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"Symphoria" ready for new season of music

experiencesymphoria.org

A brass quintet set the stage for the announcement of the first full season of Symphoria, the orchestra born out of the bankruptcy of the Syracuse Symphony. 

Musician and Symphoria board member John Garland says they're coming off a shortened season of 50 concerts across the region that began in December...

"Those performances stretched from Jamestown to Herkimer and everywhere in between, but they were concentrated primarily here in Onondaga County.  We're also very pleased to announce that Symphoria has managed to retain nearly 50 of the former SSO musicians to be the artistic core of  Symphoria."

"I tell ya, it gives me more than a little satisfaction to be sitting here today after last year." 

That's Onondaga County Legislator Kathy Rapp, who has spearheaded efforts to support and promote the new orchestra.

"We were being told from all sides that symphonic music was dead, there was no market, there was no interest.  To see in that one year's time the complete turnaround."

"Our attendance has been growing through our events, and that's been very positive for us.  Certainly, the performances themselves seem to have gone very well, and the responses from the folks who have come have been very positive, so that's exciting for us."

John Garland says the 2013-14 season will feature 19 performances ranging from Russian and Italian masters, to movie music and a pops series.  Many of the concerts will be performed at unique venues consistent with the style of music.  More information on the upcoming season that begins September 21st is at experiencesymphoria.org

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.