WHO WE ARE
Garden State Philharmonic History
Artistic Director & Conductor
Garden State Philharmonic Chorus
Garden State Philharmonic Youth Orchestras
Board of Directors
THE NEWSROOM
Garden State Philharmonic History
It began with a dream, some musicians, and very little money. In 1955, a group of community minded people determined that a need existed to provide quality symphonic music to the residents of the Jersey Shore and founded the Garden State Philharmonic Symphony Society. What began as a community orchestra became a highly respected professional orchestra, a community chorus, a three-tiered youth orchestra, a volunteer league and a substantial education program, including courses led by Maestro LaGruth at the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Ocean County College.
The Garden State Philharmonic Orchestra, currently under the direction of Artistic Director and Conductor Anthony LaGruth, is a cultural resource for the Jersey Shore and the surrounding region, performing the best in symphonic repertoire in a variety of venues, including Ocean County College and the Strand Theatre. Music lovers do not have to travel to the cities to enjoy live performances of fine symphonic music presented by a quality orchestra.
The GSP, presently the orchestra-in-residence at Ocean County College, has kept pace with the rapid growth of Ocean County over the past 53 years, expanding in size, stature and scope, enlarging its audience, and broadening its goals and accomplishments. The orchestra has presented subscription concerts each season with such illustrious guest artists as Schlomo Mintz, Joseph Carter Brey, and Colin Carr.
The orchestra for many years presented a three-concert series. Today, the Garden State Philharmonic presents a five concert season subscription series, a holiday concert, a free Young People’s concert, and a free Fourth of July Concert. The Orchestra’s programs include classical masterpieces, choral works, pops, and contemporary music that reach over 12,000 people each year. Maestro LaGruth, often joined by the guest artists, presents a Musically Speaking pre-concert lecture before most subscription concerts. Please see our schedule for more information.
The MISSION of the Garden State Philharmonic Symphony Society, Inc. (GSP) is to maintain and operate a professional level symphony orchestra in Ocean County, New Jersey, to give concerts of cultural and educational value in and for the community, and to foster such related activities that will encourage interest in and appreciation of music. The core values of the GSP center around performance, education, and accessibility: to preserve classical music through public presentation, to promote arts education by introducing the children of our community to the wonders of orchestral and choral music, to make such music accessible to all residents, and to contribute vital energy to regional economic development and cultural tourism.
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For more information, call us at 732.255.0460 or email info@gardenstatephilharmonic.org
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