The Greenwich Village Orchestra: A Brief History

The Greenwich Village Orchestra was founded in 1986 by Robert Grehan and a group of musicians from the New York Metropolitan area. We are accountants, actors, artists, attorneys, carpenters, editors, physicians, professors, programmers, retirees, scientists, secretaries, students, teachers, writers, and dedicated musicians.

For the last twenty years The Greenwich Village Orchestra has had a single purpose; to bring the best possible performances of great music to our audience. The GVO is committed to making music at the highest possible level and dedicated to enriching the lives of our players and our audience. Our performances are emotionally charged, exhilarating experiences that truly delight our audiences and the performers alike.

Under the leadership of three Music Directors, Robert Grehan (1986-1995), Scott Jackson Wiley (1997-2001) Barbara Yahr (2002-present), the orchestra has flourished. Now in our 20th Anniversary Season, we have firmly established ourselves on the New York musical stage. The orchestra has received accolades from those who have come to enjoy the exciting performances given during our nine-month season.

The GVO has also enjoyed the musical insights brought by several guest conductors including David Amram, Michael Gilbert, Alejandro Guzman, David Leibowitz, Mark Mandorano, Gregory Ortega, Ki-Sun Sung, Peter Szep, and Sybille Werner.

The GVO has performed a wide repertoire ranging from Bach, Beethoven to Bartok, Bruckner and beyond. We are also one of the only community orchestras in New York City to consistently premiere new works. Over its history, the orchestra has commissioned new music, provided composer contests, and performed World premiers, such as Bruce Wolosoff's When Fire Flows like Water in 1990. In 2005 the GVO was a commission partner with orchestras in all 50 states and performed the New York City premier of Joan Tower's Made in America. The performance was highlighted in the New York Times who reported that "Ms. Tower did not skimp on technical demands, but the Greenwich Village players were up to them".

Other musical highlights include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (performed in 1992 with the Stonewall Chorale and in 2003 with the chorus Seraphim), Handel’s Messiah and Prokofiev’s Peter & The Wolf narrated by Helen-Jean Arthur. In 2005 we performed Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, narrated by former Senator Bob Kerrey. These are just a few selections from our more than 120 concerts over the last 20 years.

We have performed concertos for virtually every instrument and instrument family in the orchestra. Joining the orchestra are world- acclaimed soloists who give fresh insights to us all, including: Stanley Drucker (clarinet), Kenneth Gordon (violin), Robert Langevin (flute), Philip Meyers (horn), Sheryl Staples (violin) (all from the New York Philharmonic, the better-known orchestra uptown on Broadway), Colin Jacobsen (violin, first at the age of 12 and then a decade later), Adele Anthony (violin), Edward Arron (cello), Harvey DeSouza (violin), Nancy Goeres (bassoon), Indira Koch (violin), Clancy Newman (cello), Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt (cello), Carol Yahr (soprano), to name just a few.

Equally notable are the many talented members of the GVO that we have showcased as soloists over the years, such as Gene Citronbaum (former Principal Trumpet), Gary Dranch (Principal Clarinet), Simon Dratfield (Principal Flute), Gerard Gordon (Marimba and Principal Timpani), Ricardo Cox (former Principal Trumpet), Amy Mendillo (former Principal Oboe), Dan Purgason (English Horn), Warren Wernick (Principal Trumpet), Daryl Nuccio (Principal Cello), Midhat Serbagi (former Principal Viola), and Robin Zeh (former Concertmaster), among many others.

As a volunteer community orchestra we put special value in reaching out to our community, our audience and our neighborhood. In 2005, we performed our first benefit concert for the Performing Arts House at Washington Irving High School, the main venue of our performances. This collaboration included active participation from the school’s teachers, choral students, dance students and jazz band. For many years we have performed a family concert each season with the special focus on inspiring, educating and entertaining young audiences. In 2004, through a partnership with Play It By Ear, the GVO reached out to even more school children. The GVO has also instituted an Annual Young Artists Competition and have invited our winners to perform with us for the past two seasons. We have performed summer concerts outdoors in Gramercy Park in collaboration with the Gramercy Park Block Association, and in the summer of 2000 we performed in the Austin J. Tobin Plaza at the World Trade Center. We currently perform every summer in Union Square Park, at their outdoor concert series sponsored by the Union Square Partnership, bringing symphonic classical music to a greater audience.

The GVO is a truly vibrant community. As we are celebrate our 20th Anniversary Season our players still include many of the founding members of the orchestra. We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the current and past members of the GVO (musicians, volunteers, and supporters).

The GVO has struggled to keep playing concerts for twenty years. That we are still here and playing concerts for our loyal audience and that the GVO is flourishing and vibrant in celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season is indeed a triumph and a testament to its founding principles.

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