Signature Symphony at TCC
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Is the Signature Symphony at TCC a professional or a
college orchestra?
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How long has the Signature Symphony been in
existence?
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What does “Orchestra-in-Residence at TCC” mean?
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What is the Signature Symphony’s education outreach?
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If you are a professional orchestra, why do people
say Tulsa has been without a professional orchestra for the last few
years?
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Where else do the Signature Symphony
instrumentalists perform?
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Why did you return to the Classics after years of
success with pops programming?
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How can I audition for the Signature Symphony or
the Signature Chorale?
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Can students audition for the Signature Symphony?
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Where is
your office located?
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Where
is your ticket office located?
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How
can I get on your mailing list?
Have another question that is not addressed here?
Send your query to the
Signature Symphony.
Is the Signature Symphony at TCC a professional or a college orchestra?
Professional. Our residence status at Tulsa Community College is an
educational venture, but the Signature Symphony is a professional per
service artistic ensemble, consisting of talented musicians from
Tulsa
and northeast Oklahoma. Many of our players work full-time in music, as
music educators in Oklahoma’s public schools and universities, or as
professional soloists or ensemble members in addition to their employment
with Signature Symphony.
How
long has the Signature Symphony been in existence?
Although the name has changed, the ensemble has served Tulsa in
performance since 1978. It was originally conceived as the Tulsa
Little Symphony Orchestra, a chamber ensemble, and in the early 80’s
became known as Oklahoma Sinfonia, presenting a pops and light
classics series at the Brady Theater. In 1996, the Sinfonia became
orchestra-in-residence at Tulsa Community College and made the VanTrease
Performing Arts Center for Education its home. To further enhance its
identification at Tulsa Community College, the name changed to
Signature Symphony at TCC. The Signature Symphony has also served as
the pit orchestra for Tulsa Ballet productions since 1991, and provides
orchestral support for many other events around the Tulsa area.
What
does “Orchestra-in-Residence at TCC” mean?
This means
that the Signature Symphony is housed with TCC’s VanTrease Performing Arts
Center for Education (PACE), and is an integral partner with TCC’s
Performing Arts Institute and music education ventures. Through this
residency, Signature Symphony also provides a music education outreach on
behalf of TCC to area public schools. Most importantly, the
administrative support of Tulsa Community College since 1996 has allowed
us to continue providing professional orchestral services to Tulsa and
northeast Oklahoma (now for more than 25 years).
What is the
Signature Symphony’s education outreach?
We believe it is
important that artistic organizations have integral education
relationships with the community at all levels. Two of our most prominent
education ventures are the Higher Scale Music Education Partnership with
surrounding public schools, where we co-hire musicians to both perform and
teach, and our Performance Plus! discussion/performance classes, where
students get an in-depth look at the lives and works of master composers.
We
consider our most important program to be the Higher Scale instrumental
education partnership with local public schools. Through Higher Scale we
have found a way to co-hire qualified instrumental specialists to teach
music at elementary and middle-school level, where music education is
critically needed today. The other part of the co-hiring arrangement
employs the intrumentalists as orchestra members, so that they have
opportunities to both instruct and perform.
With Performance Plus!
events, both student and adult attendees can delve into the lives of one or more
master composers each year, with lively discussion led by Barry Epperley,
and key compositions performed by talented Tulsa artists and ensembles.
This class has grown annually and is becoming a favorite for those
interested in an entertaining approach to classical music education.
If you are a professional
orchestra, why do people say Tulsa has been without a professional
orchestra for the last few years?
This
has been a misunderstanding of terms. Tulsa lost its full-time
professional orchestra in 2001. The Signature Symphony and its earlier
entities have always been per-service professional orchestras.
Per service
means that musicians are paid on a rehearsal/performance basis rather than
on salary. While per service orchestras can be structured to offer
players a full-time pay equivalent, they also retain flexibility to
adjust budgets to programming needs, market-based ticket prices, and
projected community support. In an era where arts organization
survival can be a
high-risk venture, per service structures allow a lower-risk and more
market-driven business model.
Where else do the Signature Symphony instrumentalists perform?
Our
players are at the core of the
Tulsa and northeast
Oklahoma symphonic
community. In addition to their work with the Signature Symphony, you
will have seen many of them in the rosters of other concert organizations
such as the former Tulsa Philharmonic, the Bartlesville Symphony, and the
new Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. You
will also find them in special event orchestras such as the masterful
ensemble for the Luciano Pavarotti concert at the Mabee Center, and the
highly acclaimed presentation of the Shostakovich 13th Symphony
with poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in 2005,
as well as in pit orchestras for numerous musical and entertainment events
in our area.
Why did you return to the Classics after years of success with pops
programming?
This
orchestra began in 1978 as a chamber orchestra, and our goal has always been to
return as a classical series presenter when the time was right, for many
reasons. Our orchestra members are classically trained and love the
challenge and depth of the masterworks. The Signature Classics series
also gives us the opportunity to create a new classical education
experience that has generated an excellent audience response. Since the
series began in 2001, our classical series audience has grown to more than
1,000 members and continues to develop. We’re very excited about this
opportunity to develop a new classical music audience in Tulsa.
How can I audition
for the Signature Symphony or for the Signature
Chorale?
Just
follow the links to these pages for audition information.
Signature
Symphony auditions
Signature Chorale auditions
Can students
audition for the Signature Symphony?
Yes,
instrumental students who qualify to play at a professional level are
welcome to audition, and often have opportunities to perform in the
orchestra.
Where is your office located?
We
are located on the TCC Southeast Campus (81st & Hwy 169) in
Room 6267F of the
PACE
Classrooms
Building.
Our mailing address and phone are
Signature Symphony at TCC
Room 6267F
10300 E. 81st
St.
Tulsa,
OK 74133
918-595-7786
Where is your ticket office
located?
You can purchase Signature Symphony tickets at the PACE
Ticket Office in the lobby of the VanTrease PACE,
10300 E. 81st Street, Tulsa, OK. 74133-4513.
Phone
orders may be placed by calling 918-595-7777. And you can now purchase
single tickets to Signature Symphony events by going online at
www.SignatureSymphonyatTCC.org, or
www.myticketoffice.com.
How can I get on your
mailing list?
Just
click here to register. . .
