The Santa Monica Symphony has grown to its present excellence under the batons of six outstanding conductors/music directors: founding conductor Jacques Rachmilovich, composer Arthur Lange, Peter Meremblum, former CBS Symphony director Victor Bay, USC School of Music faculty member Yehuda Gilad, and its current conductor Dr. Allen Robert Gross of the Occidental College Music faculty. Guest soloists are a regular program feature of the symphony season. Among artists performing with the orchestra have been Sydney and Jeanne Weiss, Nathaniel Rosen, Ronald Leonard and such noted composers and guest conductors as Nelson Riddle, Miklos Rosza, David Rose, Alfred Newman, John Green, and Elmer Bernstein. The Santa Monica Symphony also has made multiple recordings and was the first orchestra in the United States to record the First and Second Symphonies of Tchaikovsky. Among its other contributions have been the Young Musicians Concerts which provide performance opportunities for aspiring young musicians.
The Santa Monica Symphony is a member of the Association of California Symphony Orchestra (ASCO), The American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL), and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce. This music is sponsored as a public service by the City of Santa Monica and made possible in part by the Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division. Instrumental Music for these performances funded in part by the Recording Industries Music Performance Trust Funds as arranged by Local 47 of the American Federation of Musicians, William Peterson, President. These performances are made possible in part through sponsorship of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Music and Performing Arts Commission.
David Bendett, President
Jennifer A. Smolker, 1st Vice President
Sheila Wells, 2nd Vice President
Susan McKellar, Secretary
June Coleman, Financial Officer
Gayle Botti, Director
Sonia Luna, Director
Maynard Ostrow, Director
Innis Richards, Director
Elizabeth Sheffield, Director
Nat Trevis, Director
William Worcester, Director
Dennis Zane, Director
The Symphony is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors which maintains status with the State of California as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization and oversees the fiduciary responsibilities of the Symphony Association, i.e., to maintain financial integrity and to assure fidelity in the usage of public and charitably donated funds.
Although Santa Monica Symphony concerts are presented without charge, they are not "free". The Association pays the conductor, soloists, musicians, and the auditorium stage hands. We also pay for music rental, instrument cartage, insurance, and mailings to make sure the community knows about our concert schedule. Such essential expenditures bring the cost per concert to over $20,000, and the cost per season is approximately $85,000.
The Symphony is privileged and grateful to receive grants from the City of Santa Monica and the County of Los Angeles, which, this season, will cover one third of the orchestra's costs. However, the remaining two thirds of our season's budget must come from funds raised by the Association. In addition to our grant from the Recording Industries Music Performance Trust Fund, our Board of Directors diligently pursues all avenues of fundraising, including special event benefits, small business donations, corporate contributions, and foundation grants. Nevertheless, individual membership donations are vital in order to provide these outstanding admission-free concerts to our community.
October 19, 1997, 7:30 pm
December 14, 1997, 4:30 pm
March 22, 1998, 7:30 pm
May 17, 1998, 7:30 pm
Please be generous in helping to support your symphony. Contributions are deductible and will be used only for your enjoyment. Checks may be made to:
Santa Monica Symphony Association
Post Office Box 3101
Santa Monica, CA 90408-3101
(310)996-3260, or fax (310)395-1014
The orchestra rehearses every Wednesday at 7:45pm at the Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica. Interested non-professional musicians, please contact David Bendett at the Santa Monica Symphony Association.
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