The Lexington Symphony and Music Director Jonathan McPhee.
In Wednesday’s (9/4) Lexington Observer (Massachusetts), Pauline Benninga interviews Jonathan McPhee, music director of the Lexington Symphony. McPhee: “When the Lexington Sinfonietta was started thirty years ago, it was begun by the players, for the players, and they performed primarily for family and friends … The auditorium [was] a nice space, but it only seats 450 people. When I took the position as the Music Director twenty years ago, we were sold out from our first concert, and I knew there was an opportunity to grow if only we could find a bigger space…. We moved the orchestra to Cary Hall as we were changing our name to Lexington Symphony, and our audience expanded to fill the hall’s 800 seats…. Every [Lexington Symphony player] is a professional, paid musician … that includes Lexington music teachers and Lexington residents … Every year, I ask the orchestra committee for a wish list of what they want to play…. We want to incorporate the interests of our musicians so that it’s fulfilling for them, too, and they feel like they are part of a meaningful community…. We strive to serve the community not only in improving quality of life … but also through expanding the community’s horizons.”
