Our Youngstown Symphony earns hearty applause at 90

T he Youngstown Symphony Orchestra has been tantalizing crowds with its singularly sensational brand of musical prowess for 90 years now, but there’s so much more to the acclaimed orchestra than meets the ear.

The symphony and society that supports it rightly can boast of a rich history, top-notch leadership, stellar community service, impressive arts education and downtown enrichment among its diverse repertoire of contributions to the cultural embellishment of the Mahoning Valley.

As the symphony prepares to launch its 90th season Saturday night at its grand home in the DeYor Performing Arts Center, it is an apt time to congratulate the orchestra and its supporters and wish them continued success and prosperity in the years and decades to come.

As a special eight-page section in Sunday’s Vindicator illustrated, the Youngstown Symphony has a long and distinctive history serving Greater Youngstown.

It all began back in 1926, when Michael and Carmine Ficocelli organized “The Little Symphony Orchestra” among 12 student musicians who performed from the studios of a city radio station that year.

The Ficocelli brothers would hold the baton for the ensuing 25 years, until John Kruger became conductor of the newly named Youngstown Philharmonic Orchestra in 1951.

Rounding out talented leadership of the orchestra over the next six decades were Franz Bibo, Peter Leonard, David Effron and Isaiah Jackson. The symphony’s current musical director, Randall Craig Fleischer, this year proudly marks his 10th anniversary as music director.

And Fleischer has much of which to be proud. As a gifted maestro, he brings unbridled acclaim and honor to the organization. He has performed as guest conductor for some of the most renowned symphony orchestras in the nation and the world, currently shares his artistry with the Anchorage Symphony and the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and has been the recipient of many high honors.

The Mahoning Valley arts community is indeed fortunate to have a conductor of such high caliber leading the YSO. His imprint helps to ensure that the legacy of high-end musical entertainment and hands-on community outreach and service endures.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

That outreach takes many striking forms. The symphony each year, for example, sponsors its Stained-Glass Concerts, a free set of performances at houses of worship. This year’s schedule begins next Sunday at 3 p.m. at Canfield United Methodist Church. The symphony also will play Nov. 6 at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Lowellville and next March 26 at Temple El Emeth in Youngstown.

The YSO also reaches out aggressively to musically inclined youth throughout the region via its two student music ensembles: the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Symphonette. At a time when arts education in public schools has fallen victim to tight budgets and standardized testing regimens, the symphony society fills a void expertly.

It also takes its show on the road to public schools to offer free concerts that offer many students their only exposure to live classical music artistry.

The symphony society also is responsible for the preservation, improvement and expansion of the former Warner Theater, originally an ornate art deco movie house built in 1931 by the Warner Brothers. It is now a national historic landmark that boasts the 2,300-seat Powers Auditorium, Ford Recital Hall and Beecher Flad Pavilion. It serves as an impressive home for the orchestra and a magnet for downtown hubbub.

Considering the many gifts the orchestra bestows upon the Valley, it’s only fitting that the community respond in kind. There are many ways individuals and businesses can do so. Supporters can provide monetary donations in the form of sponsorships and donations to the Symphony’s Annual Fund. In addition, the society has openings for volunteer ushers, coat checkers and fundraisers.

Of course, many can support and enjoy the symphony simultaneously by becoming season ticket holders or by attending any one of the orchestra’s diverse repertoire of performances. This season is dedicated to the ethnic groups that settled the Mahoning Valley with classical concerts featuring classical music with origins in Eastern Europe, Italy and the British Isles. For more contemporary tastes, the season also features pops concerts with the sounds of the Beatles, Christmas classics and ’70s and ’80s rock.

The season promises to continue the YSO’s long tradition of excellence. Indeed, at 90, the symphony is looking – and sounding – better than ever.