Brockton Symphony Orchestra
The Brockton Symphony Orchestra (BrSO) is a semiprofessional orchestra based in Brockton, Massachusetts founded in 1925 as the Brockton Orchestral Society.[1] Described by the Boston Globe as "one of the region's classical jewels",[2] the orchestra performs five or six concerts each year, including several masterworks concerts and an annual Holiday Pops Concert at venues in Brockton including the Buckley Center for the Performing Arts, Christ Congregational Church, and Brockton High School.[3] In the 1970s, the orchestra also produced original operas and ballets,[4] a tradition it revived with its 2025 production of Carmen.[5] Contemporary works which have been commissioned and premiered by the orchestra include Gardner Read's Vernal Equinox (1955),[6] Beth Denisch's Golden Fanfare (1998),[1] and Thomas Oboe Lee's Sounds of The Islands (2005).[7]
The orchestra is currently music directed by John Masko, who has served since 2023.[8] Its board chair is Susan Caplan.[9] Clarinetist and conductor Jonathan Cohler served as the orchestra's Musical Director from 1996 to 2006, and James Orent served as Music Director from 2007 until his death in 2021.[7]
Vasconcellos Youth Competition
[edit]The Brockton Symphony Orchestra also hosts the annual Vasconcellos Youth Competition, offering $1500 in prizes every year to instrumentalists under the age of 18. Winners are invited to play a concerto with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra.[10] Past Winners include Miki Nagahara, Winston Huang, Jaclyn Freshman, Kristhyan Benitez, and Meihui An.
Members
[edit]The following is the list of instrumentalists as of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra 2023-2024 season.[11]
| Name | Section | Chair |
| Janny Joo | Violin I | Mark Finklestein Chair |
| Zenas Hsu | ||
| Donna Culley | John D. Martin Chair | |
| Tudor Dornescu | ||
| Joy Garmaise-Yee | ||
| Viridiana Hernandez Villa | ||
| Kathleen Jara | ||
| Diane Hartung | ||
| Jonathan K.S So | ||
| Jo Manning-Souza | ||
| Gigi Turgeon | ||
| Laura-Marie Tusi | ||
| Ali You | ||
| Christine Warren | ||
| Betsy Hinkle | Violin II | Marcia Lindsay Chair |
| Lily Apolloni | ||
| Karen Grant | ||
| Maureen Jardin | ||
| Joshua Lennox | ||
| Heather Luhn | ||
| Nareh Mkrtschjan | ||
| Allison Patton | ||
| Carol Rankin | ||
| Sam Ruest | ||
| Sara Weir | ||
| Isaiah Chapman | ||
| Stephanie Billingham | Viola | |
| Stephanie Burns | ||
| Patricia Chane | ||
| Arjun Mudan | ||
| Carly Rockenhauser | ||
| Roselie Samter | ||
| Cassandra Sulbarán | ||
| Julie Reimann | ||
| Caroline Walter Hine | Cello | |
| Christelle Alcindor | ||
| Tara Chambers | ||
| Angelina Donahue | ||
| James Hardiman | ||
| Howard Katz | ||
| Macaulley Whitlock | ||
| Amitabh Goswami | Bass | |
| Carlos Sulbarán | ||
| Carlos Yepes | ||
| Susan Caplan | Flute/Piccolo | Caplan Family Chair |
| Carolyn Baughman | ||
| Lorrie Hassan | ||
| Mark Finklestein | Oboe/English Horn | Kenneth R. Feinberg Chair |
| Melanie Hayn | Mark Finklestein Chair | |
| Lori Hagborg | ||
| Torben Hansen | Clarinet | Evelyn Chamberlin Chair |
| Jeffrey Lichenstein | ||
| Karen Sanborn | Bass Clarinet & Saxophone | |
| Mary Jo Running | Saxophone | |
| Debbie Chen | Bassoon | |
| Robert Gemmell, Jr. | ||
| Jessica Young | Horn | Carol F. Bedard Chair |
| Erik Svenson | ||
| Rachel Daly | ||
| Samuel Koeck | ||
| Wayne King | Trumpet | |
| Spencer Aston | ||
| Joseph Donohue | ||
| John Schuller | ||
| Sydney Alfano | ||
| Nic Dion | Trombone | |
| Thomas Williams | ||
| Donald Running | Bass Trombone | |
| Jordan Oliveira | Tuba | |
| Carol Chaffee | Piano | |
| Eve Budnick | ||
| Bryan Round | Percussion | |
| Chris Boyd | ||
| Angelina Savoie | Harp |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Redpath, Lisa (2022). "In Harmony: The Complementary Musical Tales of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, Sharon Civic Orchestra, and Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra" (Universal Publishers, 2022)
- ^ Massey, Joanna (11 December 2003)."Brockton Orchestra Enjoys Crescendo of Success". Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ Brockton Symphony Website. [https://www.brocktonsymphony.org/season_current.php
- ^ Coleman, Sandy (11 March 1990). "Brockton Concert Master Strives for Success as Violin Soloist". Boston Globe.
- ^ Brockton Symphony Website. [https://www.brocktonsymphony.org/season_current.php
- ^ Dodd, Mary Ann, and Jayson Rod Engquist (1996). Gardner Read: A Bio-Bibliography, p. 80. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313293848
- ^ a b Massey, Joanna (11 December 2003)."Brockton Orchestra Enjoys Crescendo of Success". Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ "About the Brockton Symphony Orchestra: Music Director, John Masko". www.brocktonsymphony.org. 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ Brockton Symphony Board and Staff. https://www.brocktonsymphony.org/about_personnel.php
- ^ Budris, John (22 January 2006). "Symphony gives concerto winner an ovation; Vasconcellos Awards honor top youth"., Boston Globe.
- ^ "Orchestra Roster, 2023-2024 Season". brocktonsymphony.org. 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2024.