Posted by Jay Bertolet on February 13, 2001 at 08:56:47:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Women in orchestras posted by Bill on February 13, 2001 at 07:33:25:
For sure the name of the orchestra is wrong, the Florida Philharmonic wasn't formed until 1984 and was called the Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida (how about that for a bad acronym for an orchestra located in a state where orchestras tend to just vanish [POOF]) when the Fort Lauderdale Symphony and Boca Raton Symphony merged. I'm not exactly sure how long John Stevens was here in Miami teaching at the University of Miami but he was my predecessor in the FPO/POOF. I came here in 1985. I think John was here for longer than 5 years so Mary and your son may have been auditioning for another job I'm unaware of. The only professional job that existed in Miami at that time (to my knowledge) was the old Miami Philharmonic which collapsed after a strike, around 1981(?). Initially, the FPO/POOF had nothing to do with Miami because of the scorched earth there after the strike and collapse. I still remember when the FPO/POOF started playing concerts in Miami and how big a deal it was because nobody believed that Miami would support another symphony after what had happened. I'll ask the bass trombone player I work with about it. He has been here since the 60's and was involved in most of the ensembles that have existed during those years. Maybe he remembers her. Thanks for the info!