About

The Symphony of Westchester is a professional orchestra that has gradually become known in Westchester County and its surrounding area for our first rate and inspiring performances, world class soloists, exciting and engaging programming, the commissioning and premiering of new and meaningful compositions and our exemplary outreach programs for children. Now in its seventeenth year at Iona University in New Rochelle, New York, The Symphony of Westchester was founded as The Westchester Chamber Orchestra in 1984 by its Artistic Director, Barry Charles Hoffman. The continued growth and success of The Westchester Chamber Orchestra since its series began at Iona University in 1997, inspired Maestro Hoffman to expand the orchestra in 2010, renaming the orchestra, The Westchester Chamber Symphony. Now, in our inaugural season as The Symphony of Westchester, we plan to fulfill our new mission to program larger fully symphonic orchestral works for greater Westchester audiences.

The commissioning and premiering of new works is an important part of our mission. In 1996, under the direction of Maestro Hoffman, we commissioned and premiered many works of noted American composer Seymour Barab. These have included: The Selfish Giant (broadcast on WQXR), Three Riddles in the Talmudic Tradition, and How The Elephant Got Its Trunk. Additionally, we commissioned noted composer Jon Deak to write Duo Concertante for Violin and Chamber Orchestra, which we premiered at our Iona University series with New York Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Dicterow and his violist wife, Karen Dreyfus as soloists in 2000. Among several works we commissioned noted composer Charles Griffin to write for us, is his Concerto for Orchestra, which we also premiered at our Iona University series in 2008.

Equally true to our mission to bring quality music educational programs to Westchester’s neediest, we are very proud of our two exemplary annual programs: our Jazz Institute For Homeless Children (since 1996) and our Composers of the Future Program (since 2001). Our Jazz Institute for Homeless Children, held at the Westhab Family Center in White Plains, received Arts Westchester’s prestigious award for Contribution to Education and Community in 2000. Our Composers of the Future program, is produced in collaboration with New Rochelle’s Songcatchers (an after-school music program). The extraordinary compositions of these children and performed yearly in one of our Iona series concerts.

The Symphony of Westchester has presented many noted and distinguished soloists in our performances. These have included: violinists Alex Abayev, Glenn Dicterow, Kerry McDermott and Elmar Oliveira, violists Lawrence Dutton, Karen Dreyfus and Emannuel Vardi, flutist Carol Wincenc, clarinetist Stanely Drucker, oboist Matt Sullivan, bassoonist Lennie Hindell, guistarist David Starobin, cellist Amit Peled and pianists Lucille Chang, Alon Goldstein and Adam Kent.

This season, The Symphony of Westchester continues with its carefully crafted programming in compelling renditions of our most beloved and treasured orchestral repertoire.

Come join our adventure!