“James Blachly has been chosen as the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra’s leader following ‘A Season of New Faces,’ which welcomed six guest conductors who were vying for the position,” writes Kelly Urban on 6/6 (Thursday) in the Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Penn.). “He replaces Istvan Jaray, who stepped down after 31 seasons as the symphony’s music director and conductor. Blachly, a Washington, D.C., resident, recently served as the music director of the New York City-based Experiential Orchestra and Geneva (N.Y.) Light Opera. He also was co-artistic director of The Dream Unfinished, an advocacy orchestra for social justice.… Blachly led the JSO in its March performance and said he loved working with them from the first moment.… ‘I could tell that it was meant to be,’ he said. ‘We had a connection and a kind of purpose to our music making that is uncommon and I could tell as rehearsals went on just how much every member of the orchestra cares about being a member—they are there because they love to make music and they want to share it.’ ”
Posted June 20, 2016
