Lee Mills, music director of the Greenville (S.C.) Symphony Orchestra.
In Thursday’s (9/26) Greenville Journal (South Carolina), Paul Hyde writes, “Lee Mills begins his tenure as music director of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra with an emphasis on hope and building bridges. ‘This season is about unity, bringing the community together,’ said Mills, whose hiring was announced in May…. Perhaps few classical music works epitomize these ideas more than Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which opens the season on Oct. 5-6 at the Peace Center with Mills on the podium…. Joining the orchestra for the concerts are choruses from Bob Jones University, Furman University and North Greenville University. Also on the program are … Beethoven’s Overture to ‘The Creatures of Prometheus’ and ‘Fanfare for a New Beginning’ by the Brazilian composer Rodrigo Cicchelli Velloso…. The accent on optimism continues later in the season … with Mills spotlighting Schumann’s First Symphony, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, and Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, among other works…. Mills was appointed music director following a wide-ranging three-year search. He has conducted such prestigious orchestras as the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He succeeded Edvard Tchivzhel, who led the Greenville Symphony for almost a quarter of a century.” Mills participated in the 2018 League of American Orchestras Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview.
