 Frédérique Petrides rehearsing her Festival Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Music Division and The University of Arkansas Press | |
| Formation | 1961 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1977 |
| Type | Outdoor summer classical concert series |
| Purpose | To present little known works by the classical masters and new works by American composers, as well as a full repertoire. |
| Headquarters | Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City |
| Location | |
Region served | Upper West Side of Manhattan and Citywide |
Official language | English |
Founder and conductor | Madame Frédérique Petrides |
Main organ | West Side Community Concerts, Inc./West Side Orchestral Concerts, Inc. |
| Affiliations | The New York City Department of Parks; The Recording Industries Trust Fund; Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians |
West Side Community Concerts, Inc., renamed West Side Orchestral Concerts, Inc. in 1968,[1] were an American summer classical concert series given by a 40-piece orchestra, The Festival Symphony Orchestra. The series debuted in the summer of 1962 and continued until 1977. Frédérique Petrides (1903–1983) was its founder, organizer and musical director. The first concert in 1962, took place at 73rd Street, in Riverside Park, but in 1963 the series moved to its permanent location, a spacious sports arena, with the Hudson River as a backdrop, at 103rd Street in Riverside Park, Manhattan, New York, where, for the concerts, a temporary acoustical shell[2] was brought in. The series was publicized and referred to as "Tanglewood around the corner".[3][4] The concerts were well received by the press,[5][6] attended by as many as 4,500, and broadcast live on WNYC radio.[7][8]
- ^ 1.Frédérique Petrides Papers, Classmark JPB 83-3, Music Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center- Finding Aid, Series Folder 4/17
- ^ Jane Weiner LePage (1931–2008) Women composers, conductors, musicians of the twentieth century, volume ii p.217 Scarecrow Press, Inc.Metuchen, New Jersey and London (1983)
- ^ Flier advertising the concerts, which is in the Frédérique Petrides Papers, Classmark JPB 83-3, Music Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center
- ^ Jane Weiner LePage (1931–2008) Women composers, conductors, musicians of the twentieth century, volume ii p.215 Scarecrow Press, Inc. Metuchen, New Jersey and London (1983)
- ^ Frédérique Petrides Papers, Classmark JPB 83-3, Music Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center
- ^ Jane Weiner LePage (1931–2008) Women composers, conductors and musicians of the twentieth century, volume ii, pps. 216-219 Scarecrow Press, Inc. Metuchen, New Jersey and London (1983)
- ^ Howard Klein, 4500 Hear Concert in Riverside Park, The New York Times, June 26, 1962
- ^ Jane Weiner LePage (1931–2008) Women composers, conductors and musicians of the twentieth century, volume ii, pps. 216-219 Scarecrow Press, Inc. Metuchen, New Jersey and London (1983)