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The
Bremerton Symphony Association was born at a time when history was being
made. It was during the bleak years of World War II that President
Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a call to all Americans to make music a
part of the campaign to support the war effort. Seven citizens of our
community responded to this call and created the Bremerton Symphony
Association under the auspices of the Bremerton Recreation Commission.
In August 1942, the Bremerton Symphony Association was formed when its
Board of Directors was elected. The Bremerton Symphonic Orchestra gave
its first performance on October 11, 1942 with sixty musicians under the
direction of Ernest Fitzsimmons; it was free and open to the public. The
budget of the first season was $700. The repertoire of this program was
repeated at the 50th Anniversary Concert on October 11, 1992.
[History of the
Concert Chorale]
 Presently,
the BSA is an incorporated non-profit organization, which includes the
Bremerton Symphony Orchestra, the Bremerton Symphony
Concert Chorale, The Bremerton Symphony League and The Bremerton
Symphony Endowment Fund. Our mission is to further the musical
development of amateur musicians and to provide a positive and viable
cultural asset to the community. Our annual budget is $260,000 and we
have approximately 600 full season ticket subscribers. Since
the 2003 season and hiring of Maestra Stoyanovich, we have
consistently achieved a record number of
ticket sales, audience members and budget expansion.
The Bremerton Symphony League is an active volunteer organization
supporting the efforts of the BSA. Annually they present “Vienna Night”,
the symphony’s single most profitable fundraiser. The League was be
honored in 2003 at the American Symphony Orchestra Leagues National
Meeting in Pittsburgh receiving the Silver Ribbon Award for their
fundraising efforts. The League is also instrumental promoting our
Family Concerts by assisting with pre-concert
activities in the lobby for children and their families and by hosting
the League Boutique, new for the 2004-05 season.
 The
BSA offers a broad spectrum of repertoire offered in three different
series: Classic, Family and Chorale. We offer an excellent choice in our
Education Program, which has been greatly expanded to seven programs
including the Bremerton Symphony Youth Orchestra and pre-concert
chats by our Maestra prior to concerts. Over our history we have
commissioned new works and received the ASCAP Community Orchestra Award
from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 1977.
Guest soloist range from internationally recognized performers to local
area talent. The BSA will long strive to challenge its talented amateur
musicians and continue to self improve while providing the community with
thoughtful and moving renditions of live orchestral music.
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