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Jon Borowicz, emeritus professor
of music at Norwich University, had a dream of bringing together
local musicians to perform classical symphonic works. His dream
was fulfilled in December 1959, when the Vermont Philharmonic
played its first public concert, Handel's Messiah in Plumley
Armory in Northfield, Vermont. During the next 30 years, the
orchestra performed in a wide variety of settings throughout
Vermont. The orchestra found a permanent home in the Barre Opera House when it was reopened in 1993.
Professor Borowicz
held the baton for nearly 20 years. In 1977, New Zealand native
Brian Webb became the orchestra's conductor for the next
two decades, stepping down in 1997 to pursue other interests.
Northfield's Dan Bruce served as Interim Music Director
during the orchestra's two-year search for a new conductor. The
Fall of 1999, Louis A. Kosma stepped up to the podium
as Music Director of the Vermont Philharmonic and proudly brought
Vermont's oldest community orchestra into the 21st Century.
 Perhaps the Philharmonic's
proudest achievement has been in its support of music in Vermont
schools. Many opportunities are offered to students to perform
with the orchestra. The Philharmonic annually awards, through
audition, a scholarship to an outstanding Vermont high school
student of music, who is then the featured soloist in a regular
concert. Many scholarship winners have gone on to study music
in college and graduate school.
Today, the Philharmonic's
member-musicians, some 60 strong and from all walks of life,
are committed to the orchestra's two-fold mission of sharing
their love of music with audiences of all ages, and encouraging
young musicians to dedicate themselves to their musical education
so that some might become professional musicians of tomorrow. |
