For more than 80 years, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has been performing live symphonic music & providing educational programs for the people of Springfield, Ohio & the surrounding region.
SPRINGFIELD
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
QUICK HISTORY
FOUNDED IN 1943​
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The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was founded in 1943 by Edwin Juergens, William Minnick and William Fiedler, the organization’s first conductor. The SSO performed in Springfield’s Memorial Hall from 1944-1985. For the 1985-86 Season, the SSO moved to the North High School Auditorium. During the Symphony’s 50th anniversary season (1993-94), it gave its first performance in the Kuss Auditorium for the Gala Opening on November 6, 1993.
8 MUSIC DIRECTORS IN 80 YEARS​
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In addition to William Fiedler, the SSO has been under the musical direction of seven leaders: Walter Heermann from 1946-1948; Guy Taylor from 1948-1951; Evan Whallon from 1951-1957; Jackson Wiley from 1957-1970; Robert Gutter from 1970-1972; John E. Ferritto from 1972-2001; and current Music Director and Conductor, Peter Stafford Wilson.
DEDICATION TO THE YOUTH​
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In 1950, the SSO presented the first Concerts for Young People. Today, students from Clark, Greene, Champaign, and Madison counties are bused to Clark State Performing Arts Center’s Kuss Auditorium for performances. These concerts are often the children’s first exposure to symphonic music. The SSO sponsors a Youth Symphony, Youth Chamber Orchestra, Youth String Ensemble, Youth Choir, & Children's Choir. Organized in 1959, the youth orchestra program gives talented young people the opportunity to develop their musical skills.
MUSIC DIRECTOR
PETER STAFFORD WILSON
Meet Peter Stafford Wilson, the Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony
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Peter Stafford Wilson became the Springfield Symphony Orchestra’s eighth music director in 2002 following a national search, and in the ensuing years, he has brought new excitement and energy to the ensemble, which currently is enjoying renewed critical and audience acclaim. Concurrently, he holds the post of Music Director of the Westerville Symphony, and Guest Conductor, Kansas City Ballet. He has recently completed a 10-season tenure as Principal Conductor of the Tulsa Ballet.
Peter Stafford Wilson’s leadership of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra continues to elicit praise from the public, musicians and press. Early in his tenure, Wilson created two multimedia symphonic experiences, Agriculture and the Arts Growing Together and American Made: Celebrating Our Manufacturing Heritage, both of which championed unique aspects of this vibrant community. His subsequent collaboration with the Astronomy Department at Wittenberg University resulted in a dynamic and highly acclaimed multi discipline production of Gustav Holst’s The Planets.
Wilson’s commitment to the young concertgoers and musicians of the Clark County area is well evidenced by his annual leadership of the SSO’s Concerts for Young People, a collaboration with the Clark State Performing Arts Center and the Kurt Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall, and his watchful eye (and ear) over the Springfield Youth Symphony. He also has created a new partnership with the Clark County Public Library called Tunes-n-Tales, inviting preschoolers to explore the music of the orchestra through literature.
Wilson’s leadership from the orchestra pit has been enjoyed by the Philadelphia Ballet, the Oklahoma City Ballet, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and BalletMet Columbus. Wilson has received conducting invitations from orchestras and ballet companies throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and South America and he has enjoyed extended relationships with the Cincinnati Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Wilson has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors for the International Conductors Guild where he serves as co-chair of the Mentorship Committee.
THE ORCHESTRA
Peter Stafford Wilson, Music Director
Violin I
Sujean Kim, Concertmaster
David Smarelli, Assistant Concertmaster
Maureen Case
Anita Chiu
Carlos Elias
William Gibb
Katie Harford
Ashtin Johnson
Vincent Richardson
Alayne Wegner
Violin II
Lesa Deborde, Principal
Vicki Bentley
Barbi Garrett
Monica Hill
Wenbi Lai Hirakawa
Lu Li
Sheila Santa
Heather York
Viola
Jennifer Neumayr, Principal
Megan Cramm
Melanie Mason
Sonja Pershing
Dawna Rone
Paul Van Ausdal
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The Springfield Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions for Substitute Musicians, Trumpet 2 & Bass Clarinet.
Trumpet 2 & Bass Clarinet Auditions
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions on Sunday, August 25, 2024 for Trumpet 2 & Bass Clarinet. Application deadline is Saturday, August 17, 2024.
Download Application »
Download sheet music »
Substitute Musicians
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions on Saturday, August 24, 2024 for Substitute Musicians. Application deadline is Saturday, August 17, 2024.
Download Application »
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*Musicians Taking a Year Leave - Rachael Young, Principal Bassoon, George Carpten, Trumpet
The musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra are members of the American Federation of Musicians, Local 160.
SPRINGFIELD SYMPHONY CHORALE
DIRECTOR
KEVIN WILSON
Kevin Wilson grew up in Fairborn, Ohio, and graduated from Fairborn High School in 1984. He went on to Wright State University, where he earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Education, completing the latter in 1997. In 1990, he became the choir director at Butler High School in Vandalia, Ohio, where he taught Concert Choir, Women's Choir, Symphonic Choir, and an after-school Chamber Choir. He also taught AP Music Theory, Music Listening, and Class Piano. After 34 years of teaching, Kevin recently retired from Vandalia.
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Throughout his teaching career, he also served as a part-time music director at four different churches from 1987 to 2019. Beyond choral conducting, Kevin is an avid drummer and frequently participates in various musical projects, including local stage musicals.
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Kevin has been married to Keatha Wilson since 1990, and they continue to reside in Fairborn, where they raised their two children, Christopher and Amanda.
The Springfield Symphony Chorale is made up of 150 singers from Clark County and many surrounding counties. Their numbers include teachers, lawyers, engineers, librarians, high school students, choir directors, social workers, college students, physicians, retirees from various professions, and more. Some measure their age in years and others in decades. Some have formal musical training, and others have none. Though they may work in business, health care, public service, education, industry, and though they may differ in ages and ethnicity, they share at least one passion: music. They are a community of singers who believe, as Martin Luther wrote, “As long as we live, there is never enough singing.”
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The Chorale has been a part of SSO history since the orchestra’s very first performance on March 19, 1944, thrilling that first-ever audience with a performance of the Brahms Requiem. Subsequent seasons through the years featured the Chorale prominently in a wide variety of performances with the orchestra. Re-formed in 2006 with performances of Poulenc’s Gloria and Bruckner’s Psalm 150, the Chorale has appeared with the orchestra each subsequent year for such masterpieces as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’sLord Nelson Mass, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. An epic performance of Bizet’s Carmen during the 2012-2013 season set the stage for the SSO’s 70th anniversary season in 2013-2014, featuring the Chorale in a dramatic celebration of Springfield’s contribution to Civil War history, and a moving season finale that included Faure’s Requiem.
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The Chorale rehearses every Saturday morning, beginning about ten weeks prior to each concert depending on the difficulty of the literature. Rehearsals start with warm ups and voice building exercises, followed by working on the pieces being prepared for the concert. Concentration is placed on note preparation and then shifts to the musical aspects of the performance, according to the Chorale’s Director, Mr. Kevin Wilson.
Upcoming Events
Sat, Jan 25Jan 25, 2025, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PMClark State Performing Arts Center, 300 S Fountain Ave, Springfield, OH 45506, USA
Mon, Nov 18Nov 18, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PMSouthgate Baptist Church, 2111 S Center Blvd, Springfield, OH 45506, USA
Sat, Nov 09Nov 09, 2024, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PMClark State Performing Arts Center, 300 S Fountain Ave, Springfield, OH 45506, USA
Sat, Nov 02Nov 02, 2024, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PMJohn Legend Theater, 700 S Limestone St suite a, Springfield, OH 45505, USA
