff: Festival Overture :Robert Helps: Concerto No. 2 for Piano & Orchestra (Alan Feinberg, piano) :Virgil Thomson: Filling Station (complete ballet) :Robert Kurka: Symphony No. 2, Op. 24 *''Morton Gould Symphony No. 2''. Albany Records 605 :Steven Stucky: Son et Lumiere :Gabriel Ian Gould: Watercolors (Robert Sheena, English horn) :John Harbison: Cello Concerto (David Finckel, cello) :Morton Gould: Symphony No. 2, "On Marching Tunes" *''Vincent Persichetti''. Albany Records 771 *''Torke: Strawberry Fields''. Ecstatic Records 92208 :Michael Torke: Strawberry Fields :Michael Torke: Pentecost for soprano and orchestra (Margaret Lloyd, soprano)

Honors and awards

The orchestra won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

for its recording of

John Corigliano John Paul Corigliano Jr. (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. His scores, now numbering over one hundred, have won him the Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, ...

's ''Conjurer - Concerto for Percussionist & String Orchestra'' with soloist

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The indig ...

on the

label. The orchestra was nominated in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

for a recording of Derek Bermel’s ''Migration Series for Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra'' in the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition category. Conductor David Alan Miller was also nominated that year along with Tessa Lark for a recording of

's ''Sky, Concerto for Violin'' in the Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. In

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, the orchestra won a second Grammy award in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category with a recording of Theofandis' ''Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra'' with soloist Richard O’Neill and with conductor David Alan Miller on the

label. The orchestra has won 26 awards from the American Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP) for adventurous programming. ASCAP also awarded the orchestra the John S. Edwards Award for Strongest Commitment to New American Music in 2013 and 2014.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1930 Culture of Albany, New York Orchestras based in New York (state) Organizations based in Albany, New York 1930 establishments in New York (state) Albany Records artists