The Wisconsin Philharmonic gains Gold Baton recognition

Aug. 2, 2010 - PRLog -- The Wisconsin Philharmonic, along with 88 other orchestras across the country, was honored on June 18th, 2010 with the Gold Baton Award, given annually by the League of American Orchestras.  “The Gold Baton is the League’s highest honor, given annually for distinguished service to America’s orchestras,” said Jesse Rosen, President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras.  
   The award was presented at the League of American Orchestras Conference in Atlanta, GA and received by Robert Rosoff, the Executive Director of Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra, on behalf of those orchestras who participated in the Ford Made in America program.  The Wisconsin Philharmonic was one of two orchestras in the state of Wisconsin (the other being Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra) to take part in Ford Made in America, a program celebrating American music in both performance and education and the largest orchestral commissioning consortium in the country’s history.  

About Ford Made in America
For orchestras with smaller budgets, commissioning and presenting a major new work by a nationally recognized composer can be difficult, due to budget constraints and limited staff resources. The collaborative nature of Ford Made in America provided the participating orchestras the opportunity to pool resources in a vital national network, to achieve together what no one of them could afford to do individually in their own community.

The initial idea for Ford Made in America was conceived in 2001 by a steering committee of smaller-budget orchestra leaders: Robert Rosoff, executive director, Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra (New York); Anthony LaGruth, music director, Garden State Philharmonic (New Jersey); and Ryan Fleur, former executive director, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra (Massachusetts).

About the League of American Orchestras
Founded in 1942, and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League of American Orchestras leads, encourages, and supports America’s orchestras while communicating to the public the value and importance of orchestras and the music they perform.  Its vision is to be a transformative and unifying force for the orchestra field—a catalyst for understanding and innovation, a place for conversations that matter, and a champion for orchestras.  The League provides a wealth of services, meaningful information, learning and leadership opportunities, and grass-roots advocacy to its diverse membership, which encompasses nearly 1,000 member symphony, chamber, youth, and collegiate orchestras of all sizes, and links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers, board members, volunteers, staff members, and business partners.  Visit www.americanorchestras.org to learn more.

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The Wisconsin Philharmonic, formerly Waukesha Symphony Orchestra, has dedicated over 60 years to bringing exceptional symphonic music and cultural experiences to Waukesha County and surrounding communities.