
Binghamton Philharmonic Overview
In 2007-2008, the Binghamton Philharmonic, Broome
County’s only professional symphony orchestra, will
present its 52nd season of live classical and pops
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. The
Binghamton Philharmonic also provides its community
with a wide variety of educational programs which
help introduce younger generations to the joys of
making and listening to music.
The Binghamton Philharmonic is led by its Music
Director and Conductor, José-Luis Novo. One of
Spain’s most promising young 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.
The Binghamton Philharmonic was founded in 1956 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 Broome County.
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.
But the Binghamton Philharmonic is about more than
classical music. Each season the Philharmonic
Pops presents a series of entertaining concerts
featuring guest artists from the worlds of jazz,
Broadway and entertainment as well as popular
classical “crossover” artists.
The Binghamton Philharmonic also provides a diverse
selection of ensemble groups to area schools for
performances and master classes. The highlight
of the Binghamton Philharmonic’s educational
programming, however, is its annual Young People’s
Concert, which entertains and educates over 2,000
school children every year.
The Binghamton Philharmonic performs locally at the
Anderson Center at Binghamton University and the
Forum in Downtown Binghamton. The Binghamton
Philharmonic also appears regularly at Pops on the
Plaza and First Night Binghamton, both presented by
Southern Tier Celebrates.