| Middletown's Symphony Orchestra Performs At Wood Side Cemetery On Labor Day |
| Monday, September 7, 2009 9:13:16 AM - Middletown Ohio |
Picture From MiddletownSyphony.com
Posted By: Randy Lewis
On September 7, 2009 the Middletown Symphony Orchestra will perform at Wood Side Cemetery as part of the Summer Sounds. Middletown’s Summer Sound began on June 20, 2009 with Blues Fest, at Smith Park. The Middletown Symphony wraps up the summer long event. The concert begins at 7:00pm and ends at 9:00pm.
Frank Simon organized the first civic symphony in Middletown in 1921. Dr. Simon formed the orchestra after the establishment of the Armco Band, but he soon realized that the success of the Armco Band required his full attention. As a result, he disbanded the civic orchestra. Various conductors reorganized the orchestra several times in the following years, but the organization did not reach stability until Miss Valda Wilkerson took over the baton as conductor in 1941.
Miss Wilkerson taught music at Roosevelt Junior High School. Since the formal organization of the Middletown Symphony in 1941 five conductors have directed the orchestra including:
Valda Wilkerson 1942-1967
Charles Ansbacher 1967-1970
Bruce McKinney 1970-1972
James Martin 1972-1982
Carmon DeLeone 1982-present
The first outdoor concert was given in Sunset Park, free of charge to the public, in 1979, and became an annual Labor Day tradition until 1999. The free Labor Day concert moved to the AK Steel Labor Day Celebration in 2000.
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