MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Symphony Orchestra will be undergoing some changes in the upcoming season.
Maestro Thomas Hong will direct his final concert as Music Director on June 25, and the search is underway for the next Music Director of the Mansfield Symphony.
Chelsie Thompson, Director of Operations for the Renaissance states, “We’re thrilled with the response to our call for applications. We received approximately 90 applications from conductors all over the world.
“It will be a daunting task to narrow down 90 applicants to just three finalists, but our search committee is enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I have no doubts that we will see the best of the best here next season.”
The 2016-2017 season will feature six symphony concerts: three classical masterworks concerts to be conducted by the top three candidates for the Music Director position and three “pops” concerts.
The symphony has announced that National Repertory Orchestra and Cleveland Pops conductor Carl Topilow will serve as Interim Pops Conductor for the orchestra’s 2016-2017 season.
Maestro Topilow is renowned for his charisma, his innovative programs, and his world-famous red clarinet, Thompson stated. His conducting, clarinet playing, and showmanship have captivated countless audiences in both the U.S. and abroad, as he has led more than 115 orchestras worldwide.
In addition to the selection of the next Music Director for the Orchestra, the application process has begun for the next Choral Director of the Mansfield Symphony Chorus.
The position, previously held by Dirk Eachus and Deb Logan, is in the application process until the end of April. The new director will be appointed in time to begin the 2016-2017 season with the chorus. A full job description and details on how to apply for the Choral Director position are available on MansfieldTickets.com.
The details of the 2016-2017 Symphony pops concerts conducted by Maestro Topilow will be announced at the Renaissance Season Preview Party on Tuesday, May 17 at 6 p.m.
The finalists for the symphony Music Director position and the programs for the masterworks concerts will be announced at a later date. The Season Preview Party is a free event, however tickets are required and available at MansfieldTickets.com.
About Carl Topilow
Carl Topilow is renowned worldwide for his versatility, whether he is holding a conductor’s baton or his trademark red clarinet. He is a multi-talented virtuoso who equally at home in classical and popular music both as conductor and instrumentalist.
Carl’s pops performances blend light classical, swing, jazz, Broadway, Dixieland, and Klezmer music, usually finding occasion to include a number on his array of brightly colored clarinets. His unique approach to pops programming includes extensive audience involvement and true showmanship.
Following his longtime dream of conducting his own pops orchestra, Carl founded the Cleveland Pops Orchestra. The orchestra, currently in its 20th season, plays to large audiences in Severance Hall and in several other venues throughout Northeast Ohio.
The Cleveland Pops Orchestra’s diverse, innovative and electrifying programs have been critically acclaimed. The orchestra has two CDs, Music to Grow On, an exciting collection of music for children and adults of all ages, and Live at the Pops, a stirring compilation of music taken from live performances, as well as several sampler CDs used for promotions.
A new CD, issued in 2016, commemorates the orchestra’s 20th anniversary and includes a selection of live performances selected from concerts over a span of two decades.
Carl is also Conductor and Director of the Orchestral Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He is currently in his 35th year as conductor of the CIM Orchestras, and is also head of the Masters program in orchestral conducting. Graduates of this program can be found as maestros with several leading orchestras.
Carl recently completed his 37th season as Music Director and Conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra, a summer music festival based in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado. He has assisted in the training of talented young musicians and conductors for positions in symphonic orchestras in the United States and abroad.
In 2008, Carl was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the The Firelands Symphony Orchestra, based in Sandusky, performing five masterworks and an outdoor pops concert each season. During Topilow’s tenure with the orchestra, the number of subscriptions has increased from 56 to 505.
Carl has also served as Principal Pops Conductor for the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in Ft. Myers, Florida, as well as for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.
As a guest conductor, Carl has appeared around the world with more than 120 orchestras, in 37 states in the U.S.A., as well as orchestras in Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.
In addition to his busy conducting schedule, Carl avidly pursues his passion for performing as clarinetist. He often performs with his brother Arthur, a pianist, and the duo can be heard on three CDs: Come in from the Cold, A View from the Top, and Music of America.
Carl is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, with a degree in clarinet performance and a masters degree in music education. He has held conducting fellowships with the National Orchestral Association with Leon Barzin and the Aspen Music Festival with under Jorge Mester. Carl began his professional career as Exxon Arts Endowment Conductor of the Denver Symphony Orchestra.
Topilow’s wife Shirley is President and CEO of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and Director of the Morgenstern Dance Studio. His daughter Emily, a student at Beachwood High School, is concertmaster of her school orchestra and a member of the Contemporarily Youth Orchestra.
His daughter Jenny, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Carnegie Mellon University, is a violinist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.
