Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra

Mission:

The mission of the Fresno Philharmonic is to enrich and transform the lives of the residents of the Central Valley through performances of great music. The Fresno Philharmonic believes that music of the highest caliber should be available and accessible to all.

About Us:

The Fresno Philharmonic, now in its 60th season, is one of the leading arts organizations in the Central San Joaquin Valley. As Fresno's professional symphony orchestra, we present incomparable live musical experiences to thousands of people each season and provide high quality music education programs to students throughout our region.  We believe that music of the highest caliber should be available and accessible to all.

The Fresno Philharmonic's Masterworks series presents the greatest works in the classical symphonic literature, as well as interesting rarities and compositions by living composers. Leading guest soloists, such as Sir James Galway, Itzhak Perlman, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Lang Lang, Lynn Harrell, Sarah Chang, Joshua Bell, and Andre Watts have appeared with the Fresno Philharmonic.  The Fresno Pops series presents orchestral arrangements of popular music from a wide variety of genres and eras often with leading headline stars from the worlds of Broadway, jazz and entertainment. In 2013-2014 the Fresno Philharmonic will present Carnegie Hall's acclaimed Link Up education program in several local school districts. 

Theodore Kuchar is entering his twelfth season as Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic. He is also Music Director of the Janacek Philharmonic in the Czech Republic, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela and the Reno Chamber Orchestra in Nevada. He previously served as Music Director of the Ukrainian National Orchestra in Kiev and the Boulder Philharmonic in Colorado. With many recordings on both the Naxos and Brilliant labels, he is one of the most recorded conductors on the scene today. Many of his recordings have received high critical acclaim.

The Fresno Philharmonic operates on an annual budget of approximately $1.5 million and has an endowment of approximately $2.3 million. The Fresno Philharmonic has approximately 65 tenured musicians all of whom are members of the American Federation of Musicians.  Hailing from Greater Fresno, as well as cities throughout California, they bring a wealth of talent and experience to Fresno Philharmonic concerts and many are actively engaged in teaching music in our community.   The Philharmonic is managed by a full-time staff of five and two part-time employees. It has a 25-member Board of Directors composed of community leaders who govern the organization and provide financial resources through their contributions and fund raising activity.  Like every professional symphony orchestra in the U.S., the Fresno Philharmonic depends upon the generous support of the community it serves.