North Carolina Symphony
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The North Carolina Symphony (NCS) is an American orchestra based in
Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
, with sixty-six full-time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the
Carolina Ballet Carolina Ballet is one of America’s premier arts organizations, programming traditional ballets by legendary masters and new works by contemporary choreographers. The Ballet was launched as a professional company in 1998 under the direction of F ...
and the Opera Company of North Carolina. In 2017–18, the organization celebrated its 85th anniversary season. Concert series are also performed across North Carolina in the cities of,
Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...
,
Cary Cary may refer to: Places ;United States * Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area * Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area * Cary, Miami County, Indiana * Cary, Maine * Cary, Mississippi * Cary, North Carolina ...
,
Southern Pines Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 United States Census. History Southern Pines was founded as a winter health resort for Northeastern U ...
,
New Bern New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...
, Wilmington, and Fayetteville, among others.


History

In 1932,
Lamar Stringfield Lamar Edwin Stringfield (October 10, 1897 – January 21, 1959) was a classical composer, flutist, symphony conductor, and anthologist of American folk music. Early career He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and studied at Mars Hill College n ...
united a group of volunteers to form the North Carolina Symphony. They first performed in Hill Hall at the
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
in
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
on May 14, 1932. The original musicians of the symphony were unpaid local musicians. By 1935, the North Carolina Symphony had performed in more than fifty cities and towns in North Carolina, in over 140 concerts. Dr. Benjamin Swalin, Music Director from 1939 to 1972, continued the orchestra's mission to reach as many North Carolina natives as possible. In the 1940s, the North Carolina Symphony became the first orchestra to receive continuous state funding. The "Horn Tootin’ Bill", which asserted that state funds would be given to orchestras, was passed by the
North Carolina State Legislature The North Carolina General Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets in the North Carolina ...
in March 1943. First Lady of North Carolina
Alice Willson Broughton Alice Harper Willson Broughton (July 13, 1889 – August 15, 1980) was an American civic leader who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1941 to 1945 as the wife of Governor J. Melville Broughton. She and her husband were the first gove ...
helped lobby for the legislation. The North Carolina Symphony continues to receive this state funding today. In 1942, the Symphony began to focus on education, bringing in young children and students into the concert hall to ask questions and hear the musicians play. The Symphony began coordinating with elementary schools, exposing many children to symphonic music at an early age. In 1961 Governor
Terry Sanford James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pre ...
and First Lady
Margaret Rose Sanford Margaret Rose Sanford ('' née'' Knight; June 6, 1918 – August 26, 2006) was an American civic leader, teacher, and philanthropist who, as the wife of Terry Sanford, served as First Lady of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965. Prior to entering pub ...
hosted the first annual North Carolina Symphony Ball, which serves as a fundraiser for the symphony. The North Carolina Symphony is an orchestra with a reputation for playing many genres and types of music outside of classical concerts. In 2007, the Symphony toured western North Carolina, with a program featuring traditional North Carolina folk music; Cherokee flutist, fiddlers,
banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
players, and
clogging Clogging is a type of folk dance practiced in the United States, in which the dancer's footwear is used percussively by striking the heel, the toe, or both against a floor or each other to create audible rhythms, usually to the downbeat with the ...
performed with the Symphony. Since July 2004,
Grant Llewellyn Grant Llewellyn (born 29 December 1960) is a Welsh conductor and music director of the North Carolina Symphony and Orchestre National de Bretagne. Biography Llewellyn was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He began developing his conduct ...
has been the orchestra's music director. His initial contract was for 4 years, and in November 2006, his contract was extended to 2012. In 2013, Llewellyn's contract was extended through 2018. Llewellyn stepped down as music director during the pandemic-curtailed 2019-20 season but retains the title of Music Director Laureate. In June 2021, the orchestra announced that Mexican conductor
Carlos Miguel Prieto Carlos Miguel Prieto (born 14 November 1965) is a Mexican conductor. He is music director of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria, of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans, and The Orc ...
will serve as Artistic Advisor for the orchestra's 2021-22 season. On February 23, 2022, the NCS announced the appointment of Prieto as its next Music Director. His initial four-year term as Music Director begins with the 2023-2024 season, and he will serve as Music Director Designate during the 2022-2023 season.


Activities

The orchestra has released several albums, such as Britten's Cello Symphony and Sonata with cellist
Zuill Bailey James Zuill Bailey, better known as Zuill Bailey (born 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning American cellist, chamber musician, and artistic director. A graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and the Juilliard School, he has ...
, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical chart. David Hartman, the host of the ABC television program ''Good Morning America'', is the host for the North Carolina Symphony radio broadcasts. As part of the orchestra's education program, around 50 of the orchestra's 200 annual performances during the year are devoted to students. To engage young people's interest in orchestral instruments, they include an "Instrument Zoo," where children have a hands-on opportunity to try various instruments. In addition, the orchestra holds a Youth Concerto Competition, sponsors the Triangle Youth Philharmonic, and invites students to observe rehearsals.


Music directors

* 1932–1938
Lamar Stringfield Lamar Edwin Stringfield (October 10, 1897 – January 21, 1959) was a classical composer, flutist, symphony conductor, and anthologist of American folk music. Early career He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and studied at Mars Hill College n ...
* 1939–1972 Benjamin Swalin * 1972–1980 John Gosling * 1982–2003 Gerhardt Zimmermann * 2004–2020
Grant Llewellyn Grant Llewellyn (born 29 December 1960) is a Welsh conductor and music director of the North Carolina Symphony and Orchestre National de Bretagne. Biography Llewellyn was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He began developing his conduct ...
* 2022–present
Carlos Miguel Prieto Carlos Miguel Prieto (born 14 November 1965) is a Mexican conductor. He is music director of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria, of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans, and The Orc ...
nc symphony.org


References


External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1932 American orchestras Musical groups from Raleigh, North Carolina Wikipedia requested audio of orchestras Culture of Raleigh, North Carolina Performing arts in North Carolina