About the NGSO

About the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra

Background

The Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra (NGSO) has its beginnings in the founding of the Licking County Symphony Orchestra in 1940. LCSO’s Successor organizations, the Welsh Hills Symphony and the Land of Legend Philharmonic consolidated to form the NGSO in February 2005.

The Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra (NGSO) began its first season of classical concerts on October 1, 2005. The Newark-Granville Youth Symphony (NGYS) was also founded in February 2005, and the first concert was held nine months later in November.

Mission

The mission of the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra is:

to present the highest quality orchestral performances of classical, bluegrass, popular, and other music;
to offer educational, community, and other related activities;
to further the understanding and enjoyment of music and to enhance the quality of life in Licking County.

At the Present

The NGSO has become an important part of the arts community in Licking County, and has built a bridge between artistic
excellence and community service. Collaborations include projects with The Midland Theatre, Denison University, The Dawes Arboretum, The Works, Central Ohio Youth Ballet, and area schools. An ongoing relationship with The Ohio State Newark/COTC Campus secures a home for the NGSO at the Reese Center. Under the direction of its outstanding conductor, Timothy Weiss, the NGSO has become one of the most respected musical ensembles in Ohio, bestowing honors on our community.

The NGSO prides itself on its high artistic quality, its sound financial management, and its positive impact on the community. The Orchestra is known regionally for achieving remarkable critical and popular success in a short period of time. Season ticket sales have increased each year since the orchestra was founded. Attendance at NGSO concerts has soared, packing the house for several blockbuster performances.

Education in the Community

The benefits of music and music study are well documented, increasing everything from teamwork skills to discipline to creative problem solving. The NGSO is committed to outreach education programs that enhance such values. During the 2010-2011 season, the NGSO wind, brass and strings ensembles gave 26 free live performances at 22 area schools for 7,820 children. The in-school concert program reached 29% of all school age children in Licking County. For many, this is their first exposure to both the instruments and the music. Students may also purchase tickets at significantly reduced rates for performances in the orchestra’s regular subscription concert series. In addition, the choirs from both Newark and Granville High Schools are invited to join the orchestra to perform at NGSO’s annual A Joyful Noise concert.

The Newark-Granville Youth Symphony has offered the best young musicians in Licking County the opportunity to learn and perform classical music with their peers. This experience has inspired several to go on to pursue college degrees in music. As in previous years, all 2010 high school seniors in the NGYS are going on to college, many with music scholarships and plans for careers teaching and performing music.

The NGSO also hosts the annual Young Musicians Competition, with the winner earning a chance to perform with the adult orchestra. These competition winners have delighted NGSO audiences with their virtuosity.

Timothy Weiss - Our Music Director

Timothy Weiss has gained critical acclaim for his performances and adventurous programming throughout the United States and abroad. As an active guest conductor, he has conducted recent concerts with the BBC Scottish Symphony in Glasgow, Scotland, ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble) in New York’s Miller Theatre, and in San Francisco’s Hertz Hall as well as concerts with the Toledo Symphony, the Quad City Symphony, San Angelo Symphony, the Detroit Chamber Winds, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and with Synergy at the Almeida Opera Festival in London, England. In his fourteen years as music director of the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble he has brought the group to a level of artistry and virtuosity in performance that rivals the finest new music groups. After a recent concert with the ensemble in Carnegie Hall Anthony Aibel of the New York Concert Review wrote, “under the direction of Timothy Weiss [the performances—impeccable performances—of extremely challenging recent music…Each work on the program had something vital to say, something profound, and [Weiss] was able to communicate the music’s message with vitality and insight, despite its extreme difficulty and somewhat foreign language.” Recent collaborations include Ursula Oppens, Jenny Koh, Marilyn Nonken, Harrison Birtwistle, Joan Tower, Tania Leon, Tan Dun, Kevin Volans, James Dillon, Brian Ferneyhough, Lewis Nielson and John Luther Adams. He conducted the American premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s opera Lost Highway based on the movie by David Lynch. He is Professor of Conducting and chair of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He holds degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan. Maestro Weiss was appointed Music Director of the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra in July 2007.