Symphoria renews contracts with conductors Loh, O’Loughlin

SYRACUSE — Symphoria, the professional orchestra of Central New York, recently announced it has renewed “multi-year” contracts with both of its conductors.  The organization didn’t release any financial terms of those contracts in its April 22 news release. Lawrence Loh, Symphoria’s music director, and Sean O’Loughlin, the principal pops conductor, will continue their musical leadership. […]

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SYRACUSE — Symphoria, the professional orchestra of Central New York, recently announced it has renewed “multi-year” contracts with both of its conductors. 

The organization didn’t release any financial terms of those contracts in its April 22 news release.

Lawrence Loh, Symphoria’s music director, and Sean O’Loughlin, the principal pops conductor, will continue their musical leadership. Symphoria works to provide orchestral and ensemble performances, along with education and outreach, the organization said.

“Conductors Lawrence Loh and Sean O’Loughlin are integral parts of Symphoria,” Mary Ann Tyszko, who chairs the Symphoria board of directors, said in the release. “We are very pleased to continue our successful collaboration, bringing music to our community.” 

About Loh

Loh has worked with Symphoria since 2013 and was appointed Symphoria’s inaugural music director in 2015. Under his direction, Symphoria has performed familiar classics and helped the audience “rediscover” female composers like Florence Price and Fanny Mendelssohn while introducing contemporary works from Jessie Montgomery and Quinn Mason. Loh was instrumental in Symphoria’s multimedia program about Ellis Island in addition to the orchestra’s two-day Rachmaninoff Festival featuring pianist Natasha Paremski. 

After the initial pandemic closure, Loh conducted Symphoria’s return to the stage in September 2020, beginning a season of more than 20 socially distant, livestreamed concerts.

About O’Loughlin 

O’Loughlin has collaborated with Symphoria since 2012, and he became the principal pops conductor in 2013. 

He brought his expertise to the podium for concerts featuring themes from James Bond films to Broadway musicals to the best of John Williams, including the music from “Star Wars.” O’Loughlin has also conducted as Symphoria provided the live soundtrack for films like “The Wizard of Oz” and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.” Each December, O’Loughlin leads the orchestra in the Holiday Pops concerts. 

Eric Reinhardt: