About the Symphony

History

Dr. D. Duer Reynolds, a prominent local physician, and Ray Lyman Ott, head of the Kennett Consolidated School music department, founded the Kennett Community Symphony Orchestra in 1940 as an all-volunteer orchestra. It quickly evolved into an association of professional musicians from Pennsylvania and surrounding states and gained a reputation for producing quality symphonic music. Today the Kennett Symphony of Chester County is Chester County, Pennsylvania's only professional symphony orchestra.

Since its inception 70 years ago, the KSCC has had the benefit of the services of eight outstanding music conductors beginning with Ray Lyman Ott (1942-1961) to the present conductor/director, Mary Woodmansee Green, who will begin her 20th year with the 2007-08 concert season. Maestra Green was the first woman to be appointed conductor of a professional symphony in Pennsylvania.

The KSCC performs six concerts annually including an annual free children's concert with instrument petting zoo. Concerts are performed at venues throughout Chester County including Longwood Gardens Open Air Theatre, The Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall at West Chester University and the Kennett High School Auditorium.

Community outreach programs include scheduling annual instrumental and vocal performance competitions for young artists. Outreach was expanded in 1990 with the formation of a Kennett Symphony Children's Chorus, founded by Karen L. Markey, now comprising nearly 100 student vocalists, ages six through eighteen. In 2006 the chorus transitioned to become the Kennett Symphony Children's Chorus in residence at West Chester University and is currently under the direction of Dr. Kristen A. Albert.

Among the highlights of the KSCC's history, in 2006 the Symphony was invited to perform a world premiere of The Century Garden, a commissioned work by Robert Maggio choreographed to dancing fountains, in recognition of the 100th birthday of the founding of Longwood Gardens by Pierre DuPont,

Support for the KSCC comes from ticket sales, fund raising events, educational and cultural partnerships, small businesses, corporations, foundations, government agencies, and individual contributions.

While paid professional staff and musicians have been essential to the success and longevity of the KSCC, without the dedicated efforts of countless volunteers, KSCC would not be the outstanding organization it is today.

Music Directors

Ray Ott, 1940 -1961
Powell Middleton, 1961 - 1970
Calvin Bourgeault, 1970 -1975
Stephen Gunzenhauser, 1975 - 1980
Terry E. Guidetti, 1980 - 1988
Mary Woodmansee Green, 1988-present

Board of Directors

 
Bill Simeral, President
Paul Merluzzi, Vice President
Richard Burlingame, Secretary
Al Willard, Treasurer
 
Timothy V. Blair
Monica Buffington
Barb Bullock
Pam Carter
Martha Diffey
Marc Driggs
Ellen Fenstermacher
Eileen Hickman
Robert Hoch
Richard B. Kent, MD
David Mooberry
Emily Moody
James C. McComb Sinclair II
Catherine Williams
Sandra P. Yeatman

Directors Emeritus
 
Elizabeth B. Halsted
Shirley F. Pritchard
George B. Scarlett II
Mary M. Scott
Sandra W. Thompson
Alfred C. Webber
Hope Middleton Wood
John A. Yeatman

Kennett Symphony League

Sally Weil, President
Donna Elliott, Treasurer
Mary Scott, Secretary

Martha Diffey
Rose Ehlen
Hope Giamboy
Betsy Halsted
Edna Hein
Cynthia Horgan
Carmen Knox
Karen Markey
Kaye Merrey
Linda Much
Sarah Rusek
Barbara Sowden
Barbara Toman

Learn more about the League

Staff

Mary Woodmansee Green, Music Director and Conductor
Barb Bullock, Executive Director e-mail
Kristen Albert, Artistic Director, Kennett Symphony Childrenís Chorus
Karen L. Markey, Founding Director, Kennett Symphony Childrenís Chorus
Monica Buffington, Personnel Manager
Robert Hoch and John Jadus, Music Librarians

We Remember

Calvin Luther Bourgeault (1926 - 2009)
Music Director and Conductor, 1970 - 1975

Calvin, born in Bridgeport, PA, and raised in Conshohocken, was the youngest child of Alfred and Nora Bealer Bourgeault. His parents died before he was six months old. As he was too young to go to the Odd Fellows Orphanage with his four older siblings, he was taken under wing and later adopted by his paternal uncle and aunt, Louis Fabian and Clara Himes Bourgeault.

Cal began piano lessons in fourth grade and continued his piano studies through high school, college, and beyond. He graduated from Conshohocken High School in 1942 at the age of 16, and he then worked at the local steel mill while also earning some additional pocket money playing piano in several neighborhood bars until he was old enough to join the Army Air Corps in January of 1944. He served in the United States Army of Occupation in Foggia, Italy from 1945 through 1946, and as ‘Slim the Milkman’, he was the daily morning wake-up voice for the troops in the Foggia area.

He returned to Philadelphia and received his B.S. in Education (music) in 1950 and M.S. in 1951 from Temple University. In addition to his continued specialization in piano, he studied choral conducting with Elaine Brown, and he served as the principal accompanist for the Temple University Glee Club, which toured throughout the Eastern US and in Europe as well. He would later continue his studies in conducting with Nadia Boulanger at the Ecoles d’Art Americaine Conservatoire de Musique in Fontainbleau, France. Cal was a charter member of the Singing City Choir of Philadelphia, founded by Elaine Brown, and he continued performing with that group for more than twenty years. In the fall of 1951 he was asked to fill in for a few weeks at Tower Hill School. That “temporary replacement” grew into 27 years as “Mr. Music” at Tower Hill. His high school choirs and vocal ensemble soon developed renown for both skill and repertoire well beyond their young years. In addition to two world premiers specially commissioned for the Tower Hill Choruses, the Choral Ensemble, combined with the Singing City Youth Choir, performed regularly with the Philadelphia Orchestra. A highlight of Cal’s career came in 1964 when he was asked to provide and train the youth choir for a performance of Stravinsky’s Persephone with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C, and New York City. A snow storm prevented the regular rehearsal accompanist from getting to The Academy of Music, and Cal played for the rehearsal under the baton of Mr. Stravinsky.

Beyond his involvement at Tower Hill, he also gave generously of his time to high school music education all over the Delaware Valley. Cal moved from Tower Hill in 1977 to serve as Middle and Upper School Vocal Music Director at Friends Select School in Center City Philadelphia where he remained until his retirement in 1989. He was an active member of the Music Educator’s National Conference, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and the American Choral Directors Association, and he was a committed participant and highly respected adjudicator at local high school music festivals and competitions. During the 1970s he was a faculty member at The Temple University Summer Workshop for Gifted High School Pianists and Vocalists. He was a tough but compassionate and gifted teacher, and many of his students went on to distinguished careers in professional music.

Cal was also active in the local music and musical theater scene, conducting many summer shows with The Brandywiners, Ltd at Longwood Gardens, as well as performances with Brecks Mill Players, and The Wilmington Opera Society. He was the conductor of the Kennett Community Symphony Orchestra prior to that ensemble becoming the all-professional Kennett Symphony of Chester County. Since 1983 the husband and wife team of Calvin and Sheila Grady Bourgeault have served as artistic directors and conductors of The Northern Delaware Oratorio Society, and when illness prevented him from continuing his conducting duties, he was named Director Emeritus of the group. From 1968-79 he led The Renaissance Singers of Philadelphia, which performed its own concert season as well as collaborating with the University of Pennsylvania Collegium Musicum on several medieval music dramas.

On the personal side, Cal continued his love for flying, owning three single-engine aircraft over the course of his flying career and maintaining his pilot’s license until 10 years ago. He was a devoted member of the (Quaker) Wilmington Monthly Meeting of Friends.