HISTORY OF THE BREVARD PHILHARMONIC
The history of the Brevard Philharmonic is the story of two orchestras, both of which bear the name of our charming town nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina.
The Brevard Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1976 by Jackson Parkhurst, was a highly successful effort to increase the accessibility of classical music in a community already rich in musical traditions. Its early years were humble, with three or four concerts a year in churches, schools and other venues, including Boshamer Gym at Brevard College. The Brevard Chamber Orchestra Association was established in 1977 to provide formal support to the orchestra, complementing a small but loyal corps of professional musicians that refused compensation for the first concert to help ensure the survival of the burgeoning musical group.
Following Parkhurst’s departure to become the education conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, the orchestra thrived under the baton of Virginia Tillotson, clarinetist and head of the Music Department at Brevard College, from 1981 until 2002. That year Vance Reese was appointed as the orchestra’s third conductor, and in 2003 the orchestra was named Orchestra in Residence at Brevard College, where a five-concert season was presented annually at the Paul Porter Center for the Performing Arts. Due to a complicated set of events and circumstances the orchestra ceased operating that year. Undeterred, the Brevard Chamber Orchestra Association continued, concentrating its efforts on development of the outreach programs initiated during the orchestra’s latter years: Music in the Schools and an after-school string program for elementary school children.
The story of the orchestra might now be at an end were it not for Emerson Head, a music educator, professional musician and former trumpet faculty member at the Brevard Music Center. Head moved to Brevard in 2005, and came out of retirement to spearhead an orchestra—not a resurrection of the Brevard Chamber Orchestra but a new ensemble with a larger base of community musicians, and the Brevard Philharmonic was born. Unfortunately, due to physical problems, Maestro Head resigned after only two seasons as Music Director.
Donald Portnoy was appointed Artistic Director and Conductor of the Brevard Philharmonic in the summer of 2007. Conducting at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston in 2010, Maestro Portnoy won rave reviews from critics who hailed his conducting as “luminous,” “performed with distinction,” and “as close to perfection as could be ever wanted.” Portnoy, an accomplished violinist and holder of the Ira McKissick Koger Endowed Chair for the Fine Arts at the University of South Carolina, has offered detailed guidance to the string section of the orchestra, teaching string classes for those musicians who would benefit from them. The unique philosophy of encouraging skilled local musicians to participate in the orchestra, begun under Maestro Head, was maintained. By the 2009-2010 season, as compared to an orchestra of 40% professional musicians in 2005, the orchestra was composed of 75% professional musicians, thereby steadily improving the standard of the orchestra. Critics and audiences alike have made comments such as - Fantastic. This jewel in our community is not to be missed. Their musicianship was incredible.” “Deeply moving. The performance knocked our socks off! Maestro Portnoy through his connections has been able to make available for us internationally-known soloists such as Susan Starr and Rachel Barton Pine, and we feel exceptionally fortunate to have his guidance and expertise in building our orchestra. The Brevard Philharmonic looks forward to continuing to provide outstanding programs for the community in the years to come.