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The North
Suburban Symphony is a community orchestra of volunteer musicians
which traces its origin to the Lake Forest Chamber Orchestra, organized in
1955, which drew its members from Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and a few
adjacent communities, and its audience from the same area. As this
orchestra grew and became the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra, it hired many
professional players and developed extensive administrative and support
structures. Eventually, in 1988, it became an orchestra of all-professional
musicians.
In August 1988, 22 of
those who had played as volunteers in the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra
organized the North Suburban Symphony. They included players from as far
south as Chicago and as far north as the Wisconsin state line, who drive to
Lake Forest for rehearsals and concerts. The North Suburban area has
subsequently provided us with many more volunteer musicians--lawyers,
teachers, doctors, businessmen and women, scientists, college and high
school students, retirees -- some players in their teens and some players
in their 80's. All together there are now about 60 members in the
orchestra.
When we formed this
community orchestra, we lost the extensive financial support associated
with the Lake Forest Symphony. To get started, we asked each member to pay
a membership fee, and after 19 years the fees and voluntary contributions
of the players continue to be a major source of our revenue. Ticket sales
include many purchases by members for their family and friends Members of
the orchestra solicit advertisements for our program booklet and contribute
their time and talents as needed. Over the past 19 years, we have managed
to survive financially, but largely because of the financial and in kind
contributions of the players themselves.
Half a dozen of the
members of the orchestra in 1999 were members of the original chamber
orchestra 48 years ago. A large number of our audience have been loyal and
enthusiastic in attending our concerts over these same years.
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