History of the Sinfonia

Founded in 1972

The Stockbridge Sinfonia originated in the summer of 1972 at a home in Lenox as an informal chamber group.  Among the founders were flutist Joy Graubard Dronge, violinist Teresa Furtado Ouellette, and conductor Leonard Marcus. In 1972, the group moved rehearsals to a classroom at the Stockbridge Plain School and then to Procter Hall in the Stockbridge Town Hall.

By 1977, the group was known as the Stockbridge Chamber Orchestra and presented concerts year-round in venues from Connecticut to New York. The musicians, many of them retired professional musicians or music teachers, ranged in age from thirteen to ninety, a statistic that is true today.

In 1989, the group became the Stockbridge Sinfonia. By 1992, weekly rehearsals beginning in May culminated in several public performances at the end of the summer.  Post-concert sessions provided an opportunity for interested musicians to join the group reading through the Brandenburg Concerti, Beethoven symphonies and other pieces as suggested by the musicians.

In 1996, following the death of violinist Al Ludwig, a fund was established to encourage student participation in the orchestra.  Three students joined the orchestra that year and received awards from the fund.

In 2002, the group moved rehearsals to the Berkshire Country Day School in Stockbridge.

Simeon Loring, who had joined the orchestra in 1985 as a clarinetist, became the orchestra’s conductor and music director in 2003. He encouraged young musicians and allowed participation from anyone willing to put in the practice time.  He capably and enthusiastically served in this role through 2017.

The orchestra became a 501(c)3 organization in 2006. Now, in addition to free-will donations from players, their family, friends and the public, the orchestra can seek funds from cultural councils, businesses, and foundations.

In 2012, the orchestra moved its rehearsals to the Common Room at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield and welcomed this site as a new concert venue.

In 2013, the orchestra added Lenox Memorial High School’s Duffin Theater as a concert venue (replacing the Norman Rockwell Museum) as our group had amazingly outgrown this latter space.

Tracy Wilson became our conductor and music director in 2018. Her tenure has seen collaborations with other arts organizations including Berkshire Music School, Berkshire Children’s Chorus, Berkshire Concert Choir, Northern Berkshire Chorale, and Stockbridge Festival Chorus.

In 2021, we added Saint James Place in Great Barrington to our expanding list of Berkshire County concert venues.  We love to end our season in this space each year.

Concert themes since 2021 have included “A Return to Music Making,” “Celebration of Our 50th Anniversary,” “Women Composers,” “A Tribute to Ukraine,” and “Overtures and More.”

In 2025, we added two concerts featuring a Wind Ensemble with David Diggs as guest conductor.  

The 2026 season showed further expansion with three Wind Ensemble concerts in county churches as well as concerts at Kimball Farms and the Tuesday Club in Stockbridge. Acclaimed violinist Gerald Elias offered a benefit concert entitled “Fantasies for Solo Violin” with proceeds going to the Student Award Fund and concert season expansion efforts.

Additionally, stakeholders completed a five-year vision / strategic plan for the organization, identifying three key areas for focus: aspiring to musical excellence, expanding dynamic year-round programming, and streamlining business operations.