By Susan B. Steen
With vision and passion, great things can happen—add to that some notes and instruments and you have something wonderfully magical on your hands. Dr. Laurence Harvin’s passion for music and his vision for sharing with a large audience came together in 1981 with a small group of citizens in the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. No story can be told without telling how it began, and so we honor the creator of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra as we begin our 35th season. With one mission in mind, Dr. Harvin and the Symphony Guild worked to create a home for musicians and symphony fans in middle Tennessee. The mission: To bring literature to life because literature is the history of music, and it is only alive when you play it. For 35 years, children and adults have borne witness to the magical and melodic offerings of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra’s bringing literature to life.
While today we are known as Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra has held several names through the years: Beginning in 1980 as the University Community Symphony Orchestra, professional musicians from the community and the university, as well as a few college students, made up the orchestra. In 1989 the name was changed to Middle Tennessee Symphony in hopes of better representing the selection of musicians participating in the orchestra from the surrounding area. In 2000, we became the Tennessee Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, then Murfreesboro Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, and Tennessee Philharmonic one more time. No matter the name, this orchestra has consistently offered exceptional musical events and opportunities to entertain and to educate its listeners.
Dr. Harvin brought to the table his knowledge, experience, and a desire to see history come alive for symphony attendees. From evenings as a young boy spent listening to Taps play as the radio announcer signed off for the night, to free lessons as a teen that allowed him to improve enough to compete for scholarships, Laurence Harvin’s appetite to know more of the music that spoke to him never disappeared. At the University of Alabama, the University of Oklahoma, and finally at Florida State University, Laurence became Dr. Harvin, and he brought with him to Murfreesboro in 1966 his wife, his children, and his determination to help others hear the literature being played as he headed the String section in the Music Department at Middle Tennessee State University.
The Gala Inaugural Season of The University-Community Symphony Orchestra featured Laurence Harvin as the conductor, Jerry Perkins on piano, and Jan Jackson as Concertmaster. Looking at the program from that season you’ll find the name of Marianna Harvin at second violin. Unsung heroes are all around in an organization like this, and Mary Harvin’s constant support of her husband and the orchestra have not gone unnoticed.
The magic began November 1, 1980 at 8:00pm. Greg Lawson played clarinet that first season and continues in that place today. Other recognizable names from more recent history (20 years or so) might include Concertmaster Stefan Petrescu, Dan Nedelcu, Donna Wehofer, Susan Mullen, Alan Suska, Cristian Codeneau, Nancy Los, and Wilson Sharpe. Look through your program to see what other names you might have seen in past years. The MSO continues to be full of incredible talent.
Looking through old newspaper clippings and Symphony Guild “Notes”, memories of the early days are in ample supply. March 15, 1983, Martha Jo Smith wrote that the spring concert program would include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Enesco’s Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1, Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 (Becky Stockdell, principal flutist). What a wonderful walk back in time to see these memories of the simple yet masterfully conducted and played beginnings. Were you there for the early days of the orchestra and guild?
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 1987, a photo of ladies seated around a table addressing invitations with the caption: The Murfreesboro Symphony Guild will have a membership coffee in celebration of the 1987-88 concert season of the University Community Symphony Orchestra…sending out invitations are Jean Molloy, Marian Muscatell, Gail Butler, and Lucinda Lea. The next is a clipping promoting Windel Little and Biron Case as the musical performers being featured at the Symphony Guild luncheon. The next clipping shows the newly elected officers of the Symphony Guild: Linda Haley, Pat Garner, Sally Morgan, Dot Daniel, and Debbie Dray. Pages and pages of reminders of the presence and support of a strong Symphony Guild are in the files.
Monday, October 17, 1988 was the opening of the Symphony’s first season as Middle Tennessee Symphony and featured musical talent of Angela Cheng, Christine Isley, Richard Estes, and James Buswell, talents still enjoyed today. With the change of name in 2000, the Tennessee Philharmonic found itself in a position to entice artists who would be performing on bigger stages in bigger cities to use the Murfreesboro stage as a rehearsal of sorts. Those artists, coupled with the remarkable talents in our own area, helped to elevate the orchestra even more. It was well known that this orchestra was both top-notch in quality and top-rated by musicians, and so it continues today. During those years, audience members might be treated to a talk given by the conductor before the concert to help them understand the language they would be hearing. Always, the orchestra has sought to educate, entertain, and enlighten, and inspire.
It would be difficult to speak of educating and not recognize the enormous focus given to the students of local and area schools. Continuing to flip through the pages of memories, there are photos and clippings of performances at Murphy Center with 4,000-5,000 school children in attendance. For a very small fee, buses of students came to be treated to programs such as Prokofieff’s “Peter and the Wolf” and Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite”. The language of music has been shared with so many groups of children, and for many there is a love of music that has been developed.
Education continues to be a dedicated part of the MSO’s work with musicians going into the schools to perform and teach about symphonic music, composers and instruments. Students get a hand-on experience at the musical petting zoo, piano station, and more held before the family concert. Older students who show an interest in working in music are recognized at one of the concerts based on recommendations by the music teachers in the middle Tennessee area. Music should be a wonderful experience, and we are doing our best to make it just that for every age!
Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra was fortunate to have such a strong founder and leader in Dr. Harvin for 27 years. The orchestra’s story didn’t end with his departure, though. Orchestra Kentucky’s founder, Jeffrey Reed, was hired as conductor of Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra, bringing a mixture of classical and pop music to the stage in the same program, a style not seen by our audiences before. After two years of splitting his time, Reed chose to dedicate his time to his original orchestra. Reed left Murfreesboro at the end of the 2009 season.
In the same way that we are enjoying a variety of guest conductors this season, so we did in the 2010 season. Joseph Lee was one of the guest conductors and became a great choice to fill the job on a more permanent basis. Lee brought back the offering of classical and pop programs held separately, working to appeal to a variety of audiences. In addition to his role with the MSO, Lee also was working with orchestras in Huntsville and Costa Rica, which is where he can be found today.
Here we are today, beginning this wonderful season with another MSO President—Jane McNulty, who took over after a great run by Phil Barnett. With guest conductors leading this amazing symphony orchestra, we celebrate our 35th season. From such simple and hopeful beginnings in the 1980’s through many seasons of figuring out who we wanted to be, we have arrived at this place to offer you another season of magical music, as our incredible roster of talented musicians fills the air with notes and tones fitting for the literature written for just this setting.
Thank you for being a part of the life of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra. May you enjoy the literature brought to life and take time to appreciate the gifts of the musicians who have spent an extraordinary amount of time honing their skills for this evening, this concert. This is the 35th Anniversary Season of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra. As we Let Freedom Ring in November, enjoy The Sounds of Christmas in December, relish Mostly Mozart in February, and end the year with An Evening of Pops, we are creating A Season to Celebrate. We are happy you’ve chosen to be a part of the season!