Search for Conductor Is Focused on Covelli

The guest conductor who captured the adulation of Glendale Symphony Orchestra musicians during that group’s final performance last season may take a permanent place at the podium, ending a three-year search for a leader, officials said.

Glendale symphony officers said they will probably offer the post to New York conductor John Covelli.

“We would like it to be a longtime, permanent relationship,” Douglas L. Callister, president of the Glendale Symphony Assn., said.

Final Decision to Come

However, Callister said, he and other board members will put off a final decision until the end of the upcoming concert season in which Covelli will appear as guest conductor in three of six scheduled performances.

“This is a little of a transition year to make sure he’s the right man,” he said.

The three remaining concerts will feature guest conductors Morton Gould, John Williams and Newton Wayland.

Covelli, who heads the Binghamton (N.Y.) Symphony Orchestra, grabbed the attention of Glendale Symphony officials during his debut with the orchestra last April. The accomplished pianist led the musicians through a rendition of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” while simultaneously playing the piano. When it was over, the musicians stomped their feet in praise.

“We’ve never seen that happen,” Callister said. “And it indicated to us that, as professional musicians, they had found a measure of excellence there.”

Stuart Canin, concertmaster and violinist, agreed with Callister’s assessment.

“Of all the candidates presented to us, he seems the most likely to succeed in terms of what the Glendale Symphony needs,” Canin said. “He seems to have a serious bent and also seems to realize that popular music doesn’t mean bad music.”

Dragon Left Vacancy

Officials have been searching for a permanent musical adviser and conductor since the March, 1984, death of longtime symphony leader Carmen Dragon.

The symphony signed Daniel Lewis, former director of the Pasadena Symphony, to a one-year contract after Dragon’s death. But that partnership dissolved after the season when Lewis reportedly was unable to persuade symphony board members to exchange its traditional fare of light classics and pops for a repertoire of more serious classical music.

The search for a conductor began again after Lewis’ departure. And, since that time, a series of guest conductors have stepped to the podium--including big-name maestros Williams, who is returning this year as a guest, Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin and Anshel Brusilow.

Mancini, composer of hit movie themes such as “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Moon River,” and Williams, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra who composed scores for such films as “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” and “E.T.,” were never likely candidates because of the high salaries they command and already packed schedules, said Shirley Seeley, a full-time volunteer administrator for the symphony.

Seeking Commitment

Board members want someone who can commit from five to 10 years to the orchestra, Seeley said.

“I think we were just being super careful to pick that perfect person who fits,” she said. “John Williams is overworked and Mancini isn’t looking for a permanent home. . . . Covelli only performed with us once, but we thought we’d like to see how we worked together.”

In a telephone interview from his Binghamton office, Covelli said he is very interested in assuming the post.

“We had a really good meeting of the minds on stage. . . . I would like very much to continue that association,” he said.

Founded in 1924, the Glendale Symphony is widely considered Glendale’s most important cultural and social organization. The group performs in the 3,213-seat Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. It is made up of 95 professional free-lance musicians and is strongly supported by the city’s wealthy business community.

Its loyal following has set the orchestra apart from others throughout the country, which are struggling to stay in tune with their financial obligations.

For instance, 80 of the American Symphony Orchestra League’s largest orchestras lost a total of $10 million last year, the organization reported. The Glendale Symphony, by contrast, drew its usual 90% capacity crowds during the 1986-87 season and posted a $22,000 profit, said its treasurer, Alan C. Emmons.

Ticket purchases accounted for 40% of last season’s $380,000 budget. Another 27% came from corporate and private contributions, Emmons said. The rest was met by grants from the city and county, fund-raising and investment earnings.

“You don’t have to do much checking around the country to find out this is unbelievable,” Covelli said. “We’re talking about the fact that maybe this orchestra has found some sort of niche for survival with a very positive end result in a business that is really facing a very grave forecast.”

Soloed at Age 5

A lifelong concert pianist, Covelli first performed a piano solo at age 5. Four years later he was appearing with the Chicago Symphony.

Upon graduation from New York’s Columbia University he joined the Army, where he conducted the 7th Army Symphony in 1961 and 1962.

In 1973, he became one of the first five conductors to receive the Exxon/Arts Endowment Award for young maestros. Later, he helped lead the St. Louis Symphony, the Kansas City Philharmonic and the Milwaukee Symphony. He also served as music director of the Flint (N.Y.) Symphony before taking leadership of the Binghamton Symphony in 1982.

He also conducted and directed opera and ballet companies in the United States, Seeley said. He has worked with jazz, rock, country and Western, film and theater performers, including Mel Torme, Glen Campbell, Judy Collins, Paul Williams and Doc Severinson.

Today, Covelli serves as a guest conductor and performs in symphonies throughout the United States and Europe.

“You will never find a concert of mine that will involve only popular . . . music,” Covelli said. “I don’t feel it’s necessary, and I don’t think it should be encouraged.”

Concertgoers, he said, should be exposed to the full spectrum of classical music.

Theme Performances

“And that’s what makes Glendale so interesting and a very potential interest of mine,” he said. “I believe in this type of combination and versatility. . . . That’s what they want to do, and they seem to be successful, so if I can be a part of this, I think it will be a very good match.” The Glendale Symphony Orchestra will offer six theme performances, beginning in November.

On Nov. 14, Covelli will conduct Stravinsky’s “Firebird,” Honegger’s “Pastorale d’Ete” and Ravel’s “Bolero” during the opening night “Dance-Stravaganza.” The evening will also feature ballerina Patricia McBride.

On Dec. 19, Covelli will lead “A Joyous Christmas Festival,” an evening of classic and traditional yuletide music, with Florence Henderson and John Alexander’s Valley Master Chorale from Northridge.

On Jan. 9, in an “Evening with Morton Gould” he will conduct an evening of American ballads, including “Amber Waves,” “Saratoga Quickstep,” and “Hymnal.” He will also infuse the evening with a the Latin beat of the rumba, tango, guaracha and conga.

On Feb. 28, guest conductor Wayland, the former resident pops conductor of the defunct Oakland Symphony and former arranger and keyboard player for the late Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, will lead “An American Salute.” Wayland will be joined by guest pianist Leonard Pennario and the Southern California Mormon Choir. Wayland is to conduct “Concerto in F” by Gershwin, “Overture to Candide” by Bernstein and selected choral excerpts from Copland’s “The Tender Land.”

On April 9, Williams will conduct an evening of his own music, including his hit movie scores as well as his lesser-known classical compositions.

On April 30, Covelli will again conduct, leading “The Musical Touch of Italy” with Anna Marian Alberghetti. The program will include Verdi’s “Aida,” Mascagni’s “Intermezzo” from Cavallieria Rusticana and Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours.”