After an extensive 18 month search, the Waco Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors announced last week the addition of a new music director and conductor, Lawrence Loh.
Loh has served as the music director of the Syracuse Orchestra in Syracuse, New York since 2015. He has held many conducting positions throughout his career, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and more.
Carolyn Bess, the Executive Director of the Waco Symphony Association, was one of the 11 members on the search committee to find a new music director. She says Loh’s experience and ability to connect with community members made him stand out in a pool of over 100 applicants.
CAROLYN: “Larry really stood out to us as someone with great warmth and connection to the community. He has a fantastic sense of humor and just a great artistic sensibility. He’s got wonderful connections all over the country, and I’m just really excited to see all that he brings to the table come to fruition in our work together.”
During his time in north Texas, Loh made connections with Waco musicians, putting the Waco Symphony Orchestra on his radar.
LARRY LOH: “When the position opened up, I immediately applied. I already know that I enjoy the people in central and north Texas and it was very easy for me to make the decision to apply, throw my hat in the ring and see where it went.”
Loh’s responsibilities at the Waco Symphony will include planning seasons, rehearsing with the orchestra and conducting concerts. He will work alongside Bess to develop an artistic vision for the Waco Symphony.
CAROLYN: “He’s got amazing experience just in the depth of his artistic experience and his conducting. He has great experience conducting films in concert, which are all the rage, dovetailing a film with live symphonic music. It’s a really immersive experience and those types of concerts really bring in new audiences, so we are so excited that he has that experience.”
A self proclaimed star wars geek, Loh is excited to make his official debut as Music Director and Conductor at the Sci-Fi Spectacular concert on April 7. The concert will feature music from iconic movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, Interstellar and more. The music will be paired with some of the latest space footage provided by NASA, who will be in Waco for the April 8 total solar eclipse.
LARRY LOH: “The music from Star Wars, specifically the music by John Williams, had a profound impact on my love of the sound of an orchestra. It’s so amazing to perform this music in concert for an audience because it literally triggers certain memories and feelings that people have, that upon listening to it, takes them right back to those moments of maybe watching or maybe that time in their life. Star Wars is a perfect example of how powerful music can be in that way. So it’s even more meaningful for me to program it because I personally have such a connection, as do so many people in the orchestra and the audience.”
Tickets to the Sci-Fi Spectacular concert can be purchased online at wacosymphony.com.