In 1922, philanthropist and business man George Eastman established the epitome of the musical community in Rochester: the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. The RPO performs more than 120 concerts, one third of these being community-related or educational. Overall, they serve about 170,000 audience members annually and play a major role in prioritizing art in the city of Rochester.
The RPO has had twelve talented directors, the most recent being Ward Stare. Stare is a Rochester native and has been described by the Chicago Tribune as a rising star in the field of conducting. Due to the success of the orchestra under Stare’s leadership and the accomplished conductors that came before him, the orchestra has won multiple awards within the last few decades. This includes the the New York State Governor’s Arts Award in 2002 and the American Society of Composers’ Award for Adventurous Programming in 2005, 2006, and 2012. These awards have resulted in constant publicity for the orchestra, allowing the music life in Rochester to thrive. When I was young my dad would take me to see the RPO whenever they played music he was interested in. As an elementary schooler I didn’t have much appreciation for these performances, however, my involvement with the RPO grew as I got older.
When I was sixteen, I auditioned to be a violist in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which is a program affiliated with the RPO. I was accepted and played viola for the RPYO during my junior and senior year of high school. My time in the RPYO was truly unforgettable. We played famous symphonies such as Symphony Fantastique, Shostakovich 5, and Dvorak 9 which most musicians don’t play until they’re in college. Every year one of our concerts was played side-by-side with the RPO. I shared a stand with an RPO violist and was able to gain advice from her about both music and life in general. The RPO gave me mentors, friends, and of course a deeper love for music. Out of everything I left behind in Rochester, this is what I miss the most!
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