1988 in Lancaster, Ohio seemed an unlikely time and place to form a symphony
orchestra.The Columbus Dispatch cautioned that major orchestras around
the country were in trouble; the survival of several very much in doubt. The
inference: Festival organizers might not be paying attention. But, in 1985,
we had seen our volunteers pull a fully formed eight day festival out of the hat of a single performance by
the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in the Summer of 1984.
In the Autumn of 1987, the CSO decided not to return to Lancaster. We had seven short months to find a
new conductor, an entire orchestra, a sound and lights company and a concert shell. No one connected
with the Festival doubted it could be done. One particular phone call, prompted by our friend John McFall,
then at Ballet Met, changed all our lives and set a new direction for the next twenty years. In our very first
conversation, Gary Sheldon proposed we form our own orchestra. He would audition musicians and form
an ensemble of players with diverse backgrounds and experience that would heighten both the level of
musicianship and the excitement of the programming.
Eleanor Hood and I had been to the Spoleto Festival and were familiar with the concept of a seasonal
orchestra, and along with the Festival Board embraced Gary's plan. Initially, the reaction of the public
was mixed, some envisioning amateur players.
In July, the auditioning done, the musicians chosen and their housing arranged
with local families, our players gathered in the auditorium of Lancaster High
School for their first rehearsal as an orchestra. Instruments were lifted from
cases. There were tentative greetings among strangers and warm embraces
between friends. They took their places on the stage. As Maestro Sheldon
walked to the podium, Carol Abbott plugged in the last fan and joined Dean
Ray Wilkes, Jonathan Nusbaum, Eleanor and me in the back of the room.
The musicians applauded as Gary stepped onto the podium, their cool
professionalism in sharp contrast to the intense emotions we were feeling. The'
first time he raised the baton was a slow motion - time lapse - heart-stopping
moment forever locked in our memories. I felt I had to will myself to breathe. Then
the auditorium was filled with sound -the first notes of Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla.
First, an unimaginable thrill and then the overwhelming sense of relief that we had
done the right thing. Enjoy again Ruslan and Ludmilla, the 2007 Lancaster Festival and our remarkable orchestra!
Barbara Hunzicker, Festival co-director 1985-2004
MEMORIES from Orchestra Musicians
MEMORIES from Host Families
