“Maestro Stuart Malina, who is about to enter his 15th season as music director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, has no doubts about the quality of the professional orchestra he leads,” writes David N. Dunkle in Monday’s (9/15) Sentinel (central Pennsylvania). “The dozens of professional musicians who gather at The Forum each season for Masterworks and Pops concerts are masters of their craft. ‘I’m a big fan,’ Malina said, laughing. ‘Seriously, I think the orchestra consistently outperforms my extremely high expectations.’ … HSO has been able to translate artistic excellence into financial stability.… HSO emerged from its 2013-14 season with a bigger audience, labor peace and something quite prized in the world of classical music: a cash surplus.… No one involved with HSO is declaring victory. Meeting the requirements of the annual budget, this year around $2.6 million, is a never-ending challenge. ‘I would say we have a nice tail wind at the moment,’ HSO Executive Director Jeff Woodruff said. ‘In most respects we are doing exceptionally well. But one has to be careful what you say. The reality is we have to raise a lot of money every year to run the orchestra on a balanced budget.’ ”
Posted September 16, 2014
