Ashland Symphony Orchestra Arie Lipsky, Music Director and Conductor |
| Home | Music Director/Conductor | Musicians | Staff | Board |
| Contact Information | Audition | Our History |
Ashland Symphony Orchestra History (1995-Present) Following the final concert of the season on April 20, 1996, the board met and unanimously voted to offer the position of musical director/conductor to Arie Lipsky of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to the Buffalo Philharmonic, Lipsky also served as director of symphony, chamber orchestra and opera productions at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received a Masters of Music with Honors. He had also conducted for the Ohio Light Opera Company and served as guest conductor for three of the leading orchestras in Israel.
The Ashland Times-Gazette’s headline of the review of Lipsky’s first concert on October 26, 1996 read, “Lipsky Leads Symphony in Triumph.” And so it has been for the last fourteen years.
In an interview in 1999, he reflected on the reasons he chose to accept the position:
“I saw it as a big challenge. I’m at the stage in my life when I’ve decided I would like to have the artistic direction of a symphony. I’ve become very attached to the ASO and the community and am becoming good friends with the people here. One of my goals is to make music fun for the musicians and the audience. But I also plan to take every musician to their utmost limit and then push their limit further. I am convincing the ASO that we should consider pieces that would be done by any other symphony. Some of the programs we have recently done, you would find at major concert halls. Our audience is sophisticated enough to appreciate pieces they’re not familiar with. I find it challenging to program… we must balance the classical and the light. We need to not only challenge the musicians, but also please the audience.”
The future of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra looks very promising under the artistic leadership of Maestro Arie Lipsky. James Thomas, late former ASO general manager, commented in 1997, “Musically, the orchestra is at the best quality in many years. Lipsky is taking the orchestra to a new level.” Larry Hiner, former ASO general manager, says “During my tenure, the musicianship and the programming has improved immeasurably. I am thrilled when I get the opportunity to sneak out into the audience during a concert to listen and to realize that this professionalism is actually occurring Ashland, Ohio, a little town of only 22,000 people.”
Now, more than ever, the ASO needs the support of the community. This, with the support of the ASO Board of Directors and dedicated administrative staff should position the organization for continued growth and maturity for years to come. |