Oregon East Symphony
Encyclopedia
The Oregon East Symphony is an orchestra
based in Pendleton
, Oregon
, United States. It has been described as "the best small-town symphony orchestra in North America", and "the most remotely situated full symphony orchestra on the planet", and is one of Oregon's few full symphony orchestras. Its official nickname is "The Best Damn Redneck Orchestra in the World". Highlights of the orchestra's repertoire include ongoing cycles of the orchestral works of Beethoven and Mahler, as well as major works by Elgar, Mozart, Hindemith, Rachmaninoff and Dvorak
. The orchestra has also presented world-premieres of works by composers including Emily Doolittle, John McKinnon, Leandro Espinosa, Margaret Mayer and the film-composer Christopher Thomas.
The orchestra's primary home is the Vert Auditorium.
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...
based in Pendleton
Pendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States. It has been described as "the best small-town symphony orchestra in North America", and "the most remotely situated full symphony orchestra on the planet", and is one of Oregon's few full symphony orchestras. Its official nickname is "The Best Damn Redneck Orchestra in the World". Highlights of the orchestra's repertoire include ongoing cycles of the orchestral works of Beethoven and Mahler, as well as major works by Elgar, Mozart, Hindemith, Rachmaninoff and Dvorak
Dvorák
- Dvořák or Dvorak :* Ann Dvorak , American film actress* Antonín Dvořák , Czech composer of Romantic music* August Dvorak , American psychologist, co-creator of the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard...
. The orchestra has also presented world-premieres of works by composers including Emily Doolittle, John McKinnon, Leandro Espinosa, Margaret Mayer and the film-composer Christopher Thomas.
History
The Oregon East Symphony was created in 1986 by a consortium of local musicians and music lovers who wanted to establish a community orchestra in Pendleton, Oregon. Pendleton, population 17,310, is over 200 miles from the nearest metropolitan area, and the OES quickly became known as the "most remotely situated full symphony orchestra on the planet".General information
The Oregon East Symphony and Chorale offer a subscrption series of five classical concerts and perform and yearly Holiday Concert, which often features other local ensembles. In 2001, the OES founded a new training orchestra, the A Sharp Players, conducted by Kenneth Woods and Travis Sipher. The A #s offer their own series of concerts and also perform annually at area schools. The group is currently under the direction of Bruce Walker, Assistant Conductor to the Oregon East Symphony.The orchestra's primary home is the Vert Auditorium.