Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra Inc

FVSO: A Brief History

Founded in 1981 by John Eells, the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra has grown in numbers from a small initial core of thirty players to over ninety regular performing musicians. Each year the FVSO performs four regular subscription concerts and a popular outdoor concert each June at Miss Porter’s School.

The FVSO is guided by its mission:

“The Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to promoting musical excellence as a living part of our community, through performances and educational programs for all audiences, thereby fostering an appreciation for and knowledge of music, enriching the cultural life of our region.”

During its thirty-three year history, the orchestra has performed a wide range of familiar and lesser known classics from the literature. The FVSO has performed some of the most ambitious pieces in the symphonic repertoire, including Mahler’s Symphonies 5 and 6 and Beethoven’s 9th. It has committed itself to featuring talented young musician as soloists and it has performed collaborative “side-by-side concerts” with area high school orchestra and band members in addition to a program shared with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Community Orchestra. The highlight of the FVSO orchestra’s twenty-fifth season was a performance at Carnegie Hall. The orchestra has presented some unique programs such as the performance of Holst’s The Planets, which was synchronized to a NASA video projection of scenes from our solar system. The orchestra has also premiered original compositions by local composers. A complete listing of programs is available from the FVSO website, FVSO.org/history.

As the result of a year-long search and the screening of more than sixty applicants, the FVSO members selected a dynamic conductor — Jonathan Brennand. The orchestra is pleased to welcome Jonathan to the FVSO community and look forward to his long association and engagement with performers and audience alike.

The orchestra is grateful to Miss Porter’s School which provides space for weekly rehearsals and its lovely grounds for the June outdoor concerts. We are equally appreciative of the support extended to the orchestra by advertisers, donors, subscribers and audience members.

Please visit our website for additional information about the orchestra as well as a link to recorded performances which are archived by Simsbury TV.