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We had a good first 25 years. Now on to the next season!
The Lewisville Lake Symphony is a forward looking organization. However, our 25th anniversary concert was a reasonable time to take a glance back to where we started.
Maestro Adron Ming, the Orchestra’s Music Director/Conductor for the entire 25 years agreed. “In the beginning, we simply rehearsed once a week until we felt 'ready' and there were times when the orchestra outnumbered the audience. The players were all volunteers and the music was borrowed.”
Maestro Ming said that rehearsal and performance space was a major problem. The early concerts were given in a fellowship hall with an echo drowning the already bad acoustics, metal folding chairs and bad sightlines. “Our next venue, Delay Middle School was a major step up,” he added.
Rehearsals brought their own problems, according to Lewis. “Rehearsals might jam us into a small church choir room where we would stumble over our instrument cases, or in a school auditorium with inadequate lighting and not much air conditioning.”
Ming said that the Symphony, with the support of very dedicated volunteers on the business side, gradually evolved into an all-professional paid orchestra with all members belonging to the American Federation of Musicians.
“Incorporation with a formal Board and fundraising structure finally secured the Symphony’s future. We had also grown to the point that we were able to move rehearsals and performances to Lakeland Baptist Church which has great acoustics and plenty of room for the audience size the Symphony now attracts.’
Both agreed that praise from a United States Senator is a milestone on a wonderful journey. (Letter from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson)
Ian Cleghorn, Marketing: What was the tipping point where the Symphony moved from a struggling amateur orchestra with a very uncertain future to one where the momentum was driving towards success?
Adron Ming: Before there was a board there was a guild, which ended up having to act like both a guild and a board. Then we got incorporated and finally a real board was formed, but the guild languished.
Finally the guild had a rebirth and now we have both. This was very important. After the first 2 or 3 years I got to feeling that if the orchestra went away there would be few tears shed because there was so little involvement outside of the dedicated few. Now I know that if I were to go away the orchestra will keep right on churning. That was a milestone.
As far as becoming professional goes, I had to instigate that. At first it was to pay the first chair strings (or at least some of them); gradually a few more string, then some winds. By the time we were able to negotiate our first collective bargaining agreement with the union we were 100% paid.
I got my first check when the lady that wrote the checks (Marilyn Nelson) decided that I ought to get one (that was before we were officially organized). She was digging into her own pockets to pay much of the expenses anyway.
I cannot overstate the importance of the guild, the board, and the volunteers in making LLS a success. Hats off.
Ian: A while back we had a meeting with counterparts at the Plano orchestra. The point that sticks in my mind is that they felt they had reached a milestone by setting up a paid staff and their success was now almost independent of volunteer personalities. We are nowhere near that circumstance on our business side. Permanent staff has been on your list for a long time and should be stated long term objective for our Board.
Adron: Amen to that!
Dan: In my mind, there were several catalyzing factors. Here are some, in no particular order of importance:
At some point in the past, a decision was made that we needed to have a certain number of concerts per season and a certain number of (paid) rehearsals per concert. I'm sure Adron would have had to propose this to the board. Of necessity, musicians will scramble to wherever there is a job opportunity, but it is mainly the commitment of a board (and the funding they raise) that maintains a symphony as "a going concern". ------- Diana McMillin, Treasurer: I never thought in terms of uncertain future. I envisioned it at first in terms of ten years or more. Through Adron we had an outline of the basic structure, needs, and goals of a symphony orchestra from the very beginning. Through time more of those first goals have been met as in making a full subscription series and holding a juried competition for young performers.
Also from the beginning we had a good basic business structure to meet the orchestra’s needs. We tried to create the most professional look and sound we could within the constraints of our monies and volunteers. What we couldn’t afford that we needed, we borrowed or created.
We were so fortunate immediately to have relationships with the cities, churches, and business community. This is such a labor intensive endeavor it just could not be accomplished without enormous generosity and dedication of everyone involved. We’ve had a steadfast conductor and core of musicians and volunteers and as well as a loyal audience following that has grown through the years. It really is a labor of love, for the love of music. ------ Gordon Roe: Many Golden Moments Various members of our family have had numerous wonderful moments with LLS. Patsy and I are veteran symphony goers and find the Lewisville orchestra offers many impressive programs. We have had several personal ties which I would like to remember.
Our son Roger had been playing oboe at Hedrick Middle School for
a year or two when he got a call from Diana McMillin. She asked
him to play 2nd oboe at one of the parks concerts, and he
readily agreed. This might have been his first gig with a
professional group. Apparently he handled the part adequately.
Later when he had begun professional studies he was invited back
by Maestro Ming to play a concerto at one of the Christmas
concerts. We had a row of Roes as all of our family members in
the area came to hear him. Roger now plays with the Indianapolis
Orchestra.
Patsy was on the symphony board for a number of years. Adron
invited her to play the trumpet on a Haydn concerto, again at a
Christmas concert. This was the "Toy Symphony" during which
various symphony members ad libbed parts on toy instruments. It
was appropriately funny. Our eight-year-old grandson, Scott Stevens, was visiting during one of the summer concerts during which a guest conductor slot was offered. I put in enough money that his selection was pretty well guaranteed. I had worked with him beforehand on his conducting skills and he capably led one of the Sousa marches.
Gordon, |
Adron Ming, Music Director and
Conductor and Dan Lewis, Principal Cello:
“We even rehearsed
in a retirement home cafeteria for awhile. Then we'd often end up
performing in a different space altogether, so there was no way
to achieve acoustic balance and consistency.”