The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society is gearing up for its last concert of the 2015-2016 season, which features a chamber orchestra performance under the direction of guest conductor James Riccardo. Riccardo is one of several guest conductors to collaborate with the orchestra over the last season, with only the season opener last September featuring longtime conductor and Music Director John Farrer.
In the run-up to the season-closing concert, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society invited the media to a small press conference on March 25, with a very cryptic explanation as to the announcement to be made.
Reporters from multiple outlets and some curious philharmonic supporters, like Judy and Hardy Hearn, were in attendance as Board President Jed Beebe announced that longtime maestro Farrer had moved farther away from Santa Maria, to Texas, and he would no longer serve as the society’s music director.
A face familiar to Central Coast classical music fans was there, Michael Nowak, former music director of the SLO Symphony and current director of the newly formed Novo Orchestra in SLO.
“This marvelous opportunity to hire one of the most fabulous musicians in the area has come our way,” Beebe said. “We’re just so excited to have Michael Nowak as the new director for the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society.”
The announcement is exciting news for anyone who has followed the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society over the last few years. A budget scare three years ago saw the symphony almost in shutters. Since then, fewer concerts called on Farrer and instead used local collaborators like Riccardo, Opera SLO’s Brian Asher Alhadeff, and Greg Magie.
The chance to hire a music director who lives on the Central Coast, and one as esteemed as Nowak, is a big accomplishment and a sign of the symphony’s resurgence, Beebe said. Just before Nowak spoke, board member Lynne Garrett remarked that Nowak’s involvement would help make the orchestra a more visible and celebrated part of the community.
“The Santa Maria Philharmonic has a long and rich tradition, and I believe it was founded by Capt. Allan Hancock himself, who was a cellist,” Nowak said. “I’m privileged to have the opportunity to work with the Santa Maria Philharmonic and their fabulous orchestra.
“I see there being great opportunities for growth in this area with the large population that’s here,” he continued. “I think there’s many ways we can expand our audiences with music education, getting young people involved in music, outreach programs in schools, and to get their families involved.”
Youth involvement with the Philharmonic will help create generations of supporters, Nowak explained. The society already expanded its outreach program this year to include two concerts rather than just the one offered in previous years.
Nowak also said that he’s already at work planning the next season’s concert, and is reaching out to soloist collaborators to perform with the orchestra. He has been a longtime conductor for movie scores, and did work on films such as Life of Pi, The Kite Runner, and King Kong, so he has plenty of big-name contacts.
He also talked about more long-term goals to enrich the Santa Maria Philharmonic and Santa Maria’s musical community.
“I’m going to work hard at a concept of bringing a concert hall to the area,” he said. “That’s one of my plans as music director is to get there to be a temple of music in the area, whether it’s at Hancock College or somewhere nearby, but the orchestra deserves its own home, and let’s see if we can get started working on that idea.”
Another addition to the Santa Maria Philharmonic’s team was announced as well. Janet Hillson is the new general manager for the society. She will be aiding with a number of organizational and technical aspects necessary to keep the philharmonic running, Beebe and Garrett explained.
Garrett also said that most of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra’s players have worked with Nowak before, and are already looking forward to getting started on the next season’s music. The 2016-2017 season will gear up in September, Beebe said, and Nowak is already selecting works for the orchestra concerts.
“We’ve got time to raise the money, and we hope this will generate some excitement in the community and raise some support,” Beebe said. “We’re excited to have somebody that’s planning the season other than the board, so that there’s a continuity from concert to concert, so that the season has a vision.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne welcomes Maestro Nowak and can’t wait for the next season let alone the concert hall. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 7-14, 2016.