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Draft:Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (US)

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Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a professional regional orchestra located on Boston’s South Shore. In 1945, a quartet of musicians in Hingham formed the Hingham Civic Orchestra to provide opportunities for amateur musicians to rehearse and perform symphonic repertoire. For over 50 years, the Hingham Civic Orchestra staged performances ranging from regular subscription programs to children’s concerts, operas, choral-orchestral concerts, and ballet productions. In 1996 it was reorganized as Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, under the artistic leadership of music director and conductor, Jin Kim. Members of the orchestra are Boston-based and consist of both seasoned and gifted young professionals from the world’s leading conservatories.

Picture of the 2023 Opening Night Orchestra at Thayer Academy
2023 Opening Night Orchestra

Diverse and Growing – ASO most directly serves the residents of Boston’s Metro-South and South Shore — a rapidly growing, diverse region of coastal and inland communities as large as the cities of Quincy and Brockton and as small as the town of Cohasset.

Connecting and enriching lives – ASO’s mission is to transform personal experiences through extraordinary classical performances. They also support the careers of Greater Boston’s outstanding musicians, including new generations of professional artists in their field. The orchestra and its leadership believe in the power of great music and great performances to enrich lives and communities, and enhance the community's quality of life. They are motivated to provide artistic excellence and connection for the communities served. Along the way, the work delivers local employment, business, and volunteer opportunities. It complements and extends the work of other organizations through partnerships and collaborations, and supports the education, culture and commerce of the region.

Picture of ASO Patrons at the Intermission Reception at Thayer Academy
ASO Patrons at the Intermission Reception

How the orchestra has evolved –

In 1996, acknowledging changes in community expectations and needs as well as its membership, the orchestra made the decision to re-evaluate its mission. As a result, the Hingham Civic Orchestra was reborn as the Hingham Symphony Orchestra, with the vision of becoming a regional orchestra with high performance standards and a renewed sense of service to community.

In 1997, Jin Kim was appointed as the orchestra’s new music director, by unanimous vote of the musicians and the Board of Directors.

Jin Kim Music Director ASO
Jin Kim

In the ensuing years, Jin Kim has earned international recognition as a superb conductor and brought the level of the orchestra up to a standard that distinguishes it as among the highest performing orchestras in New England, with an exceptional “level of play.”

The orchestra’s reputation for excellence attracts Boston’s finest musicians and internationally renowned guest soloists and ensembles. Members of the orchestra consist of both seasoned professionals and gifted young professionals from the world’s leading conservatories. The majority of the members have been fellows at Tanglewood, Aspen, Schleswig-Holstein, and Pacific Music Festivals.

Many HSO/ASO musicians have earned positions in major symphony orchestras around the world, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Civic Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Israel Philharmonic, Boston Pops, and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

During the 2006/2007 season, the orchestra took on the challenge of choosing a new name to reflect its identity as a superb professional orchestra that serves audiences across the Boston’s South Shore and Greater Boston-south region. After a public process that affirmed the orchestra’s vision and mission, the Board of Directors unveiled its new name: Atlantic Symphony Orchestra.

2016/17 marked ASO’s 20th official season and the start of its three-year “refresh” to address the orchestra’s needs in the 21st century, including improvements in infrastructure and updated practices. By the end of the first year, concert attendance had more than doubled over the 2014/15 season benchmark and continued to grow 8-12% annually until the Covid 19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Live, indoor performances were halted until December, 2021.

ASO was among the first orchestras in the country to “go virtual” with programming in the spring of 2020. After first responding with pre-recorded programming within days of the nationwide shutdown, ASO then produced a series of 6 “Thursday Live” programs that featured new musician interviews and solo performances in May and June 2020. With the exception of the outdoor Sunset at the Abbey concert — held 3 times in succession on Sept. 10, 2020, to accommodate as many audiences as possible while outdoor gatherings were limited to 50 people by state mandate — ASO’s following performance season was all virtual. Christened “Joy in Place,” the 2020/21 Season offered 26 separate new music and music education events, ranging from 20 to 90 minutes and produced in-house, along with some short “one-off” performances. It was one of the most prolific performance seasons in New England in 2020/21.

The orchestra’s success can be attributed to two equally important factors: (1) artistic and organizational vision and leadership, and (2) reliable and growing support from an enthusiastic community. Each season, Atlantic Symphony serves residents of the region with high-level symphonic and chamber concerts, special events, and music education, and serves the artistic community with employment and career development for roughly 100 musicians who meet the orchestra’s high standards.

In 2022, ASO celebrated Maestro Kim’s 25th anniversary as Music Director and its 27th professional season. With the support of the entire region, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra continues to mature into a dynamic cultural resource that brings the very best classical music to life.

STAFF and DIRECTORS

  • Tammy Lynch, Executive Director
  • Jin Kim, Music Director
  • Kevin Locke, Philanthropy Officer
  • Kristen Kamppila, Administrative Manager
  • Phaedre Sassano, Personnel & Production Manager
  • Scott Hudson-Bryant, Event Manager
  • William Earle, Librarian

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Paul Pecci, President – President, South Shore Bank, retired
  • Kathleen Almand, Vice President – V.P. Research, Data & Analytics, NFPA, retired
  • Aditya Rengaswamy, Treasurer – CFO, FGC Plasma Solutions
  • Catherine Campbell, Clerk – Product Marketing Manager, Atera
  • Amy Bordes Delaney - Leadership Development Manager, Nouria
  • Kenneth Buntrock – Portfolio Manager, Loomis Sayles & Co., retired
  • LaurieAnn Drogin - Psychological Associate, Clergy, retired
  • Elisabeth Finn - Associate, Fletcher Tilton PC
  • Liberty Fonts - Executive Assistant, Bristol Myers Squibb
  • William Ford - Audit Manager, W.A. Leonard & Company P.C.
  • Denver Gibbs - President & CEO, Gibbs Software Solutions
  • Azhar Karachi - Director of Analytics and Product Innovation, Kraft Analytics Group
  • John Morgan – Partner/Portfolio Mgr., Morgan Capital Management
  • Begum Okutgen – Chief of Staff, Blueground
  • Kucku Verghase - Director, R&D, Sanofi
  • Turner Bledsoe – Member Emeritus, Regional Medical Director, HMO Blue, retired

References

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