In 1919 a small group of amateur musicians met in a parlor at Grace Church and determined to organize a community orchestra. The founders - Mrs. Harry C. White, Mrs. Noel C. Evans, Kenneth F.H. Underwood, Dr. Leonard Waldo, Joshua D. Loizeaux, William L. Littlewood, and former Mayor G.W.V. Moy - engaged the services of noted Dutch conductor Christiaan Kriens, and rehearsals began. With a small orchestra of fifteen to twenty members, the group offered a private performance later that year.
The Society was supported ”only by the small weekly donation of $.50 paid by its members, the income from its public concerts, and donations from public spirited citizens.”
The Plainfield Courier-News enthusiastically reviewed the debut concert held in the Plainfield High School auditorium on May 28, 1921, calling it a “splendid success.” It was an ambitious program, after “only ten rehearsals,” including works by Wagner, Haydn, Liszt, Donizetti, Von Suppe, and two pieces composed for the orchestra by Kriens. The orchestra for this first concert presaged the blending of community and professional players that has characterized the Plainfield Symphony Orchestra, with seventy-five community members and ten professionals brought in from New York. The evening also featured an address by John C. Freund, editor of Musical America, who predicted “the Plainfield Symphony has an undoubted future if it continues to progress as well as it has since its organization a short time ago.”
Kriens served as conductor until 1928, followed by Louis Bostelman, who remained as conductor until 1952. In May 1928 Percy Grainger, the Australian composer, led the orchestra as guest conductor. That concert saw the premiere of his composition “Bridal Song” a short version of his orchestral work “To a Nordic Princess,” which he debuted in August of that year at his marriage to Ella Viola Strom. The Symphony continued concerts throughout World War II. On April 28, 1947, Bostelman introduced the first Pops concert, which has become a perennial favorite. In the summer of 1948 the Symphony was a big part of the music group that performed an outdoor concert at the Plainfield High School football field - with Paul Whiteman conducting.
Through the 1950's there followed a number of conductors, including other guest conductors: Walter Piasecki, Arthur Christmann, Louis Helfenbein, Arnold Kvam, and Norris Birnbaum, who also played bassoon with the Orchestra for many years.
Samuel Carmell became musical director and conductor from 1957 until 1967, continuing to build the repertoire and hosting world-famous virtuosi.
From 1967 to 1973 the young Uruguayan composer Jose Serebrier became musical director and conductor, while also serving in those capacities for the Cleveland Philharmonic. He composed “Nueva” for the 50th Anniversary of the Plainfield Symphony, a modern piece featuring contrabass, jazz drummer, and synchroma (an image projector). The orchestra continued playing in the Plainfield High School horseshoe auditorium until it was replaced by the new high school building. The new auditorium was found to be a less satisfactory venue, and the Symphony found a new home at Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church. After Serebrier, another series of conductors led the orchestra, including Edward Murray, Amy Kaiser, and Brad Keimach. George Marriner Maull took over the reins from 1982 to 1988.
Through the years, the Symphony shared the stage with other musical groups, such as the New Jersey Lyric Opera, the New Jersey Schola Cantorum, the Crescent Avenue Oratorio Choir, and the Plainfield Choral Society. Noted soloists also brought their talents to the concerts, including violinists Joseph Knitzer, Louis Persinger, Franz Kneisel, John Corigliano, Sr., and Peter Winograd, pianist Leonid Hambro, double bassist Gary Carr, and cellist Percy Such.
In 1988 Sabin Pautza, a Rumanian-born composer and conductor, began what would be a twenty-year run with the Symphony as musical director and conductor. Among his own compositions premiered with the Plainfield Symphony was the Rita Dove Triptych, setting poems of this U.S. poet laureate to music; the excitement of the new music plus the appearance of the poet herself drew an overflow crowd. Pautza also composed and conducted the “Saxophone Concerto” in 1997 and the “Ode to Hope” for the 80th anniversary of the Plainfield Symphony. Upon stepping down in 2007, Maestro Pautza became conductor emeritus of the Symphony.
With the 2009/2010 season a new era begins, after a year of outstanding guest conductors, with Charles Price stepping to the podium as musical director and conductor.
In the program for the debut concert, the audience was entreated to “Help us put Plainfield permanently on the musical map of the United States.” Ninety years of audiences have heeded that call. Let’s keep the music playing!
