West Side Community Concerts
Encyclopedia
West Side Community Concerts, Inc., renamed West Side Orchestral Concerts, Inc. in 1968, were an American
summer classical concert series given by a 40-piece orchestra, The Festival Symphony Orchestra. The series debuted in the summer of 1962 and continued until 1977. Frédérique Petrides (1903-1983) was its founder, organizer and musical director. The first concert in 1962, took place at 73rd Street, in Riverside Park
, but in 1963 the series moved to its permanent location, a spacious sports arena, with the Hudson River
as a backdrop, at 103rd Street in Riverside Park
, Manhattan, New York, where, for the concerts, a temporary acoustical shell was brought in. The series was publicized and referred to as "Tanglewood
around the corner". The concerts were well received by the press, attended by as many as 4,500, and broadcast live on WNYC
radio.
, a pioneer in her field, had founded the Orchestrette Classique
, an all-women's chamber orchestra, which existed from 1932 to 1943, premiered works by new American composers, such as Paul Creston
, Samuel Barber
and David Diamond
; and gave five to six concerts annually in Carnegie chamber Music Hall, now Weill Recital Hall, founded the Carl Schurz Park
concert series on Manhattan
's Upper East Side
in 1958, founded the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra in Tarrytown, New York
in the 1930's, and founded the Student Symphony Society in New York City
in 1950. Ms. Petrides was also editor and publisher of the Women in Music
newsletters, that, in the 1930's, were published in New York and circulated internationally.
neighborhoods where she resided. The first series, begun in 1958, was in Carl Schurz Park
on the Upper East Side
, adjacent to East End Avenue
, where she had lived from 1931 to 1958. The second, West Side Community Concerts was launched in 1962, in Riverside Park
on the Upper West Side
, close to West 78th Street, where she lived from 1958 to 1983.
concerts, near Gracie Mansion
, that Frédérique Petrides first organized and directed her Festival Symphony Orchestra, composed primarily of members of the New York Philharmonic
. This continued to be her orchestra as leader of the West Side Community Concerts/West Side Orchestral Concerts series.
"I had very fine musicians to work with."
"It was necessary to be well-organized because there was only limited time to rehearse. I talked very little but would get down to the business of rehearsing immediately. A woman must be better than a man if she is to conduct prestigious groups, and I made it my career always to be 100 percent prepared and know all the scores tremendously well. I never encountered a problem conducting all-male orchestras, and we always worked well together."
' conducting career was abetted by her husband, journalist, Peter Petrides (1896-1978), who acted as manager and publicist for the concerts. Although Greek, he was born Petros Agathangelos Petrides in Caratepeh, Turkey
and grew up in Constantinople
. After emigrating to the United States
, as a young man, he became a writer for and Managing Editor of the Greek-American newspaper, The National Herald (not to be mistaken for the newspaper of the same name that was established in 1997). " I could never have done [my] work without his continuous help and encouragement...He was a wonderful Publicity Man, full of creative ideas..." Frédérique Petrides
is a telented and dedicated pioneer conductor. She has the breadth and depth of knowledge and perceptive ability to delve into little - known scores and present new and different listening experiences. That she was able to combine in her programs new music with little - known classical compositions made a unique contribution to the American musical scene. Why would a conductor choose this direction? She [Petrides] answers,
'I needed to attract attention in order to receive the support of a listening public as well as support from the higher echelon in the music circle of fine musicians and critics. There was a wealth of music on library shelves and it had not been explored. There were works by classical composers and these had never been performed in America. Modern works needed public performances, too. People are instinctively attracted to new listening experiences--how else can there be musical growth? I continually accomplished this goal by offering something different.'"
, Howard Klein
, Theodore Strongin
and Raymond Ericson
of The New York Times
; and Robert Sherman
, also with The New York Times
, who in the July 3, 1970 edition of that paper wrote of Frédérique Petrides
as “a prime mover in New York’s cultural affairs since the mid-thirties”.
Frédérique Petrides Papers New York Public Library
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
summer classical concert series given by a 40-piece orchestra, The Festival Symphony Orchestra. The series debuted in the summer of 1962 and continued until 1977. Frédérique Petrides (1903-1983) was its founder, organizer and musical director. The first concert in 1962, took place at 73rd Street, in Riverside Park
Riverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
, but in 1963 the series moved to its permanent location, a spacious sports arena, with the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
as a backdrop, at 103rd Street in Riverside Park
Riverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
, Manhattan, New York, where, for the concerts, a temporary acoustical shell was brought in. The series was publicized and referred to as "Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
around the corner". The concerts were well received by the press, attended by as many as 4,500, and broadcast live on WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
radio.
Founder and conductor, Frédérique Petrides
Prior to founding the West Side Community Concerts/ West Side Orchestral Concerts, Frédérique PetridesFrédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides , , was a Belgian-American conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the Orchestrette Classique in New York...
, a pioneer in her field, had founded the Orchestrette Classique
Orchestrette Classique
Orchestrette Classique, later called Orchestrette of New York was an American chamber orchestra in New York made up of women musicians. Frédérique Petrides , a pioneering woman conductor who led other orchestras in New York, founded it in 1932 and served as its conductor until it ceased in 1943...
, an all-women's chamber orchestra, which existed from 1932 to 1943, premiered works by new American composers, such as Paul Creston
Paul Creston
Paul Creston was an Italian American composer of classical music.Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Creston was self‐taught as a composer. He was an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, initiated into the national honorary Alpha Alpha chapter...
, Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
and David Diamond
David Diamond (composer)
David Leo Diamond was an American composer of classical music.-Life and career:He was born in Rochester, New York and studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music under Bernard Rogers, also receiving lessons from Roger Sessions in New York City and Nadia Boulanger in...
; and gave five to six concerts annually in Carnegie chamber Music Hall, now Weill Recital Hall, founded the Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park is a 14.9 acre public park on the Upper East Side of New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then a solidly German-American community of Yorkville....
concert series on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
in 1958, founded the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra in Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown, New York
Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
in the 1930's, and founded the Student Symphony Society in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1950. Ms. Petrides was also editor and publisher of the Women in Music
Women in Music
Women in Music was an American newsletter founded in July 1935 by its publisher and editor, Frédérique Petrides, then the conductor of the Orchestrette Classique – an orchestra based in New York made-up of all women musicians. The publication ran until December 1940...
newsletters, that, in the 1930's, were published in New York and circulated internationally.
An eye for possibilities
Madame Petrides launched and directed two separate outdoor summer orchestra festivals, both in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
neighborhoods where she resided. The first series, begun in 1958, was in Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park is a 14.9 acre public park on the Upper East Side of New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then a solidly German-American community of Yorkville....
on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
, adjacent to East End Avenue
East End Avenue
East End Avenue in Manhattan is the easternmost avenue on the Upper East Side. Principally residential in character, it only runs from E 79th to E 90th Street through the Yorkville neighborhood. Carl Schurz Park, the location of Gracie Mansion, is adjacent to the avenue....
, where she had lived from 1931 to 1958. The second, West Side Community Concerts was launched in 1962, in Riverside Park
Riverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
, close to West 78th Street, where she lived from 1958 to 1983.
The Festival Symphony Orchestra
It was for the Carl Schurz ParkCarl Schurz Park
Carl Schurz Park is a 14.9 acre public park on the Upper East Side of New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then a solidly German-American community of Yorkville....
concerts, near Gracie Mansion
Gracie Mansion
thumb|250px|Western sideGracie Mansion is the official residence of the mayor of the City of New York. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and Eighty-eighth Street in Manhattan...
, that Frédérique Petrides first organized and directed her Festival Symphony Orchestra, composed primarily of members of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
. This continued to be her orchestra as leader of the West Side Community Concerts/West Side Orchestral Concerts series.
About the musicians
Petrides had this to say:"I had very fine musicians to work with."
"It was necessary to be well-organized because there was only limited time to rehearse. I talked very little but would get down to the business of rehearsing immediately. A woman must be better than a man if she is to conduct prestigious groups, and I made it my career always to be 100 percent prepared and know all the scores tremendously well. I never encountered a problem conducting all-male orchestras, and we always worked well together."
The organization
- The concerts were presented under the auspices of "West Side Community Concerts, Inc." and then "West Side Orchestral Concerts, Inc."
- The musicians were funded, in part, by a grant from The Recording Industries Trust Fund, obtained with assistance from Local 802 of the American Federation of MusiciansAmerican Federation of MusiciansThe American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
.
- The New York City Department of Parks coordinated efforts with West Side Community Concerts/West Side Orchestral Concerts.
- Harry B. Frank (1905–1996) of the New York Supreme CourtNew York Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
served as Founding Chairman of the organization. Gladys Steinholz ( Garf; 1901–1967) later served as Chairman.
Publicist and manager, Peter Petrides
For more than forty years, Frédérique PetridesFrédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides , , was a Belgian-American conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the Orchestrette Classique in New York...
' conducting career was abetted by her husband, journalist, Peter Petrides (1896-1978), who acted as manager and publicist for the concerts. Although Greek, he was born Petros Agathangelos Petrides in Caratepeh, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and grew up in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. After emigrating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as a young man, he became a writer for and Managing Editor of the Greek-American newspaper, The National Herald (not to be mistaken for the newspaper of the same name that was established in 1997). " I could never have done [my] work without his continuous help and encouragement...He was a wonderful Publicity Man, full of creative ideas..." Frédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides , , was a Belgian-American conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the Orchestrette Classique in New York...
Combining the old with the new
"Madame Frédérique PetridesFrédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides , , was a Belgian-American conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the Orchestrette Classique in New York...
is a telented and dedicated pioneer conductor. She has the breadth and depth of knowledge and perceptive ability to delve into little - known scores and present new and different listening experiences. That she was able to combine in her programs new music with little - known classical compositions made a unique contribution to the American musical scene. Why would a conductor choose this direction? She [Petrides] answers,
'I needed to attract attention in order to receive the support of a listening public as well as support from the higher echelon in the music circle of fine musicians and critics. There was a wealth of music on library shelves and it had not been explored. There were works by classical composers and these had never been performed in America. Modern works needed public performances, too. People are instinctively attracted to new listening experiences--how else can there be musical growth? I continually accomplished this goal by offering something different.'"
Press
Among the leading critics who, during the fifteen years of its existence, closely followed and reviewed the West Side Community Concerts/West Side Orchestral Concerts series were Francis D. Perkins of the New York Herald TribuneNew York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
, Howard Klein
Howard Klein
Howard Klein is an American television producer. He is best known for being executive producer of the award-winning HBO television series Carnivàle.-Producer credits :* King of the Hill * Loaded Weapon 1...
, Theodore Strongin
Theodore Strongin
Theodore Strongin was an American music critic, composer, flautist, and entomologist.-Life and career:Born in New York City, Strongin grew up in Darien, Connecticut. He studied both music and biology at Harvard University and Bard College...
and Raymond Ericson
Raymond Ericson
Raymond Ericson was an American music critic who wrote articles for The New York Times for 30 years.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
; and Robert Sherman
Robert Sherman (music critic)
Robert Sherman is an American music critic, radio personality, academic, and writer on music. He is the son of pianist Nadia Reisenberg. From 1964-2003 he was a music critic for The New York Times. Since 1969 he has hosted the folk music radio program Woody's Children; for the first 30 years on...
, also with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, who in the July 3, 1970 edition of that paper wrote of Frédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides , , was a Belgian-American conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the Orchestrette Classique in New York...
as “a prime mover in New York’s cultural affairs since the mid-thirties”.
Notable concert in memoriam
- June 14, 1965 — The Festival Orchestra with choir performed Haydn'sJoseph HaydnFranz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
Mass in Time of WarMissa in tempore belliMissa in tempore belli is Joseph Haydn’s tenth, and one of the most popular, of his fourteen settings of the mass.This mass is catalogued Mass No. 10 in C major, , and is sometimes known as the Paukenmesse due to the inclusion of the timpani in its orchestration...
in memory of Andrew GoodmanAndrew GoodmanAndrew Goodman was one of three American civil rights activists murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life and education:...
, a young West SiderWest Side (Manhattan)The West Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan Island which abuts the Hudson River and faces New Jersey. Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and lower Broadway separate it from the East Side. The major neighborhoods on the West Side are West Harlem, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley, Upper...
who was killed in Neshoba County, Mississippi. His friends, civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
coworkers, and family were in an audience of about 2,000.
Images, and guide to papers
Frédérique Petrides Photos New York Public LibraryFrédérique Petrides Papers New York Public Library