In Monday’s (10/20) Huntsville Times (Alabama), Steve Doyle writes, “Mayor Tommy Battle has proclaimed Oct. 20-25 as ‘Symphony Week’ in celebration of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra’s 60th anniversary. The symphony traces its beginnings to December 1954, when local musicians Arthur Fraser and Alvin Dreger spread the word that they wanted to organize a symphony orchestra. Forty people responded to the invitation; rehearsals began in February 1955. Fraser became the symphony’s first conductor and music director, while Dreger played cello. The symphony performed its inaugural concert at Huntsville High School on Dec. 13, 1955. ‘These past 60 years have been a gift to our community, and we pause today to acknowledge the cultural impact these musicians have made on our high quality of life,’ Battle said Monday morning outside the Von Braun Center. ‘Music touches our soul. It inspires us to think differently, to think creatively and to embrace life in ways we might not have imagined.’ … The symphony has planned more than a dozen concerts and other musical activities for ‘Symphony Week.’ ”
Posted October 22, 2014
