| :: The Rapides Symphony Orchestra Story :: |
The roots of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra and a community-wide love of music go back for many generations in Alexandria, to the Opera House (later the Paramount Theater) built on Third Street prior to World War I, and to the Community Concert Association which came into existence immediately following World War II. Over time, various individuals, such as Mr. R. C. (Fritz) Bauer, Dr. Harry Brian, Mrs. Anne Coughlin, Mrs. Florence Crowell, Dr. Tom Norman and Mr. Irving Ward-Steinman, to name only a few of many, have been responsible for sustaining and focusing this musical involvement, but it was not until 1967 that the community desire was formalized in the formation of the orchestra which exists today.
The first president of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra was Dr. Donald Carnahan; the first conductor was Maestro Arthur King; the first concertmaster was Mrs. Jane Ann Tudor, an enthusiastic musician. During the summer of 1967 the fledgling orchestra practiced, and that winter presented three concerts under the baton of Maestro King. Then, it was learned that King was seriously ill (he was to die the following September). However, Mrs. Tudor had recently met William Kushner, "a musician and a conductor living in Lake Charles in the disguise of a businessman." Together with Dr. Harry Brian, a member of the Board of Trustees, these individuals investigated, then held conversations with Mr. Kushner, and ultimately an agreement was reached. Mr. Kushner accepted the position and would remain conductor of the Rapides Symphony for 34 years, from 1968 until 2002.
Throughout his tenure, Maestro Kushner never forgot the orchestra's first purpose, "Though we do other things, our main purpose is to perform the great music written in the last 300 years - from Bach on up." Though the serious purpose of the RSO is never forgotten, the lively Pops concerts are also important in the community, enlarging the audience, building community pride and orchestra spirit.
Through the years, the orchestra has sent out branches involving itself in various programs. In the '60s and '70s, the RSO joined other artists in opera production. Singling out a particularly memorable production of Verdi's Rigoletto, Maestro Kushner commented on "the united community effort" which resulted in that production. These opera productions were sponsored by the Matinee Music Club, encouraged primarily by Mrs. Anne Coughlin. Another such development was the formation of Ballet Alexandria in 1988. Though there were dance studios locally, there was no ballet organization until Kushner encouraged, and Mrs. JoAnn Kellogg organized, the troupe. Mrs. Kellogg has called the ballet company "a child of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra."
The orchestra has always encouraged and worked to develop young talent. The Youth Honor Orchestra, supported by the RSO and, in past performances, by the Rapides Foundation, the Martin Foundation, the Union Pacific Foundation, and Mrs. Sara L. Simmonds, has been an established event since 1994. High school students participate in an intensive workshop from which a concert is produced. For young musicians whose mastery of their instruments and of a selected set of music literature reaches the level of solo performance, the RSO has sponsored since 1999 an annual Concerto Competition, with two levels of participation - youth (any age, through high school); and young adult/collegiate (through age 28). In April of each year, the two winners of the Concerto Competition appear in concert with the orchestra.
As a result of this variety of activities and opportunities, the RSO can claim as its own several well-established career musicians who grew up in the orchestra. Stephen Caplan, oboist and later Professor of Music at the University of Nevada, found in the RSO an opportunity to decide whether music was the career he wanted to follow. Another is Stephen Rose, son of two long-time RSO musicians and a violinist with the prestigious Cleveland Orchestra. His parents give some of the credit for his success to his experience in the RSO and his encouragement by Maestro Kushner. Still another is Eric Kushner, French horn principal in the Vienna Symphony and the son of Maestro Kushner and his first wife, Sylvia. These young musicians, and others, have all come back as polished professionals and performed with the orchestra which gave them their start.
Also beneficial to the communities of Alexandria and Pineville has been the cooperation between the orchestra and the Choral Department of Louisiana College, to their mutual enrichment. Together, they have performed, among other productions, an impressive Carmina Burana, Beethoven's Choral Fantasy and Verdi's Requiem Mass.
With the retirement in 2002 of Maestro Kushner, designated Conductor Laureate of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra, the organization launched a two year search and audition process with more than one hundred applicants for the position. As a result, in May 2004, Joshua Zona was retained as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the RSO. Maestro Zona's debut as conductor of the Rapides Symphony will long be remembered, for it was, simultaneously, the first performance of the orchestra in its new home, the Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center; and also the world premiere of William Banfield's choral 9th Symphony, dedicated to the literary legacy of Arna Wendell Bontemps, Alexandria native son and a significant figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
For all these reasons, that season, the 38th consecutive season of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra, was designated our "renaissance year". Under the artistic direction of Maestro Joshua Zona the orchestra remembers with deep gratitude all those who formed and matured the institution, and looks to a future which builds on and moves beyond its professional achievements of the past.
| Season | President | Music Director | ||
| 1967-68 | Dr. Donald Carnahan, MD | Arthur King | ||
| 1968-69 | Dr. Donald Carnahan, MD | William Kushner | ||
| 1969-70 | Dr. Harry M. Brian, MD | William Kushner | ||
| 1970-71 | Dr. Harry M. Brian, MD | William Kushner | ||
| 1971-72 | Thilo Steinschulte | William Kushner | ||
| 1972-73 | Thilo Steinschulte | William Kushner | ||
| 1973-74 | John Cade, Jr. | William Kushner | ||
| 1974-75 | John Cade, Jr. | William Kushner | ||
| 1975-76 | Dr. James W. Welch, Jr., MD | William Kushner | ||
| 1976-77 | Dr. James W. Welch, Jr., MD | William Kushner | ||
| 1977-78 | Dr. Tom D. Norman, MD | William Kushner | ||
| 1978-79 | LeDoux R. Provosty, Jr. | William Kushner | ||
| 1979-80 | LeDoux R. Provosty, Jr. | William Kushner | ||
| 1980-81 | K. Kirk Domingos, III | William Kushner | ||
| 1981-82 | K. Kirk Domingos, III | William Kushner | ||
| 1982-83 | Jane Ann Tudor | William Kushner | ||
| 1983-84 | W. Foster Walker, III | William Kushner | ||
| 1984-85 | W. Foster Walker, III | William Kushner | ||
| 1985-86 | Frederick B. Alexius | William Kushner | ||
| 1986-87 | Frederick B. Alexius | William Kushner | ||
| 1987-88 | Roy O. Martin, Jr. | William Kushner | ||
| 1988-89 | Thomas D. Fowler | William Kushner | ||
| 1989-90 | Thomas D. Fowler | William Kushner | ||
| 1990-91 | Caroline K. Theus | William Kushner | ||
| 1991-92 | Caroline K. Theus | William Kushner | ||
| 1992-93 | Joseph L. Hebert | William Kushner | ||
| 1993-94 | Joseph L. Hebert | William Kushner | ||
| 1994-95 | Molly Sooter | William Kushner | ||
| 1995-96 | Molly Sooter | William Kushner | ||
| 1996-97 | Richard B. Crowell | William Kushner | ||
| 1997-98 | Richard B. Crowell | William Kushner | ||
| 1998-99 | Dr. R. Bruce Wallace, MD | William Kushner | ||
| 1999-00 | Dr. R. Bruce Wallace, MD | William Kushner | ||
| 2000-01 | A. Brent Caplan | William Kushner | ||
| 2001-02 | A. Brent Caplan | William Kushner | ||
| 2002-03 | William A. Tudor | - | ||
| 2003-04 | William A. Tudor | - | ||
| 2004-05 | Margaret Waring | Joshua Zona | ||
| 2005-06 | Donald P. Moriarty, II | Joshua Zona | ||
| 2006-07 | Donald P. Moriarty, II | Joshua Zona |