About

The Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra was founded fifty-nine years ago by eight musicians in the living room of Parl Brooks' home on Clark Street in Orchard Park. With the assistance of the Orchard Park Central School District's adult education program, the embryonic orchestra retained its first conductor, Joseph Wincenc. The first concert (actually an "open rehearsal") featured Betty Smith (Mrs. George Smith) as its first solo artist performing the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major.

Joseph Wincenc went on to conduct the Orchestra through its forty-fifth season. During the Wincenc years, the Orchestra flourished and grew, hosting such internationally known artists as Jung-Ja Kim, Charles Castleman, Eugene List, Carroll Glenn, Robert Freeman, Mary Kathleen Earnest, Carol Wincenc and countless others. At the end of the 45th season, Dr. Wincenc laid down his baton and associate conductor, William Staebell, picked up the beat and was appointed conductor and led the Orchestra until its forty-ninth season.

The 50th season for the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra opened under the musical direction of Dr. David Rudge, Professor of Orchestras and Opera at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Dr. Rudge has continued to develop the Orchestra's musical ability and has enhanced the Orchestra's tradition of exceptional quality, both in its musicianship and the solo artists, such as Cathy Cho, Peter Stumpf and Jeremy Denk, who have performed with the Orchestra.

Today the Orchestra numbers some seventy regular musicians and performs four regular season concerts and, in cooperation with the Council for the Arts, opens each season of the Orchard Park Pavilion. An active and dedicated Board of Directors and Women's Committee whose members volunteer their time and talent performing countless hours of behind-the-scenes work support the Orchestra.

As we approach our 60th season, we re-affirm our commitment to provide the musicians of the South Towns an opportunity to create musical memories with other professional musicians for an appreciative audience that supports us and enables us to continue as one of the oldest community orchestras in the country.