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The 2007-2008 Season marked the beginning of two performances for each concert--one on Thursday at 7:30 pm and the other on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm. This schedule is being carried over in the 2009 - 2010 Season. As shown on the program schedule, we have added two Pops Concerts featuring artists of renown, accompanied by the Symphony of the Hills. The first of these, featuring Don Braswell, was a sell-out. The second concert in January, 2010, will spotlight an all-time international favorite, the New Orleans Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The Symphony of the Hills Association is a non-profit Texas corporation with a two-fold mission: Bringing superb classical music to audiences in the Hill Country of Texas and improving the musical skills of its instrumentalists, especially Schreiner University students. It is the conviction of the Officers and Directors of the Association, and of the conductor and musicians of the orchestra, that the orchestra performs a valuable service through providing fine music to area residents, thus enhancing the quality of life to all who embrace classical symphonic music. History of the Orchestra1: The SOH is an outgrowth of a community orchestra begun in the late-1990s by retired Schreiner University professor Dr. Charlotte Marrow. The original volunteer orchestra presented two concerts a year. In appreciation for her vision and efforts, in 2000 the SOH board named her to the honorary post of Conductor Emeritus. In 2001, under the leadership of Schreiner University President Dr. Tim Summerlin, the orchestra was reorganized into a professional group with a separate board of directors comprising various community leaders. The Symphony of the Hills Association was born. The original board voted to establish a four concert season, charge admission to the concerts and pay the musicians. This certainly set the bar much higher than it had been previously, since paying audiences expect professional performances and musicians who are paid for their services definitely demonstrate a higher level of commitment to the orchestra. Ed Wallace was the first president; Joe Herring, Jr. was one of the founding board members and served as President of the Association, following Ed Wallace's tenure.
Concerts in the first two
seasons (2001/02 and 2002/03) were held in Dietert Auditorium on the campus
of Schreiner University while the community awaited the completion of
renovations to the 834-seat
Cailloux Theater.
Since the 2003 move to the Cailloux Theater, the Symphony has had a remarkable success. Beginning with 2007/2008 season, the Board chose to double the number of offerings of each concert. Instead of a single presentation of each concert on Thursday evenings, the orchestra now is offering an additional presentation of the same concert on Sunday afternoons, thus immediately doubling the number of seats available for each program. Presidents of the Association Ed Wallace 2001 - 2003 Joe Herring 2003 -2005 Joseph Benham 2005 - 2007 Dr. Jim Adams 2007 - 2009 H. D. Maxwell 2009 - 2010 C. Warren Ferguson 2010 - ______________________________ 1) Jay Dunnahoo Ed.D., 2007, 2008. |
The Symphony
of the Hills (SOH) brings superb classical orchestral music to audiences in
the Hill Country of Texas. Based at Schreiner University in Kerrville, the
orchestra is comprised of skilled and professional musicians from the Hill
Country, including faculty and advanced music students from the University. 