Eighty-seven years ago, a group of music enthusiasts meeting in Woodstock convinced each other that they could create a statewide orchestra. At their center was a young conductor named Alan Carter, fresh from musical studies abroad. In the fall of 1934, Carter began to gather the scattered musical forces of this rural state to try to fulfill that dream. After a period of separate north and south rehearsals, the musicians came together in January of 1936 to present the fledgling orchestra’s first public concert.
Whereas most orchestras originate in a single city, performing there in one hall and touring occasionally, the VSO was dedicated to traveling to any gymnasium, armory, racetrack, or hillside where an audience could be found. The musicians, whose numbers included barbers, lawyers, mail carriers, doctors, and farmers, hailed from all across the state. Before the advent of modern highways, this represented a major commitment.
VSO’s second Music Director was Efrain Guigui, who led the orchestra from 1974 and 1989. Amongst many noteworthy events during his tenure, the Summer Festival Tour had its inaugural season, Aaron Copland conducted the orchestra, and the “251 Project” held musical celebrations (with birthday cake!) in every one of the state’s 251 towns between 1984 and 1986 to honor of VSO’s 50th year. This story was told in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, on NBC Nightly News, CBS Sunday Morning, and NPR All Things Considered.
The appointment of Kate Tamarkin as the VSO’s third music director in 1991 represented another important milestone. Public acclaim was excellent and audiences turned out in record numbers. Along with renowned choral director Robert De Cormier, Tamarkin founded the VSO’s statewide volunteer chorus, which De Cormier led for 20 years.
In 2000, Jaime Laredo was named Music Director. Laredo has seen the orchestra through a period of exponential growth, gaining rave reviews from critics, and attracting internationally-renowned guest artists. After 20 years at the helm, Laredo stepped down in spring 2021. The search to hire his replacement culminated in the hiring of Andrew Crust in spring 2023.
The steps taken by a farsighted Vermont legislature in 1939 to provide $1,000 to send the VSO to the New York World’s Fair have been followed by subsequent lawmakers, so that today the State continues to be a major source of support. Volunteer committees are still crucial to our existence: as in the past, they generate enthusiasm and awareness, sell tickets and raise funds, host musicians, and help with concert production in their communities.
Each year, the VSO performs dozens of small and large concerts around Vermont, and our SymphonyKids educational programs reach thousands of school children. Full symphony orchestras take place four times a year at The Flynn in Burlington, with additional performances in Rutland. In December, we present a holiday pops tour, and a tour with our brass quintet and the Counterpoint chorus. VSO’s Jukebox quartet concerts provide informal, non-traditional programs in the fall and spring, designed to break down preconceptions about classical music. The Summer Festival Tour in July brings us to Vermont’s most beautiful outdoor settings for picnicking and fireworks, and summer musicals in concert in Stowe and spring pops concerts in Burlington and Rutland were introduced in the 2024/25 season.
It is the wide geographic distribution of these performances which best tells the story of the VSO. For over 90 years, the orchestra has shuttled from town to town, overcoming obstacles with such energy and persistence that we have earned a national reputation. Vermont is truly fortunate to have an ensemble of this caliber dedicated to serving a broad and diverse public and enriching lives through music.
VSO Music Directors (L-R): Alan Carter, Efrain Guigui, Kate Tamarkin, Jaime Laredo, Andrew Crust
