Erie Philharmonic
Encyclopedia
The Erie Philharmonic is a professional orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

 located in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...

. The Philharmonic has held their performances at the Warner Theatre
Warner Theatre (Erie, Pennsylvania)
The Warner Theatre is an Art Deco and French Renaissance-styled theater located in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Warner was designed by Chicago-architects Rapp and Rapp and was opened in 1931. It was used as...

 on State Street in downtown Erie since 1974.

History

The musicians union attempted to form a symphonic orchestra in the late 1890s, but there was no popular support in Erie and the effort died. Another attempt to produce a symphony occurred in April 1913, when a group of 40 to 50 musicians rehearsed for months for a performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...

and Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...

's Peer Gynt Suite. The concert never took place.

It was only months later, on 30 November 1913, that the Erie Symphony Orchestra, Erie Phil's earliest iteration, was born. It lasted just over two years, with its final concert held on 20 February 1916. On 30 January 1921, the orchestra was reorganized as the Second Symphony Orchestra. It lasted five years, with its final concert held on 2 May 1926.

The First Philharmonic held its first concert on 8 February 1921. The Second Philharmonic held its first concert on 7 February 1932. The Erie Phil disbanded for the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, then incorporated on 23 September 1947. It has performed in Erie ever since.

The Erie Philharmonic Chorus was formed in 1953, and the Erie Junior Philharmonic was established in 1956.

The Erie Phil received a US$15,000 grant from the Erie Community Foundation
Erie Community Foundation
The Erie Community Foundation is a prominent public charity in Erie, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :ECF was established as the Erie Endowment on 1 June 1949. Elisha H...

 to publicize its effort to find a new conductor for the orchestra.

Music directors

  • 1913-1916 Franz Kohler
  • 1920-1926 Henry B. Vincent
  • 1931-1947 John R. Metcalf
  • 1947-1953 Fritz Mahler
    Fritz Mahler
    Fritz Mahler was an Austrian conductor.Mahler's father was a cousin of the composer Gustav Mahler. In Europe he became a leading conductor with such ensembles as the Berlin Radio Symphony, the Dresden Philharmonic and the Danish State Symphony. He fled Europe in 1936 for the United States...

  • 1953-1967 James Sample
    James Sample
    James W. Sample was an American conductor.-Biography:Sample was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and began studying the violin at age ten and piano at age eleven. By the age of twenty he conducted his first symphony in Minneapolis. He earned his bachelor’s in music degree at the MacPhail School of...

  • 1967-1973 John A. Gosling
    John A. Gosling
    John A. Gosling is a conductor of classical music. He served as music director of the Erie Philharmonic from 1967 to 1973, and the North Carolina Symphony in 1973.-References:...

  • 1973-1976 Harold Bauer
  • 1976-1990 Walter Hendl
    Walter Hendl
    Walter Hendl was an American conductor, composer and pianist.-Biography:Hendl was born in West New York, New Jersey, and later went on to study with Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. From 1939 to 1941 he taught at Sarah Lawrence College in New York City...

  • 1990-1995 Eiji Oue
    Eiji Oue
    is a Japanese conductor.Oue began his conducting studies with Hideo Saito of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. In 1978, Seiji Ozawa invited him to spend the summer studying at the Tanglewood Music Center. While there, he met Leonard Bernstein, who became a mentor. Oue won the Tanglewood...

  • 1996-2000 Peter Bay
    Peter Bay
    Peter Bay is Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon, and Music Director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra.-Life:He graduated from the University of Maryland and the Peabody Institute....

  • 2000-2006 Hugh Keelan
    Hugh Keelan
    Hugh Keelan was born in Kingston upon Thames, England and has served as the musical director and conductor of prominent American orchestras. He is a pianist and violinist. He is also an arranger of music....

  • 2007-present Daniel Meyer
    Daniel Meyer (conductor)
    Daniel Meyer was born in Cleveland, Ohio and has been conductor and musical director of several prominent American orchestras.He is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He is a doctoral candidate in music at Boston University...


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