The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra is moving forward with an exciting new season of concerts featuring the final three contestants in the recent search for an artistic director to a position vacated by the orchestra’s founder Madeline Schatz-Harris, who announced her retirement during the 2014-15 season.
The Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra is moving forward with an exciting new season of concerts featuring the final three contestants in the recent search for an artistic director to a position vacated by the orchestra’s founder Madeline Schatz-Harris, who announced her retirement during the 2014-15 season.
In their search for a replacement, the orchestra’s board of directors has considered 90 applications and conducted 13 interviews. From the 13 semi-finalists, the board selected Brian Dollinger of Morton, Ill., David MacKenzie, of New Bedford, Conn., and Maestro Harvey Felder, of Tacoma, Wash., as finalists for the position. Each of these talented conductors will lead the orchestra in a regular season concert, giving the orchestra and audience a chance to experience their work before a new leader is selected in spring 2016.
Dollinger will conduct works by Beethoven, Bizet and Tchaikovsky on Oct. 25 at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel &Bungalows. On Jan. 17, 2016, at Kahilu Theatre, MacKenzie will lead the group in pieces by Beethoven, Dvorak and Rimsky-Korsakov. Performances by the winners of the orchestra’s annual concerto competition (now named the Schatz-Harris Concerto Competition, in honor of the group’s founder), will be on the program March 20, 2016 at Kahilu Theatre. Along with the concertos, Felder will conduct music by Liszt and Hanson.