Our Story

 

MISSION

We are an arts organization whose mission is to enrich, inspire, and educate through live performances of high-quality music.

History

Henry Janiec conducts the Spartanburg Symphony with the Spartanburg Festival Chorus

Henry Janiec conducts the Spartanburg Symphony with the Spartanburg Festival Chorus

Recognized as a pillar of creativity, inspiration, and entertainment, the Spartanburg Philharmonic is a modern orchestra with roots in the 1895 May Festival, the precursor of the South Atlantic States Music Festival founded in 1898, one of only four such festivals featuring orchestras in the United States at that time. Almost a century old, Spartanburg Philharmonic is a jewel in the crown of South Carolina’s arts scene, presenting popular masterworks, contemporary pieces, chamber music, bluegrass, and rarely performed works. Concerts attract music lovers throughout the Greater Spartanburg area and from around the region.

A 65-member professional orchestra, the Philharmonic’s original name at its founding in 1928 was the Spartanburg Symphony Orchestra.  The organization has gone through several incarnations since, and took on its current name, Spartanburg Philharmonic, in 2018.  Spartanburg Philharmonic offers three music series: Zimmerli (full symphony concerts), Espresso (chamber music), and Bluegrass. Performances are held in Spartanburg’s historic 1489-seat Twichell Auditorium in Zimmerli Performance Center at Converse University, and at the Chapman Cultural Center’s 476-seat Theater, the premier arts venue in the Greater Spartanburg area.

Sarah Ioannides conducts a rehearsal with guest artist Pepe Romero.

Sarah Ioannides conducts a rehearsal with guest artist Pepe Romero.

Acclaimed memorable performances over the years include world premieres by composers Kati Agócs, Stewart Goodyear, and Ayes Ioannides, and commissions by Kenneth Fuchs, Christopher Theofanides, and Sean O’Boyle, and local composers Peter B. Kay, John Moody, Carrie Leigh Page, Scott Robbins, Nolan Stolz, and Tom Wright, as well as a Beethoven Symphony No. 9 featuring a 100-member community chorus and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with visual artist Julyan Davis live painting on stage. Among the notable guest artists that have graced the orchestra’s stage are: banjo player Béla Fleck; clarinetist Anthony McGill; guitarist Pepe Romero; trumpet player Jens Lindemann, violinists Isaac Stern, Lara St. John, Timothy Fain, Vadim Gluzman, and Mark O’Connor;  conductors Yehudi Menuhin and Marvin Hamlisch; cellists Zuill Bailey and  Lynn Harrell; pianists Gina Bachauer, Olga Kern,  Van Cliburn, Richard Goode, Joseph Lehvinne, Awadagin Pratt, Ignace Jan Paderewski, and Rudolph Serkin; percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, baritone Robert Merrill; bass singers Jerome Hines and Cesare Siepi; tenor Richard Tucker; sopranos Marilyn Horne, Birgit Nelsson, and Beverly Sills; Benny Goodman; Empire Brass; Ray Charles; Summit Brass; Smothers Brothers; and the Westminster Choir.

 
Concertmaster Callie Brennan rehearsing with guest artist Bèla Fleck

Past Concertmaster Callie Brennan rehearsing with guest artist Bèla Fleck

 

 Well versed in the genre of bluegrass, Spartanburg Philharmonic has presented its popular 7-year-old Bluegrass Series with such distinguished artists as Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, The Steep Canyon Rangers, The SteelDrivers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Sierra Hull, Travelin’ McCourys, and the Krüger Brothers. This series continues to bring in Grammy and multi-IBMA award-winning groups that have drawn the recognition of their peers, industry, and fans alike.

Bill Scott conducting “Red, White, and Boom!” concert at at Barnet Park in downtown Spartanburg.

Bill Scott conducting “Red, White, and Boom!” concert at at Barnet Park in downtown Spartanburg.

Over its 10+ decades, Spartanburg Philharmonic has been led by ten Music Directors:

Guy Hutchins (1928-1938); Lionel Nowak and Ernst Bacon (1942-1945; the two shared the role); Pedro Sanjuan (1945-1952); Henry Janiec (1952-1994); Bill Scott (1995-2003); Paul Davis (2003-2004; interim conductor during Music Director search); Sarah Ioannides (2005-2017); Stefan Sanders (2018-2021); and John Young Shik Concklin (2023-).

As part of its community engagement, for the past 24 years, Spartanburg Philharmonic has presented Music Sandwiched In, a free and open to the public lunch hour series every other Wednesday throughout the concert season, offering an exciting line up of performers and programs at the Spartanburg County Public Library Headquarters. The Spartanburg Philharmonic partners with a variety of community, health, and education organizations to provide opportunities for all ages and abilities to enjoy. Multiple programs have been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, SouthArts, South Carolina Humanities, and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

Committed to engaging and educating local youth of the Spartanburg community through music, the Spartanburg Philharmonic has developed educational opportunities and promotes an appreciation for music of the classical, bluegrass, and jazz genres. It has been a partner with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Institute Link Up program since 2012, providing a music curriculum to 4th graders in Spartanburg County. Each spring, following a school year of music lessons, over 4,000 elementary students join Spartanburg Philharmonic in Twichell Auditorium for a culminating participatory concert.

Spartanburg 4th graders playing along with the Spartanburg Philharmonic in Twichell Auditorium.

Spartanburg 4th graders playing along with the Spartanburg Philharmonic in Twichell Auditorium.

Launched in April 2019, The Spartanburg Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (SPYO) represents 16 different schools across three counties. The SPYO originally served instrumental music students from eighth through twelfth grades and in May 2020 expanded into two sections, providing instrumental music education opportunities for 6th through 9th grades (Prelude ensemble) and 8th through 12th grades (Symphony ensemble).  

The Philharmonic celebrates the rich musical history of Spartanburg through the Spartanburg Music Trail.  This walking music history trail throughout downtown Spartanburg, features famous musicians who have a connection to Spartanburg. Two musicians are featured on each sign along the trail, which includes a wide variety of musical genres such as Marshall Tucker Band, Pink Anderson, Carlos Moseley, Gianna Rolandi, and Don Reno.

Dedicated to creating innovative and exhilarating experiences through memorable performances for all members of the Spartanburg community and beyond, the Spartanburg Philharmonic is a passionate champion of diversity and inclusion. An arts organization whose mission is to enrich, inspire, and educate through live performances of high-quality music, it proudly presents, alongside traditional works, lesser-known and rarely played works by female composers, composers of color, and established and contemporary composers.