Anchorage Symphony Orchestra
Encyclopedia
The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a semi-professional symphony orchestra
located in Anchorage
, Alaska
. Randall Craig Fleischer
is the director and conductor, and Linn Weeda is the assistant director and conductor.
The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1946, more than a decade before Alaska became a state, by a consortium of like-minded musicians looking for a musical outlet. Their first program collaborated with the Anchorage Little Theatre for a production of Charles Dickens
' A Christmas Carol
. From their original size of 17, the ASO grew through the 50's, hiring Peter Birch as conductor, and increasing to 32 members. Anchorage, however, continued to grow with the development of the City of Anchorage as the North Slope
oil fields grew and with the continued military presence of Elmendorf Air Force Base
, the ASO by the 1980s crossed the threshold as a semi-professional ensemble. Today the organization boasts of an endowment
, a board of directors, and 80 audition-entranced musicians in its ranks. In 2001, the symphony garnered the Mayor's Arts Award for an Outstanding Arts Organization and the Governor's Arts Award for an Outstanding Arts Organization.
The Anchorage Symphony performs in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
in downtown Anchorage.
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 Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Randall Craig Fleischer
Randall Craig Fleischer
Randall Craig Fleischer is an American conductor. He is the current Music Director of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Anchorage Symphony, and Youngstown Symphony orchestras .-External links:*...
is the director and conductor, and Linn Weeda is the assistant director and conductor.
The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1946, more than a decade before Alaska became a state, by a consortium of like-minded musicians looking for a musical outlet. Their first program collaborated with the Anchorage Little Theatre for a production of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
. From their original size of 17, the ASO grew through the 50's, hiring Peter Birch as conductor, and increasing to 32 members. Anchorage, however, continued to grow with the development of the City of Anchorage as the North Slope
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Prudhoe Bay or Sagavanirktok is a census-designated place located in North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 2,174 people; however, at any given time several thousand transient workers support the Prudhoe Bay oil field...
oil fields grew and with the continued military presence of Elmendorf Air Force Base
Elmendorf Air Force Base
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is a United States military facility adjacent to Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is an amalgamation of the former United States Air Force Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army Fort Richardson, which were merged in 2010.-Overview:The...
, the ASO by the 1980s crossed the threshold as a semi-professional ensemble. Today the organization boasts of an endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
, a board of directors, and 80 audition-entranced musicians in its ranks. In 2001, the symphony garnered the Mayor's Arts Award for an Outstanding Arts Organization and the Governor's Arts Award for an Outstanding Arts Organization.
The Anchorage Symphony performs in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is a performance venue in downtown Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Opened in 1989, it entertains over 200,000 patrons annually, and consists of three theaters:...
in downtown Anchorage.