Virginia Symphony Celebrates 100th Anniversary

by Mel Frizzell, Special Collections Assistant

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The Records of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in the Old Dominion University Library’s Special Collections and University Archives document the history of the Virginia Symphony from its first concert in 1921 up to the present day.  These records include concert programs from that first concert through 2019.  Other materials in the collection include newspaper clippings; newsletters; marketing; fundraising and membership campaigns; finances; correspondence; contract information; board of directors and executive committee information; meeting agendas and minutes; and by-laws.  Multimedia are also included in the collection.  These include audio cassettes, CD’s, VHS tapes, and DVD’s of various concerts, interviews, and promotional materials.  There are even Betamax tapes, audio reels, old film reels, and other media.  There are also photos, slides, scrapbooks, posters, and other memorabilia.  New programs and other materials are periodically added to the collection.

Over the years, the Symphony played at number of local venues. These venues have included the Armory auditorium, Blair High School Auditorium, Norfolk Center Theater, Harrison Opera House, Chrysler Hall, Norfolk Scope, Virginia Beach Pavilion Theater, Portsmouth Performing Arts Center, the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, the Ferguson Center for the Arts at Christopher Newport University, and the Norfolk State University Performing Arts Center, among other venues.  The Blair High School Auditorium was chosen in the 1930s to help save costs during the Great Depression.  The Symphony played at the newly created Center Theater beginning in 1943, and this became a regular venue for Symphony Performances beginning in 1947.  The Center Theater was renovated and renamed the Harrison Opera House in 1993. The Symphony moved performances to Chrysler Hall in 1972 and this has become its permanent home.

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Early conductors for the Symphony included Walter Edward Howe, W. Henry Baker, Bart Wirtz, Arthur Fickenscher, and Frank L. Delphino.  In 1934, Henry Cowles Whitehead, son of Symphony founder, Dr. Robert C. Whitehead, became conductor.  After Henry Whitehead’s death in 1948, Edgar Schenkman became conductor from 1948 until 1966.  In 1966, Edgar Schenkman resigned as conductor of the Norfolk Symphony in order to devote his full attention to the Richmond Symphony which he’d also conducted since 1957.  In 1966, Russell Stanger came on as conductor and he held the position until 1980.  Richard Williams, previously conductor of the Cedar Rapids Symphony, replaced Stanger as conductor from 1980 to 1986.  Winston Dan Vogel conducted from 1986 to 1990.  JoAnn Falletta was appointed conductor in 1991 and she remains with the Virginia Symphony 30 years later in 2021.  Falletta is stepping down at the end of the current season in May.

The Symphony has performed under several names over the years and its history has included mergers with other local symphonies, choral associations, and other musical organizations.  The Symphony started out under the name Norfolk Civic Symphony Orchestra in 1920.  The Norfolk Civic Symphony Orchestra became the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra in 1930.  In 1949, the Orchestra merged with the Civic Chorus and became the Norfolk Symphony and Choral Association.  Other mergers in the late 1970s included mergers with the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra and the Virginia Beach Pops Symphony Orchestra.  For a time, the group was known as the Virginia Orchestra Group, the Virginia Philharmonic, and a few other names, before finally settling on the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in 1990.

Besides the Symphony proper, a number of supporting groups and organizations formed over the years. The Civic Orchestral Association organized in 1921, but was not chartered until 1931.  The Norfolk Orchestral Association was formed in 1922.  The Women’s Committee of the Orchestral Association was formed early in the Symphony’s history.  This committee organized the first Symphony membership campaign in the mid-1930s.  The Women’s Committee was later renamed the Women’s Auxiliary of the Norfolk Symphony and Choral Association in 1953.  It became the Norfolk Symphony Association Auxiliary in 1977.   Later supporting groups include the Virginia Symphony Foundation and the Virginia Symphony League which hold fundraising activities to help fund the Symphony.  The Virginia Symphony Society of Greater Williamsburg encourages support and enjoyment of the Symphony in the Williamsburg area.  The Virginia Symphony regularly collaborates with other arts organizations including the Virginia Opera, the Virginia Arts Festival, and the Richmond Ballet.

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Listen to oral histories with Virginia Symphony Members in the ODU Libraries’ Digital Collections: https://dc.lib.odu.edu/digital/collection/vsooh

The milestones and notable achievements of the Symphony are many.  In May 1924, the Orchestra performed their first choral work, Mendelssohn Symphony, No. 2, Lobgesang.  The Orchestra began charging admission to concerts in 1929, and it is believed that no musicians were paid before that time.  The cost of admission in 1929 was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children.  The first Young People’s Concert was performed in 1936.  These concerts continued until 1942, when they were interrupted by World War II.  Youth concerts resumed a few years after the war, and in 1953 the Women’s Auxiliary founded a Youth Orchestra.  The Symphony published the book “Song in their Hearts, 1920-1960” in 1961.  The book was written by Grace Shepherd Ferebee.  The year 1966 brought racial integration to the Symphony.  James M. Reeves, a bass player, became the first Black orchestra member.  Reeves went on to become a faculty member at Norfolk State University in 1974, and he served as head of the music department from 1979 until he retired int 1984.  In 1979, the Symphony performed under Russell Stanger with pianist Shura Cherkassky at Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  In 1997, the Symphony performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City under the direction of JoAnn Falletta.

The Virginia Symphony has grown and changed over the last 100 years – from a small group of amateur and professional players into an organized, full-time, professional organization supported by yet other organizations.  It has thrived during good times and survived challenges.  Here’s hoping for another great 100 years of the Virginia Symphony!

Sources:

MG 81-A, Virginia Symphony Orchestra Records, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.  https://www.lib.odu.edu/archon/?p=collections/controlcard&id=129

“Virginia Symphony Chronology” by Dr. Jean Major

Virginia Symphony Official Website.  https://virginiasymphony.org/celebrate100/