Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s President and Artistic Director Tommy Phillips is committed to continuing and building on its legacy
A Little Background
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County is in excellent standing as it forges ahead with sixty-five years under its belt of presenting the finest orchestras and artists in the world.
Beginning with the Los Angeles Philharmonic making appearances in the early years at high school and college auditoriums around the county to the world’s most acclaimed symphony orchestras and artists performing at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (now Segerstrom Center for the Arts), the Philharmonic Society has presented the best – magical names like the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra. The list goes on and on. And, just as important, artists with sterling reputations have performed like Sir Georg Solti, Itzhak Perlman, Jacqueline du Pré, Daniel Barenboim, Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Yo-Yo Ma, Cecilia Bartoli, and many more.
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County has much to be proud of. And, no one knows that better than its relatively new President and Artistic Director Tommy Phillips, who is hitting the ground running in his second season with the venerable music presenter.
“The Philharmonic Society has always set the gold standard for classical music and even before I came here, I always looked to them for program trends and to see what artists and soloists they were bringing to the West Coast,” Phillips says.
Prior to Phillips’ Philharmonic appointment October 1, 2018, he held leadership and consulting roles with top-level American orchestras and presenting organizations such as San Francisco Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, and Pacific Symphony, among others.
A graduate of UC Santa Barbara in Music Performance (trombone) and a graduate degree in Trombone Performance and Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory launched Phillips’ 15-year career within the classical music industry. Eight of those years were with the San Diego Symphony (his home town), where as Director of Artistic Planning he oversaw the strategy and implementation of all artistic programs, festivals, recording sessions, commissioning projects and national and international tours. He also developed and produced large-scale multi-media concerts (including the first-ever Live-to-Film world premiere of a major motion picture with live orchestra) and also built relationships with major brands such as Disney, Paramount and Comic-Con.
“It was a great place to grow as a true arts professional,” he says.
2019-2020 Season
Phillips is excited about the Philharmonic’s 2019-2020 season and, in particular, its launch of Beethoven@250, a celebration of the famed composer’s 250thbirthday, the focal point for this and next season. This season will see five of Beethoven’s symphonies featured, with the famous Fifth Symphony performed by the acclaimed Academy of St Martin in the Fields led by esteemed violinist Joshua Bell. Beethoven violin and piano sonatas and concertos will be performed by such outstanding artists as Midori, Emanuel Ax and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Also featured is piano dynamo Yuja Wang, Royal Wedding cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and esteemed violinist Ray Chen, artistic director and performer for the 2020 Laguna Beach Music Festival. Look for superstar soprano Renée Fleming to close out the season.
“Ending the season with someone of that caliber is representative of the quality of artists we present,” Phillips says.
Also on the schedule are such orchestral stalwarts as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Pinchas Zukerman, Los Angeles Philharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen, Rotterdam Philharmonic with Lahav Shani, Boston Pops with Keith Lockhart, San Diego Symphony with Edo de Waart, Zurich Chamber Orchestra with violinist Daniel Hope, and more.
Phillips is especially delighted in continuing a musical series called Eclectic Orange that former Artistic Director Dean Corey featured from 1999 to 2004.
“It is an ode to Dean,” Phillips says. “We want to expand our outreach by pairing classical music with film, voice, comedy and dance.”
He is keen on the performance titled “Chaplin’s Smile: A Musical Tribute to Charlie Chaplin.” It features world-class violinist Philippe Quint accompanying Chaplin’s silent era films, including rare footage of Chaplin conducting his orchestras in recording sessions.
Music Education Programs
The Philharmonic Society is known for its nationally-recognized Youth Music Education Programs, which reach 160,000 elementary through high school students annually. The award-winning programs are made possible by the Philharmonic Society Committees.
Phillips says there are 22 committees with 800 “amazing women who are the backbone of the tireless volunteerism and fundraising efforts for the youth programs.”
The Committees’ Music Mobile, which introduces third graders to instruments of the orchestra and its Strike Up the Band program, which donates instruments, clinics and performances to middle school students through the school’s instrumental music director, are standouts. The California Journeys program for 4-6 graders, held at Mission San Juan Capistrano, Heritage Hill Historical Park and Bowers Museum, immerses students in a history and live music experience. Among The Committees many fundraising events are two major efforts, the Philharmonic House of Design and the Huntington Harbour Cruise of Lights®.
Master classes and workshops are also offered to college students and educators, and adults are invited to pre-concert lectures by the Society’s lecturer-in-residence, KUSC host and producer Brian Lauritzen, who also leads Music 101, a lecture/demonstration program designed to introduce audiences to the elements and art form of classical music and the concert-going experience.
The Philharmonic Society’s Orange County Youth Symphony is celebrating its 50thanniversary this year as the county’s oldest youth orchestra. The honor orchestra, which represents 48 schools and universities, embodies the finest young musicians in the area, who benefit from sectionals and coachings by musicians from the Philharmonic Society’s visiting orchestras.
The ensemble performs at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, at major music conferences throughout the U.S. and has toured Europe and Asia to critical acclaim. Phillips says of its new music director/conductor, Johannes Müller Stosch:
“He is taking the group to its next level so that they will be not just Orange County’s premier youth orchestra but all of Southern California’s.”
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County is the third oldest arts organization and first music organization in Orange County.
Carnegie Hall and Ellington
The Philharmonic Society continues its partnership with Carnegie Hall established in 2009-2010 with Carnegie’s festival celebrating Chinese culture.
“We work to create special opportunities with artists who only perform as part of Carnegie Hall or Philharmonic Society programming,” Phillips says.
Demographics matter to the Society. Their programs and performances cover the different cultures, groups and peoples of the world. In February, 2020, the Society’s second Chinese New Year’s concert is planned.
And, you might want to schedule December 15, 2019 on your calendar. The Duke Ellington Orchestra is presenting “Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker,” jazz interpretations of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
“We offer programs for ages 4 to 104,” Phillips says proudly.
In conclusion
As the Philharmonic Society continues to present the world’s most acclaimed symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, soloists and international artists, and offer the finest music education programs in the country, Phillips opines, saying,
“I think music is an essential part of any successful, vibrant community, and our goal is to enrich people’s lives through music.”