In 2009 the Vermont Symphony Orchestra (VSO) will celebrate its 75th anniversary. The oldest symphony in the country to receive legislative funding began in 1934-35 at a time when the country was recovering from the Great Depression.

The symphony was the brainchild of Alan Carter, a talented violinist who, upon returning from a European concert tour (including a Paris debut), formed the Cremona String Quartet. In 1934 he brought the quartet to Woodstock (Vermont) for a summer residency. Encouraged by the support of Woodstock’s prominent social/cultural leader, Margaret Williams, the musicians gave several concerts around Woodstock.

Photo Courtesy of the VSO.

While in Woodstock, Carter met Frederick Johnson of nearby White River. Recognizing their mutual love of music, they formed a partnership and, using a wire recorder, recorded the quartet’s music and proceeded to drive all over Vermont playing the recordings for anyone who would support or offer venues where the quartet could play. They proved tireless in their quest.

Their efforts piqued enough interest in several Vermont musicians that Carter traded his bow for a baton and formed a small orchestra made up mostly of members of a Burlington symphony and a Rutland band. Although the two sets of musicians approached each other with skepticism, Carter persevered and in January 1936, with Carter conducting, they gave the first concert at the Rutland Armory.

“It was both exciting and frantic but spirit carried it along,” reported Alan’s wife, the former Barbara Kent (daughter of the American Artist Rockwell Kent).

Before each concert Carter never knew if he would have enough musicians to play. Sometimes he substituted a flute for an oboe or a saxophone for a bassoon. Meanwhile the story of a rural orchestra made up of farmers, lawyers, barbers and postmen caught the fancy of the national press so that in 1939 the symphony was invited to play at the New York World’s Fair. The Vermont Legislature voted $1,000 to assist the musicians in making the trip.

Despite the venture’s success Carter suspended the symphony in the 1940s and enlisted in the army to work in the music department. With the ending of the war, Johnson and Carter resumed their work of carrying their music to all Vermont. They left no stone unturned. It took about a year to get the orchestra up to pre-war speed again.

“Carter’s vision, above all else, was that ‘Music must always happen,’” said Middlebury Composer Ernest Stires who joined the symphony staff in the late 1960s.

Arts renaissance

In the 1950s and ‘60s Vermont experienced an arts renaissance. Poet Robert Frost had been instrumental in starting the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference and Middlebury College President Dwight Moody, D.D. was one of its enthusiastic supporters. When Carter brought the musicians to Middlebury to play, Moody liked what he heard and offered Carter a position in the music department. This brought Carter and his family to Middlebury and with him symphony headquarters.

Meanwhile the orchestra kept going. Since there was virtually no pay, even for gas and expenses, rehearsals were held all over Vermont. In Burlington, the rehearsal “hall” available was the showroom floor of a Ford dealership! Carter would rehearse each music section without the rest of the instruments. Only when the concert was to be performed would the entire group meet for one full and final rehearsal. Players who lived far away often were hosted overnight by townspeople where the concert was held.

Farmers’ Night

“Of course we continue our traditional Farmers’ Night free concert this season which will be on January 23,” development director Michael Peluse said. “The VSO was the first orchestra to play at Farmers’ Night on the floor of the Vermont House of Representatives.”

This gave the group much visibility and prompted the Legislature to vote it continuing financial support. Today that body supplies eight-percent of the symphony’s annual $1.5 million budget. That early recognition encouraged additional symphony supporters as well.

Carter was as energetic as ever as the symphony settled in its Middlebury headquarters. He inaugurated a Festival-on-the-Green in the community and easily convinced several famous artists to perform without remuneration. Among these was Pianist Jose Iturbi, violinist Tossy Spivakowsky and dancer Martha Graham.

Ernest Stires too had some innovative ideas for the VSO. In an effort to interest more people in concert-style music, and with more than a little nerve, he called movie composer David Raksin in California who had written the theme for the popular “Laura” movie and invited him to come and conduct the orchestra.

Stires’ idea was to project the famous “Laura” scene on a screen while the orchestra played Raksin’s Laura theme. To Stires’ surprise, Raksin came, brought a copy of the movie, and the famous scene was shown on a giant screen hung in the Middlebury College Field House while the orchestra played the theme. Stires said “This was July 4, 1972 and the place was packed.” The concert was repeated at Jay Peak and then presented at Johnson College during a composers’ conference with Raksin appearing at those concerts as well.

In the 1970s, Carter suffered a mild heart attack and the organization began to think about finding someone to take his place. After a search the committee came up with an Argentine-born musician-Efrain Guigui.

Shortly after Guigui was hired, the offices moved to Burlington. Today VSO headquarters is located at 2 Church Street where a staff handles all the details of presenting a full series of concerts around the calendar year. However, this organization could not mount one season without the devoted support of a large roster of volunteers, business and private patrons, media, performance sites, the Vermont Legislature and last, but not least, loyal concert-going audiences!

The “251 Project”

Under Guigui the orchestra celebrated its 50th anniversary. The group vowed to play music in every one of Vermont’s 251 towns and hamlets and dubbed it the “251 Project.” In smaller towns, a group of orchestra musicians would play for a small audience. They played in grange halls, churches even in the woods if the town produced neither hall nor audience. In the larger towns, the entire orchestra performed.

Presently the orchestra is made up of at least 35 members and, at the most, 65 players, depending what music is played. Some members have been with the symphony as long as twenty years. Auditions for any open spots are held each fall. (Present-day conductor/musical director Jaime Laredo is in charge of the auditions together with Eleanor Long, the orchestra manager).

When Efrain Guigui left, the orchestra hired Kate Tamarkin in 1991 who held the position for nine years. During her tenure she chose to present Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (in 1944) and brought choral director Robert De Cormier on board to conduct the choral work. That connection continues to this day.

With Tamarkin’s leave-taking from the orchestra the search began again for a new conductor. Part time Vermont resident Jaime Laredo, who previously had soloed with the orchestra, was asked to help with the search. Finally, the search committee decided to ask Laredo to take the baton. He did and just recently signed on for two more years.

Bolivian-born Laredo came to this country as a young violin prodigy to study and pursue his career. Besides the work with the VSO he teaches at Indiana University and Curtis Institute and presents a chamber series at the New York YMCA. Shortly after he was hired he introduced violinist and conductor Anthony Princiotti of Walpole, NH (who also conducts the Dartmouth University Symphony) to the Vermont organization to assist and conduct when he (Laredo) has other commitments.

Princiotti, together with De Cormier, work closely with Laredo. The three make up a strong leadership trio in watching over the artistic future of the VSO. Also an 18 member Board of Trustees oversees the symphony plus five ancillary boards in the state.

“There is a real sense of family,” said Michael Peluse, “After all, this is the oldest state-supported orchestra in the country.”

However, the final choice of music lies with Laredo. He seeks to provide variety in the music choices: to include the well-known and beloved traditional pieces but also to offer a mix of innovative and contemporary musical works.

Youth Outreach

One goal of the VSO is to “Build devoted audiences of all ages who are passionate about great music in Vermont.” Besides regular concerts, the orchestra fulfills that goal through its educational outreach to children.

The VSO offers a program entitled “Symphony Kids.” VSO musicians visit schools to introduce music and instrumentation. Also children are bussed to the Flynn Theatre for concerts throughout the year. In addition the organization sends musicians to Saratoga Springs to meet with children K-4.

Ernest Stires tells this story: “The first children’s concert was held at Burlington’s Memorial Auditorium. Students were bussed in for a Halloween Concert. The players played Saint-Saens’ “Dance Macabre” and the children were asked to listen to the music then go home and draw pictures illustrating the music and send them back to the orchestra office. We got some very unusual drawings!” Stires said.

At that point Stires asked Merrill Jarvis, owner of the Flynn Movie Theatre if the next children’s concert could be held at the Flynn. Jarvis said, “Why not?”

Various ensembles play schools in 45 minute segments and include: a vocal quartet, percussion, brass, a string trio, Harp & Soul, woodwinds and symphony reel (folk and classical music) “These programs constitute our busiest and biggest outreach work,” said Peluse.

Another connection with youth is a concert called “Side by Side” in which the organization and the Vermont Youth Orchestra (VYO) give a joint concert. This year it will be held May 4. VYO Conductor Troy Peters, also a composer, and Jaime Laredo both will conduct. In addition, Laredo also will play a violin solo together with his wife, ‘cellist Sharon Robinson.

In 2006-07, the “Symphony Kids” programs were presented to 24,728 students and 245 of those concerts were free. The entire number of programs reached 45 percent of all kindergarten through 6th grade Vermont students.

Programs

The VSO Season opens in September and closes in mid July. This year the season started with a foliage series, “Made in Vermont” from September 27 though October 7 with Princiotti conducting.

A “Masterworks” program of five concerts began on October 20, two of them will be repeated as part of a new series at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre. One of these concerts will be Beethoven’s work, Missa Solemnis, at the Flynn on January 27 and at the Paramount on January 26. Both will be conducted by Robert De Cormier.

Another VSO offering will be the traditional “Waltz Night” which will be held at the new Dudley H. Davis Student Center on the UVM campus on February 2nd. This is the event’s 30th anniversary.

Margery Sharp is a freelance writer from Hinesburg. Thanks to Michael Peluse, Vermont Public TV and Ernest Stires for help with this article.