About The Symphony
The Glens Falls Symphony Today
The mission of the Glens Falls Symphony (GFS) is to be best in its class among professional orchestras in the U.S. through excellence in performance, adventurous programming, and diverse educational outreach. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit devoted to the production of outstanding performances of orchestral music in the concert hall and in public outdoor concerts.
For 30+ years, the GFS has brought classical music to audiences in the Adirondack region and beyond and is a leading cultural institution in the greater Glens Falls area. For more than three decades, the Glens Falls Symphony has brought fine symphonic music to audiences in the Adirondack region and beyond. Under the direction of Maestro Charles Peltz, the orchestra is a fully professional union orchestra with musicians hailing from our local region, the Capital District, New York City, Rochester, Boston, New Jersey and other areas.
The five-concert subscription season is presented from October through May on Sundays at 4 p.m. Most concerts take place at the Glens Falls High School auditorium, an award-winning, state-of-the-art theatre offering comfortable seating for 1,200 concertgoers. Outside the indoor concert season, the orchestra presents free summer pops concerts, including the annual July 3 Independence Day Celebration concert with fireworks in Crandall Park, Glens Falls.
While the pandemic presented unique challenges, the Symphony was able to successfully pivot to virtual programming, presenting a series of four engaging concerts filmed and recorded in different venues throughout the Glens Falls area. The Symphony is grateful for funding from the Glens Falls Foundation, Charles R. Wood Foundation, area businesses, and individual donors, whose support enabled the Symphony to purchase the camera and video editing equipment necessary to produce virtual performances.
The Symphony’s comprehensive five-year strategic plan for 2022-2027 envisions a major expansion of educational programs, including live orchestra concerts for students, musician-student coaching, collaborative performance, and deeply engaging activities that enrich the lives of children from our local Warren County region east into Washington County, and north into the southeastern Adirondack Park.
As one of the lead cultural institutions in the greater Glens Falls region, the Glens Falls Symphony is proud to reside in the smallest city in America to support a fully professional symphony.
History
Begun in 1977 as a community orchestra at the then-Adirondack Community College, the Symphony incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in 1983. In 1990, the Board and musicians voted to adopt membership in the national American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the professional musicians’ union. This enabled the orchestra to advertise in the AFM publications for players, enabling the orchestra to recruit nationally .
In 2000, the current Music Director, Charles Peltz, was hired to lead the orchestra. During the next 22 years, Mr. Peltz, who is an award-winning faculty member of the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, has consistently challenged what it possible for a regional orchestra. His energy, preparation, and artistry have drawn ever-finer musicians to join the orchestra, and have attracted nationally known solo artists like Sarah Chang and Chris Brubeck. The orchestra has also consistently collaborated and/or co-commissioned works from America’s most esteemed living composers such as Jennifer Higdon, Ezra Laderman, David Amram, Joan Tower, and Christopher Theofanidis. The orchestra regularly performs at an artistic level expected from orchestras with two to five times the budget size. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Joseph Schwantner has referred to the Glens Falls Symphony as “One of the great orchestras of the country”.
Dress Rehearsal for 2018-19 Season Opening Concert