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25-548: In 1933, the Oakland Symphony Orchestra was formed under the leadership of conductor Orley See, who became its first music director.  The orchestra presented four concerts in the lobby of the Oakland YMCA in its first season.  See served as music director until his death in 1957.  Piero Bellugi was the orchestra's second music director, from 1957 to 1959.   In 1959, Gerhard Samuel became

50-660: A 'Minority Orchestral Fellowship Program', to offer young string players from non-white backgrounds opportunities to play one year with a professional orchestra.  The programming under Farberman also reduced the number of contemporary works and increased the proportion of standard classical repertoire. In 1972, the Oakland Symphony Association acquired and renovated the 2,998-seat Paramount Theatre ), with key donations from Steven Bechtel Jr. and Edgar Kaiser Sr. , who also served as board president.  This 1973 restoration project later received an award in 1981 from

75-638: A new orchestra, the Oakland East Bay Symphony (OEBS).  The OEBS appointed Michael Morgan as its music director, and he took up the post as of the 1990-1991 season. In 2015, the OEBS reverted to the orchestra's past name of the Oakland Symphony.  Morgan continued as the music director of the Oakland Symphony until his death in August 2021.  During the final two decades of Morgan's tenure,

100-535: Is a motion picture theater located in Moraga, California . Built in 1957 by Donald Rheem, of Rheem Manufacturing Company, it was originally a 1,000-seat single screen movie theater. It was later used as a concert venue. In 1998 it was remodeled to host four screens. In January 2018 Rheem Theatre closed its doors for what seemed to be the last time. In light of the closing, the Moraga Town Council interceded on behalf of

125-595: The National Trust for Historic Preservation .  Later declared a National Historic Landmark, the Paramount Theatre attracted audiences and the orchestra sold nearly all its house on subscription.  However, even with such audience numbers, the Paramount proved to be a financial burden.  The symphony association financed the renovation costs with a $ 1 million loan.  In 1975, rather than continue absorbing

150-1039: The Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the San Francisco Opera . Piero Bellugi taught master-classes at several institutions including the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, the University of California, Berkeley , and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. From 1996 he gave classes at the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini in Florence. He

175-582: The Rheem Theatre ( Moraga, California ) and Zellerbach Hall ( Berkeley, California ), and a decision to return its main subscription series to its former home, the Oakland Auditorium theater, now known as the Calvin Simmons Theatre.  A month after announcing that expansion, orchestra management cut that season almost in half, citing financial crisis, and requested a 30% pay reduction from

200-757: The Settimo Concerto of Goffredo Petrassi in 1965. From 1969 to 1974 he was the resident conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI , at that time one of four orchestras of the RAI , the national broadcaster. In 2004 he was appointed artistic director of the Teatro Massimo , the opera house of Palermo . As a guest he conducted the Aix-en-Provence Festival , the Vienna State Opera ,

225-509: The Oakland Symphony Association board subsequently voted to file for liquidation of the association under Chapter 7 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code. A retrospective analysis by Melanie Beene, Patricia Mitchell, and Fenton Johnson investigated in detail the history of the orchestra that culminated in the 1986 bankruptcy declaration.  One partial evaluation of the factors that culminated in the 1986 bankruptcy reads, with reference to

250-611: The Paramount's operating losses, the symphony association transferred the theater to the City of Oakland for $ 1, in exchange for 40 years' free rent.  To pay off the remaining renovation loan, the board converted its Ford Foundation grant funds originally earmarked for endowment into operating funds.  In subsequent years, the orchestra spent those converted Ford Foundation matching funds, until their eventual depletion. Farberman stood down as music director in 1979.  Calvin Simmons became

275-468: The community, helping the owners reach an agreement with the town to re-open the theater. In April 2019, the property was purchased by Cinema West and the Town of Moraga approved a 2-auditorium addition. The theater subsequently underwent an extensive renovation, which included removal of the stage platform in the main auditorium and installation of a 60-foot screen, Dolby Atmos and reclining seats and restoration of

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300-523: The establishment of the Oakland Symphony Chorus. In 1966, the Ford Foundation undertook a national programme of matching grants to selected American cultural institutions for them to establish long-term financial stability through the building of endowment fund.  From this programme, the Oakland Symphony was one of sixty-one American orchestras chosen for a matching grant, of $ 1.35M USD,

325-563: The final contract negotiations that failed to resolve the situation: After the bankruptcy and dissolution of the Oakland Symphony, the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra and Oakland Symphony Chorus continued to function, retaining the orchestra's parent name in their own organisational names.  In 1988, musicians from the past Oakland Symphony and the Oakland Symphony League (Oakland Symphony Guild) jointly formed

350-661: The help of a study grant, he travelled to the United States, where he studied under William Steinberg and Rafael Kubelík , and at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood under Leonard Bernstein . On 10 August 1951 he conducted a performance of Ma mère l'oye by Maurice Ravel there. From 1954 to 1956 he was conductor of the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra in Davenport, Iowa . Between 1956 and 1961 he

375-476: The largest grant available to orchestras of its size.  In 1971, Harold Farberman became the orchestra's music director.  Under Farberman, the annual subscription series expanded from 24 to 33 concerts. The orchestra introduced a 'Pops' Series and concerts for young people, with educational programs in schools.  The orchestra also undertook free concerts in public places and campaigns to reach out to diverse ethnic populations.  The latter included

400-517: The leadership of composer Robert Hughes .  The Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra performed in schools and for community organizations, and regularly commissioned and premiered works, financed through volunteer activities.  As well, the youth orchestra made five commercial recordings and toured internationally, and won a Silver Medal at the Herbert von Karajan Festival in Berlin.  Samuel also oversaw

425-454: The orchestra had not worked with any guest conductors, with Morgan serving as sole conductor.  In 2022, Kedrick Armstrong first guest-conducted the orchestra.  He returned for additional guest conducting appearances in 2023 and 2024.  In April 2024, the orchestra announced the appointment of Armstrong as its new music director, with immediate effect.   Piero Bellugi Piero Bellugi (14 July 1924 – 10 June 2012)

450-470: The orchestra musicians on the contract signed less than eight months earlier.  Management and musicians did not reach a compromise.  On 21 August 1986, management filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code,  On 12 September 1986, musicians’ representatives and the management/board negotiating team held their only meeting to negotiate the issues.  The musicians rejected management's position.  Representatives of

475-486: The orchestra's music director as of the 1979-1980 season, the first African-American conductor named to the post.  Simmons served as music director until his death in 1982.  After Simmons' death, Leonard Slatkin became artistic consultant to the orchestra for the 1982-1983 season.  The orchestra was in a financially difficult point in its history, as debts were mounting, while attendance figures remained essentially stable.  Richard Buckley became

500-443: The orchestra's music director in 1983.  Under Buckley, the symphony continued expanding its season offerings, in the face of mounting debts and essentially stable audience figures. The Symphony received favorable reviews, though its subscription sales stayed flat and single ticket sales were in decline. In the 1985-1986 season, the musicians went on strike, leading to the cancellation of the season's October 1985 opening. The strike

525-611: The orchestra's music director.  During the 1960s, the home of the orchestra was the Oakland Civic Auditorium (now the Kaiser Convention Center).  During Samuel's tenure, the orchestra's season expanded from 8 to 24 concerts, and the orchestra developed a national reputation in the United States for its programming and community work.  In 1964, Samuel oversaw the creation of the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra, with 75 student musicians under

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550-565: Was also a permanent conductor of the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana and the Toscanini Orchestra of Parma. He died in Florence on 10 June 2012. In 1954 he married Ursula Herzberger . Their son David Bellugi was a recorder virtuoso. He had five children in all. Rheem Theatre 37°51′38″N 122°07′37″W  /  37.86050°N 122.12687°W  / 37.86050; -122.12687 The Rheem Theatre

575-797: Was an Italian orchestral conductor . Bellugi was born in Florence , in Tuscany, on 14 July 1924. He took a diploma in violin at the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini in that city, studying under Gioacchino Maglioni  [ it ] . He studied conducting under Paul van Kempen at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and under Igor Markevitch at the summer academy of the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria. In 1951, with

600-824: Was resident conductor of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and of the Portland Symphony Orchestra . From 1960 he received invitations to conduct in Europe, and conducted the orchestra of the Rundfunk der DDR in Berlin , and the orchestra of La Scala in Milan, where his first performance was in the Serse of George Frideric Handel in 1962. He conducted the first performances of Darius Milhaud 's Symphony No. 10 in 1961 and of

625-492: Was resolved in November 1985, where the settlement included significant increases in orchestra services and player earnings.  Simultaneously, the board was undergoing a radical and controversial reorganization that alienated some long-time supporters and left the board structure chaotic.   In the spring of 1986, the orchestra announced expansion to its largest season ever, with services added to its existing programs at

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