| 1912 |
The unofficial Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, under the direction of Harry Rudd, showcases its talents during a Norwegian Saengerfest. At the time, the orchestra is comprised of 40 musicians. |
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| 1917 |
With A.J. Stevens behind the conductor’s podium, the Symphony remains an unofficial entity as they present a local concert with Rudd on first violin. |
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| 1931 |
The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra finally becomes official as Mrs. J.A. Jardine charters the group with the assistance of five other community volunteers. In the process of assembling the group piece by piece, Jardine and the five volunteers choose Rudd to be the first conductor. |
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| 1937 |
As Rudd retires from conducting, he hands the reins over to Sigvald Thompson, who had been a cellist in the Symphony prior to the change. Thompson was also a Concordia College Faculty member at the time, and was known for his sense of humor as well as his dedication to the Symphony. Under Thompson, the FMSO becomes an extremely cohesive group, which helps mold their audience into a loyal music-loving community. |
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| 1948 |
Thompson marries Isabelle Lloyd, who had become the concertmistress for the FMSO. |
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| 1974 |
Thompson retires along with his wife, Isabelle. Thompson’s 37 years with the Symphony is the longest term for any FMSO conductor to this day.
The Board of Trustees selects Dr. J. Robert Hanson to be the new director. Hanson had been the principal trumpet in the FMSO and was also a professor of music at Concordia. |
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The FMSO grows tremendously under the direction of Hanson, receiving three ASCAP awards and several regional awards, including the Governor’s Award for the Arts from North Dakota. |
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| 1991 |
Hanson officially retires from teaching and conducting, but continues to do both in his spare time for his personal enjoyment in the following years.
For Hanson’s replacement the FMSO hires Joel Revzen, the first conductor of the Symphony to be a non-resident. |
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| 1991 |
Attendance grows tremendously under Revzen, causing the board to expand the Subscription Series to pairs of concerts, and add events geared toward a younger audience such as the Young People’s Concerts and the Pizza Pop Series. During his affiliation with the FMSO, Revzen also continued to be the Music Director of the Berkshire Opera and serve on the conducting staff for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. |
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| 2002 |
The search for a new conductor begins as Revzen resigns from the FMSO. A committee of board, orchestra, and community members select five finalists out of 160 applicants worldwide to prepare and conduct one Subscription Concert each. The committee also integrates each finalist into community-related situations to aid the decision process. |
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| 2003 |
Ending the search for a new conductor, the search committee unanimously votes for Bernard Rubenstein of Santa Fe, New Mexico to be their recommendation to the Board of Trustees, who also approved Rubenstein unanimously.
Education has become an integral part of the Symphony’s total program, providing service to students and schools within a 100-mile radius of Fargo-Moorhead. Rubenstein has a strong personal commitment to reinforce and expand the Symphony’s role in music education within the community through his own visits and presentations to several different groups and schools. |
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| 2005 |
Bill Law, long standing Executive Director of the Symphony, departs his post to serve as the Assistant Director of North Dakota State University’s Division of Fine Arts. Jeff vom Saal is selected from a long list of applicants as the new Executive Director. |
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| 2006 |
The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra enters its 75th Anniversary season. With Maestro Rubenstein entering his second contract, which will last through the 2008 - 2009 season, he promises to make this season be one of the best for the Symphony, as he explores new music, performances, venues, and musicians. |
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