Louisville Orchestra’s 75th Anniversary
The Louisville Orchestra launched its 75th season with its first public performance since May of last year. To celebrate both the anniversary and the return of the orchestra’s performances to Louisville’s cultural scene, Fanfara combined both the orchestra’s classics and pops on opening night.
The season was designed by longtime Music Director Jorge Mester, who conducts the main classics concerts, and Bob Bernhardt, the principal pops conductor.
Maestro Mester served as music director of the Louisville Orchestra from 1967 to 1979, recording 72 world premieres with the orchestra. Maestro Bernhardt is celebrating his 30th anniversary with the orchestra.
Following the resolution of a financial controversy between the musicians and orchestra management, the orchestra is operating under a one-year contract with 55 musicians instead of the 71 formerly contracted.
The Louisville Orchestra was founded in 1937 by conductor Robert Whitney and civic leaders, and with the guidance of Mayor Charles Farnsley in 1953 received a $400,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to commission 46 compositions a year for three years.
“Music Makes a City,” a documentary film by Owsley Brown III and Jerome Hiler that tells the story of the orchestra’s commitment to commission and record orchestral music, recently won a prestigious 2012 Gramophone Award, which is often referred to as the Oscars of classical music.
LASC Wins Chase Funding Competition
Lexington’s Living Arts & Science Center (LASC) has won a 2012 Chase Community Giving program award, the J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. announced. LASC will receive $10,000 as one of 196 national winners.
The process of selecting the winners of the grants began in June when Chase customers and employees nominated nearly 30,000 charities nationwide. Eligible charities had until August 30 to accept their nominations. LASC had to compete against other charities that had much larger lists of friends and donors to solicit for votes.
This year’s is the fifth installment of Chase Community Giving. Since 2009, the program has provided a share of $20 million to 500 charities in 41 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Alltech Receives Award for Arts Support
Alltech Inc., the global animal health and nutrition company founded by Dr. Pearse Lyons and based in Nicholasville, Ky., is a 2012 winner of The BCA 10: Best Companies Supporting the Arts in America.
Americans for the Arts’ Business Committee for the Arts makes the awards annually to recognize companies demonstrating tremendous support of the arts.
Since its founding in 1980, Alltech has woven an artistic sensibility into its scientific mission. Lyons’ wife, Deirdre, Alltech’s director of corporate image and design, works closely with local and regional artists to integrate Kentucky traditions, values and identity.
“As a biotechnology company, Alltech’s support of the arts may be a surprise to some people. However, we are committed to being a good neighbor by investing globally in the life and culture of local communities and, along the way, inspiring people,” Deirdre Lyons said. “Creativity and innovation go hand-in-hand, and we believe the arts cultivate strong communities and bright employees.”
The company has 2,800 employees in 128 countries, with a strong regional presence in Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
For the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the Alltech Fortnight Festival brought musical entertainment to 14 cities across Kentucky to build excitement for the games while investing in the arts in local communities.
In partnership with the University of Kentucky’s Opera Theater department, it created the annual Alltech Vocal Scholarship Competition that awards more than $500,000 in prizes. It created the Haitian Harmony Children’s Choir to inspire youth in the earthquake-ravaged country and sponsors two Haitian primary schools featuring music education programs.
Honored at an Oct. 4 gala in New York City, Alltech is the fourth Kentucky business included in The BCA 10 since 2001. The Kentucky Arts Council nominated Alltech, and council Executive Director Lori Meadows and Gov. Steve Beshear issued special congratulations to the Lyons.
Arts Events Around the State
Aqueous USA 2012
Gallery at Actors Theatre of Louisville
Through Nov. 11
actorstheatre.org
(502) 584-1205
Lorrie Morgan in concert
River Park, Owensboro
7 p.m. Oct. 27
riverparkcenter.org
(270) 687-2787
The Threads that Bind: Textile
Works by Kentucky Artisans
Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea
Through Feb. 23
kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov
(859) 985-5448
“Fiddler on the Roof”
SKyPAC, Bowling Green
7:30 p.m. Oct. 25
theskypac.com
(270) 904-1880
“Westside Story”
Paramount Arts Center, Ashland
7:30 p.m. Oct. 25-26
paramountartscenter.com
(606) 324-3175
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