The Binghamton Philharmonic is
Broome
County's only professional symphony orchestra.
Every year, the Binghamton Philharmonic presents
live classical, pops and chamber music concerts to
thousands of residents of Broome and surrounding
counties. Its concerts also reach many music lovers
throughout Central New York through broadcasts on
WSKG Public Radio. Additionally, the Binghamton
Philharmonic provides its community with a variety
of educational programs that help introduce younger
generations to the joys of making and listening to
music as well as educating adults about classical
music.
The Binghamton Philharmonic was founded in 1955 as
the Binghamton Symphony and Choral Society under the
artistic leadership of the late Fritz Wallenberg.
The Binghamton Symphony was renamed the Binghamton
Philharmonic in 1996 when it merged with the B.C.
Pops. The two organizations, each with a rich
history of presenting live orchestral music, merged
in order to better serve the music and arts
education needs of Greater Binghamton.
The Binghamton Philharmonic is led by Music Director
and Conductor, José-Luis Novo. One of Spain’s most
exciting conductors, Mr. Novo is also Music Director
of the Annapolis Symphony and a member of the
conducting faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in
Greensboro, NC. He has held conducting positions
with the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops and
was music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth
Orchestra, the Oxford (Ohio) Chamber Orchestra, the
Miami University Symphony Orchestra, as well as
associate conductor of the National Repertory
Orchestra in Breckenridge (Colorado), and assistant
conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Spain,
and the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He is also an
active guest conductor having appeared recently with
the Minnesota Orchestra, the Syracuse, Stamford and
Abilene Symphonies.
Over the past fifty years, the Binghamton
Philharmonic has achieved a level of artistic
excellence rare for a regional orchestra. In
addition to presenting the great masterworks of the
classical repertoire, the orchestra has maintained a
special commitment to the music of contemporary
American composers, including the commissioning of
several new works. The Philharmonic’s classical
concerts also feature internationally renowned guest
artists as well as important emerging soloists
destined to become the great masters of the
twenty-first century. The musical achievements of
the Binghamton Philharmonic have been repeatedly
recognized by grants from the New York State Council
on the Arts. In 2007, the Binghamton Philharmonic
received a prestigious grant from the New York State
Music fund for its season-long exploration of Latin
American music.
The Binghamton Philharmonic performs locally at the
Anderson Center at Binghamton University and the
Forum in Downtown Binghamton. This summer the
Binghamton Philharmonic performed a free pops
concert at the Broome County Arena as part of the
Southern Tier Celebrates Summer Music Festival. The
Binghamton Philharmonic has also appeared in concert
at historic Hyde Hall (Cooperstown, NY), the
Belleayre Music Festival (Highmount, NY), the State
University of New York at Delhi (Delhi, NY) and the
Chenango County Community Cultural Center (Norwich,
NY).