THE ORANGE COUNTY PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY: A CHRONOLOGY

1954

May 22: Frieda Belinfante conducts the Vine Street Musicians--soon to become known as the Orange County Philharmonic--at Santa Ana High School. The program consists of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” Overture, Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. About 500 attend.

Aug. 22: Belinfante conducts the orchestra at the Irvine Bowl in Laguna Beach. Friends approach her afterwards and tell her they’d like to help keep the concerts coming. The Orange County Philharmonic Society is born.

Sept. 8: A steering committee holds its first meeting and decides to offer a series of concerts that winter.

1955

Belinfante conducts six free concerts at halls throughout the county.

1956

The Society introduces its youth program with concerts at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa and at Fullerton High School. Over the next 32 years, the youth program will bring classical music to (number) of students (ages or grades).

1958-60

Attendance at Belinfante’s orchestra concerts proves erratic, as does availability of core musicians due to work cut-backs in Hollywood.

1961

The Society board of directors votes to shut down the orchestra despite Belinfante’s protests, and to become exclusively a presenting organization.

1962

Jan. 13: The Society presents its first concert by an outside orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, directed by Zubin Mehta. The concert is held at the Robert B. Moore Theatre at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. The Los Angeles Philharmonic will be the predominant orchestra presented by the Society for many years.

1968

The Society sponsors its first Concert on the Green at UC Irvine’s campus park. Appearing is the San Diego Symphony, led by John Scott Trotter, guest conductor and piano soloist.

1969

The Society season includes the LA Philharmonic conducted by Pierre Boulez at Orange Coast College and by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos at UC Irvine.

1970

A seven-concert subscription series is offered.

1971

The season includes the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, conducted by Roberto Benzi; and the Philadelphia Orchestra, guest conducted by Daniel Barenboim, with cellist Jacqueline Du Pre.

1976

The Society moves all its concerts to Santa Ana High School.

1983

Dec. 23: Robert Elias is named the first executive director of the Society. Elias had resigned as general manager of the Pacific Symphony on Oct. 26, after only six weeks in the position.

1984

Sept. 26: Elias leaves to take over as executive director of the Pasadena-based Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, where he had served as assistant manager from 1979-81.

Oct. 25: Erich Vollmer, former chief administrator with the Young Musicians Foundation in Los Angeles, is named executive director.

1986

Sept. 29: The Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa opens.

1987

The Society expands, offering three series, two Great Orchestra series and a new “International Artists” series. The new series includes recitals by soprano Kiri Te Kanawa and pianist Leonid Kuzman.

1988

The Society adds a fourth series, which combines recitals and orchestral programs.

1989

The Society announces 24 concerts in four series, its largest number of offerings to date.