A hundred years ago, Symphony NH performed its very first concert.
To say it’s been through a lot since then is an understatement. A depression, a world war, a rebranding, and a global pandemic later, the people within New Hampshire’s professional symphonic orchestra are ready to celebrate this milestone birthday.
“You only get to turn 100 once,” said Symphony NH Executive Director Deanna Hoying via phone. “A lot of this season has nods to the past 100 years. And we’re also looking at our future. What do we want to look like from year 101 and beyond?”
Hoying says one of the goals in the 100th anniversary – which will be celebrated over two seasons – is to expand the symphony’s reach beyond people who buy tickets to concerts by providing ensembles and musicians to perform for service organizations, from the United Way to Marguerite’s Place.
Another goal is to perform in every county in the state. This month alone, the organization has traveled to Canterbury Shaker Village; Derry’s LaBelle Winery; and Berlin’s St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts.
The next stops: Nashua and Concord for the symphony’s annual Holiday POPS! concerts this weekend, conducted by Tiffany Lu. On the menu are selections from The Nutcracker, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch, and holiday classics sprinkled with new arrangements.
At these concerts, Hoying expects to see multi-generational audiences, many of whom are having their very first orchestral experiences. There’s more to it than just hearing the music alone, says Symphony NH Music Director Roger Kalia.
“You get to experience the orchestra in surround sound,” Kalia said via phone. “It’s fascinating to hear, but you also can see the bows moving in unison, the players breathing together in unison. It’s like a team, everyone working as one.”
Kalia remembers his first symphony concert; in particular, he’d been captured by the trumpet, a “big, beautiful, majestic kind of sound” he couldn’t help but be inspired by. He says you often see a great deal of passion onstage; since the pandemic, it’s become so important that the orchestra not take any performance for granted.
“Any opportunity you have to make music is really special, given the fact that so many orchestras either didn’t play during the pandemic or folded because of finances. We were fortunate and were able to become more creative, thinking outside the box,” Kalia said.
The past couple of years, the symphony focused on producing more chamber music and performing at different kinds of venues, from the Londonderry Historical Society’s red barn to the field at Holman Stadium. Audience numbers are not quite what they were before the pandemic, however, Kalia says he’s proud Symphony NH was able to provide work opportunities for artists throughout.
Mary Jordan, president of the Symphony NH board, says she’s a big admirer of the musicians that make up the orchestra. Most must travel frequently and work several jobs to make a living but continue to play because they are passionate about what they do.
And after a whole career of working to help lift people by providing human services – most recently, she was the Executive Director of the Nashua Adult Learning Center – Jordan says it feels good to be part of an organization that’s simply about the pure joy of music.
“It’s so satisfying. We survived a pretty traumatic period in our history, and there’s nothing like live music to bring us all together,” she said via phone last week.
She and her husband plan to bring a new group of symphony-goers to the Holiday POPS! concert. From her regular spot in the audience – in the middle, slightly off to the right – she enjoys seeing the reactions of the people around her.
“It becomes a shared experience. When the audience spontaneously stands up at the end of the performance and cheers – everyone is feeling that same emotion,” she said.
It’s been 10 years since the symphony was renamed – from the Nashua Symphony Association to Symphony NH – to expand its reach throughout the rest of the state. And while Jordan’s not sure they’re really seen as a statewide agency quite yet, that’s the vision and the goal with the efforts put forth in these centennial seasons.
“We’re celebrating the 100th anniversary, but we’re very excited about the future. There are limitless possibilities,” she said.
Holiday POPS! is Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m., at the Keefe Center for the Arts (tickets $60) and Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (tickets $35-$60).
The grand finale event of the Symphony NH season is Momentum!, which will be held on April 29, 2023 – Symphony NH’s 100th birthday to the day – inside the brand-new Nashua Center for the Arts, which is scheduled to be completed this spring. Visit symphonynh.org.