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The
North Suburban
Symphony is a community orchestra of volunteer musicians which
traces its origin to the Lake Forest Chamber Orchestra, organized in 1955,
which drew its members from Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and a few adjacent
communities, and its audience from the same area. As this orchestra grew
and became the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra, it hired many professional
players and developed extensive administrative and support structures.
Eventually, in 1988, it became an orchestra of all-professional musicians.
In
August 1988, 22 of those who had played as volunteers in the Lake Forest
Symphony Orchestra organized the North Suburban Symphony. They included
players from as far south as Chicago and as far north as the Wisconsin
state line, who drive to Lake Forest for rehearsals and concerts. The North
Suburban area has subsequently provided us with many more volunteer
musicians--lawyers, teachers, doctors, businessmen and women, scientists,
college and high school students, retirees -- some players in their teens
and some players in their 80's. All together there are now about 60 members
in the orchestra.
When
we formed this community orchestra, we lost the extensive financial
support associated with the Lake Forest Symphony. To get started, we asked
each member to pay a membership fee, and after 19 years the fees and
voluntary contributions of the players continue to be a major source of our
revenue. Ticket sales include many purchases by members for their family and
friends Members of the orchestra solicit advertisements for our program booklet
and contribute their time and talents as needed. Over the past 21 years, we
have managed to survive financially, but largely because of the financial
and in kind contributions of the players themselves.
Half a
dozen of the members of the orchestra in 1999 were members of the original
chamber orchestra 48 years ago. A large number of our audience have been
loyal and enthusiastic in attending our concerts over these same years.
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