 Alfred
I. du Pont founded the earliest ancestor of the Delaware Symphony
Orchestra (DSO) in the early 19th century. Its name
was
originally the Tankopanikum Orchestra, which is translated from Native
American as “the rushing waters of the Brandywine River”. The
ensemble was comprised of a small group of local amateur musicians who
were employed as mill workers, doctors, and laborers. Thanks
to
du Pont’s dedication, local interest in music performance was
strengthened immensely in a short period of time.
Although
du Pont’s original orchestra disbanded, in 1906 two prominent
businessmen, Major Kellogg Kennon Venable (K.K.V.) Casey and Cyrus
Peter Miller (C.P.M.) Rumford, formed the Wilmington
Orchestra.
They shared a vision to form a group “to play and promote the better
things in music”. They recruited musical friends along with
conductor August Rodemann of the Philadelphia Orchestra to become the
new music director. Once the membership became too large to
fit
inside Rumford’s house, a decision was made to create a formal
organization with officers and a larger venue. The first
concert
was performed on May 27, 1907 in the Garrick Theater on Market Street
near 9th Street and tickets were complimentary.
 After
the Wilmington Orchestra disbanded due to a lack of financial support,
the Wilmington Symphony Club was formed in 1912. Its
conductor,
Harry Stausebach, was a violinist from the first Tankopanikum
Orchestra. In 1929 the name was changed to the Symphony Club
of
Wilmington, and the primarily amateur group performed twice each
year. Gradually a larger fraction of the 60-member orchestra
became professional, but there were still varying degrees of experience
among players. By 1940 the orchestra had increased in size to
90
members.
The
first executive board of the orchestra was created in 1946 along with a
program committee as advisors to the conductor. In 1955,
Stausebach retired after a 26-year career of conducting and energizing
an orchestra for the city of Wilmington.
Upon
Stausebach’s retirement, the Board of Directors chose Van Lier Lanning
as the conductor. He demanded more players and more
auditions,
enabling the orchestra to grow and the season to lengthen. By
the
time he retired after 24 years of service, the orchestra had grown to
an almost all professional ensemble. It was renamed the
Delaware
Symphony Orchestra in 1971 to better reflect the orchestra’s regional
reach. During Lanning’s time, the number of concerts
increased
from three annually to four, as well as two children’s concerts instead
of one.
 In
1979 Stephen Guzenhauser took over. Guzenhauser served as
music
director for 23 years and is known for increasing the professionalism
and quality of the orchestra. Under his leadership the
Symphony
went on their first professional tour to Portugal. He also
led
the orchestra in debut performances in New York City and Washington
D.C.
In
September 2003, after a season long search, David Amado began his
responsibilities as conductor and music director. Chosen from
over 325 applicants worldwide, he is the fifth conductor to lead the
orchestra. Amado has brought new energy and recognition to
the
DSO, re-connecting with patrons and reaching out to new audiences
through a variety of programming.
As
the state’s only professional orchestra, the DSO brings symphonic music
to thousands of Delawareans through its Classical and Chamber concert
series, special concerts, and education and community engagement
programs. |
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