Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra

The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1947, is an orchestra located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. The orchestra performs at the Theater for Performing Arts in the Baton Rouge River Center.

In 1940, a group of women formed a string quartet, playing in their own homes, their long-term dream being to have a symphony orchestra able to service the local community. After several years of work, the new Baton Rouge Civic Symphony Orchestra gave its first performance on February 5, 1947 in the Baton Rouge High School Auditorium.

Its mission is to develop and maintain a financially sound, first-class symphony orchestra with a regional and national profile which will provide education and cultural enrichment for the people of the greater Baton Rouge region and neighboring communities.

The orchestra's long-term vision is to ensure the future of classical music in the greater Baton Rouge region and neighboring communities by:

Initially, the orchestra consisted of 60 musicians from Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Southeastern Louisiana Institute (now Southeastern Louisiana University) in Hammond, and Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now ULL) in Lafayette. Frederick Kopp conducted the first concert. Three concerts were held during the season, and the first soloist to appear with the orchestra was violinist Miriam Solovieff. The season closed with a performance of the Redemption by Charles Gounod.

In the 1948-49 season, four concerts were presented by the orchestra’s new conductor, David Forrester. A newly established chamber recital series, sponsored by the orchestra, was inaugurated with two world-famous soloists, Mischa Elman, violin, and Amparo Iturbi, piano. A highlight of the 1949-50 season was the appearance of the Baton Rouge Boys Choir, conducted by Carver Blanchard. Another development was the inauguration of a children’s series designed to introduce music to Baton Rouge youth by having the orchestra perform in the schools.

The orchestra had a new conductor, Orlando Barera, who resigned as assistant conductor of the Houston Symphony to come to Baton Rouge.

...
Wikipedia