Reno Philharmonic Orchestra

The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Reno, Nevada. Its season runs from late September through April. The current music director is Laura Jackson.

History and organizational facts

The Reno Philharmonic Association’s mission is to produce inspirational orchestral performances of the highest quality for broad audiences, support exceptional educational and outreach programs, and provide leadership in the performing arts community.

The orchestra, led by music director Laura Jackson, is made up of over 60 professional musicians. They perform in Reno, Carson Valley, and the Lake Tahoe Region in various outdoor and indoor venues. The popular MasterClassics Series is presented from September to April. The orchestra also presents over 10 specialty performances throughout the year from the holiday classic, Spirit of the Season to 4th of July in Genoa, Lake Tahoe Music Festival, and the perennially sold out Pops on the River.

Conductor Laura Jackson was named music director after the 2008-2009 audition season. The two-year search audition gained national recognition for its detailed process, the talented and diverse candidates, the use of technology to engage the community in the process, and the increases in ticket sales. Ms. Jackson's most recent prior post was Associate Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Orchestra

An orchestra (/ˈɔːrkᵻstrə/ or US /ˈɔːrˌkɛstrə/; Italian: [orˈkɛstra]) is a large instrumental ensemble used in classical music that contains sections of string (violin, viola, cello and double bass), brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Other instruments such as the piano and celesta may sometimes be grouped into a fifth section such as a keyboard section or may stand alone, as may the concert harp and, for 20th and 21st century compositions, electric and electronic instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ὀρχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus. The orchestra grew by accretion throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the 20th century.