Celebrating New Additions to the Symphony Family

Dear Symphony Friends,

Welcome to the 2007-2008 season of the Oregon Symphony! This year is our most exciting yet, with a great line-up of well-known international soloists, Grammy award-winning artists and some of Portland’s most talented performers. As Carlos Kalmar begins his fifth season as music director, we look forward to sharing this spectacular season with you.

First of all, I’m pleased to announce that Elaine Calder received the U.S. visa which permitted her to assume the responsibilities as the president of the Oregon Symphony. Those of you who have met Elaine know that she brings both experience and intelligence to her new responsibilities. When we conducted a search last summer for our new president, we considered more than 40 candidates, and the search committee unanimously recommended Elaine. We’re confident we have found the right individual to lead the creation of a sustainable future for the Oregon Symphony.

In addition, we welcome new Concertmaster Jun Iwasaki to the Symphony family. Jun is an incredible talent.  It’s rare for a concertmaster to emerge through the process of national auditions; usually, they are chosen from among carefully selected musicians who are invited to spend a week or more with the orchestra.  Not only did Jun win an audition week by beating out the original applicants for the job—he was ultimately chosen from among our five finalists.

Speaking of talent, this season has an opportunity for everyone to hear some wonderful artists, like legendary classical pianist Van Cliburn and Portland favorite Valentina Lisitsa. This year we are also showcasing some amazing local talent, as shown by the 24-member Ray Charles Tribute Band. Saxophonist Patrick Lamb, vocalists Linda Hornbuckle and Curtis Salgado—just to name a few—are joining the orchestra for one of our biggest productions at the Schnitz.

We recently announced the Symphony’s sixth annual Community Music Partnership, and this year’s collaboration is particularly unique. For the first time, the cities of La Grande and Cove will both work with the Symphony to foster arts in their communities. Although preparations for a visit to Eastern Oregon have just started, the energy is already palpable.

We hope you enjoy tonight’s performance.

Sincerely,

Walter Weyler
Chair, Board of Directors