The Symphony of Westchester
History and Highlights
Barry Charles Hoffman
Symphony Personnel
Board of Directors
Advisory Board
Volunteers and Ushers
The Symphony of Westchester
History and Highlights
The Symphony of Westchester is a professional orchestra
that has gradually become known in Westchester County and its
surrounding area for our first rate and inspiring performances, world
class soloists, exciting and engaging programming, the commissioning
and premiering of new and meaningful compositions and our exemplary
outreach programs for children. Now in its seventeenth year at Iona
College in New Rochelle, New York, The Symphony of Westchester was founded as The Westchester Chamber Orchestra in 1984 by its Artistic Director, Barry Charles Hoffman. The continued growth and success of The Westchester Chamber Orchestra
since its series began at Iona College in 1997, inspired Maestro
Hoffman to expand the orchestra in 2010, renaming the orchestra, The Westchester Chamber Symphony. Now, in our inaugural season as The Symphony of Westchester, we plan to fulfill our new mission to program larger fully symphonic orchestral works for greater Westchester audiences.
The commissioning and premiering of new works is an important part of
our mission. In 1996, under the direction of Maestro Hoffman, we
commissioned and premiered many works of noted American composer
Seymour Barab. These have included: The Selfish Giant (broadcast on WQXR), Three Riddles in the Talmudic Tradition, and How The Elephant Got Its Trunk. Additionally, we commissioned noted composer Jon Deak to write Duo Concertante for Violin and Chamber Orchestra,
which we premiered at our Iona College series with New York
Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and his violist wife, Karen
Dreyfus as soloists in 2000. Among several works we commissioned noted
composer Charles Griffin to write for us, is his Concerto for Orchestra, which we also premiered at our Iona College series in 2008.
Equally true to our mission to bring quality music educational programs
to Westchester's neediest, we are very proud of our two exemplary
annual programs: our Jazz Institute For Homeless Children (since 1996) and our Composers of the Future Program (since 2001). Our Jazz Institute for Homeless Children, held at the Westhab Family Center in White Plains, received Arts Westchester's prestigious award for Contribution to Education and Community in 2000. Our Composers of the Future program, is produced in collaboration with New Rochelle's Songcatchers
(an after-school music program). The extraordinary compositions of
these children and performed yearly in one of our Iona series concerts.
The Symphony of Westchester has presented many noted and distinguished
soloists in our performances. These have included: violinists Alex
Abayev, Glenn Dicterow, Kerry McDermott and Elmar Oliveira, violists
Lawrence Dutton, Karen Dreyfus and Emannuel Vardi, flutist Carol
Wincenc, clarinetist Stanely Drucker, oboist Matt Sullivan, bassoonist
Lennie Hindell, guistarist David Starobin, cellist Amit Peled and
pianists Lucille Chang, Alon Goldstein and Adam Kent.
This season, The Symphony of Westchester continues with its carefully
crafted programming in compelling renditions of our most beloved and
treasured orchestral repertoire.
The richness and rewards are here.
Come join our adventure!
Barry Charles Hoffman
Founder and Artistic Director
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Barry Charles Hoffman |
Mr.
Hoffman has made his musical mark on Westchester County as conductor,
energetic advocate of new music and tireless champion of music as a
vital thread of the community fabric. He was schooled at the Manhattan
School of Music, receiving his bachelor's degree in violin performance.
Mr. Hoffman has studied conducting with John Miner and, more recently,
David Gilbert, and counts his participation in the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Conducting Institute and the Pierre Monteux School for
Advanced Conducting Studies among his most valued educational
experiences.
Barry Charles Hoffman has been
primarily noted for his highly engaging and moving performances with
The Symphony of Westchester, which he founded in 1984 and continues to
serve as Artistic Director. Reviewers have called the WCS's
performances under Maestro Hoffman "imaginative," "exuberant,"
"daring," and "reverent." His versatility on the podium has been
showcased at the WCS's Iona College Series, where his innovative mix of
newly commissioned works and standard favorites have won consistent
acclaim.
Maestro Hoffman is also creator of the many outreach programs of the WC0
which include: Annual Jazz Institute for Homeless Children (Westhab
Family Center in Elmsford), Annual Composers of the Future Program
(in collaboration with Songcatchers of New Rochelle), and Annual Student
Piano Competition of Contemporary American Composers (New Rochelle
Public Library).
Maestro Hoffman is now embarking on the creation of a second orchestra,
the Harlem Chamber Orchestra, which will be based in Harlem, New York.
Conducted by Maestro Hoffman, the HCO will be comprised predominantly
of African American musicians. The Harlem Chamber Orchestra's mission
will be to perform standard orchestral repertoire mixed with repertoire
that reflects African American cultural themes, and to provide New York
City's Harlem area schools with an infusion of ongoing classical music
workshops and programs. He and his wife, Adele, herself a WCS violinist
and orchestral music teacher in the Bronxville Public Schools, reside
in New Rochelle.
Symphony Personnel
2021-2022 Season
Violin I Alex Abayev, Concertmaster
Catherine Cheong-Seon Yang
Tetyana Byelgorodska
Adele Simone Hoffman
Emily Void
Dzhuneyt Mustafa
Anna Brathwaite
Ju-Jin Bornet
Jonathan Block
Jessica Bauer
Violin II Ben Hellman, principal
Marina Fragoulis
Blanca Gonzalez
Urara Mogi
Philip Carter
Liz Wright
Alison Molino
Francesa Abusamra
Glenna Cureton
Viola Joel Rudin, principal
JoannaSmulakowski
Hannah Vanderswaagh
Heather Faust
William Ford Smith
Amy Selig
Armand Alpsypaev
Dudley Raine IV
Alice Model
Kyle Stalsberg
Luke Quintanilla
Cello George Dewar, principal
Daryl Nuccio
Peter Howard
Gjilda Lucaj
Elaina Lang
Marisol Espada
Hikaru Tamaki
Sujin Park
Anne-Marie Tranchida
Olivia Kim
Bass Carlos Barriento, principal
David Lester
Flute I
Kaoru Hinata
Flute II
Koaki Shinkai
Piccolo
Seth Rosenthal
Oboe I Karen Birch Blundell
Oboe II Nancy Ranger
Clarinet I
Allen Blustine
Clarinet II Jing Jing Wang
Bass Clarinet
Wojciech Komsta
Bassoon I Leonard Hindell
Bassoon II
Monica Ellis
Lisa Alexander Contra Bassoon -
Joelle Amar
Horn I Tim McCarthy
Horn II Adam Schommer
Horn III Elizabeth Flemming
Horn IV Deryck Clarke
Trumpet I Brad Siroky
Trumpet II
Jim Lake
Trumpet III Rebecca Steinberg
Trombone I Hitomi Garcia
Trombone II
Sara Lewis
Trombone III Dan Dunford
Tuba Andrew Madej
Timpani
David Cox
Percussion Bill Ruyle
Dave Wilson
Operations Manager
Rosemarie Castellano Stage Managers
George Dewar
Heather Faust
Librarian
Sue Schwartz
Board of Directors
Barry Charles Hoffman, President
Adele Hoffman, Vice President/Secretary
Executive Director
Barry Charles Hoffman
Advisory Board
David Amram
Elizabeth Fleischer
David Gilbert
Robert Sherman
Volunteers
Sue Schwartz
Lydia
Victor Stanionis
Ushers
Marina and Victoria Condax
Zoe Rieder
Andrew Stedman
Zihan Zhao
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