Our History
The Delaware Valley Philharmonic Orchestra introduced its first season in the Fall of 1954. Since then, the Orchestra has thrilled many generations, bringing the joy of music to all members of our community. Bucks County’s ONLY all professional symphony orchestra is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring, entertaining and educating the community by providing high quality, artistic and diverse symphonic concerts performed by professional musicians. Take great pride in this rare treasure.
Beginning with that first season, Founder and often sole financial supporter Henry Kerr Williams served as DVPO’s first music director and conductor. Struggling to survive in those early days, a small and loyal corps of professional musicians refused compensation and nurtured the gem. Williams, encouraged and supported by a group of Delaware Valley residents, brought to the stage after nearly two years of planning, the great DVPO.
In 1968, the formation of the Philharmonic Ball Committee provided the most aggressive community outreach program since DVPO’s inception. Many high-profile individuals, outstanding community and industry leaders, and public officials joined forces to promote the Orchestra. Their goal: to reach more people and more diverse members of Bucks County’s population and fulfill the mission of the organization. Evolving into one of the outstanding social events of the Bucks County Community, the Annual Philharmonic Ball was a critical fundraising activity for many years. It was fun, lively and featured continuous music including a performance by members of the Orchestra.
The ‘70s were a decade of change for DVPO. Joseph Primavera was appointed as Music Director in 1971 to further advance the DVPO. And with this event came dramatic change. DVPO became a fully professional Orchestra, compensated consistent with professional standards and screened by the Music Director. This has allowed the orchestra to raise the quality of its selections, performances and artistic achievement. To this day, only talented professionals take the stage. In the late 1980’s a new challenge emerged: finding an appropriate Music Director to lead the Orchestra towards the new Millennium. During the ‘88-89 Season, a search committee was organized to find a permanent Director capable of fulfilling that objective. During the season, the field was narrowed to four candidates, each of whom were invited to conduct one of four concerts. These four gifted individuals put forth a most impressive effort.
The 1990-91 Season saw the appointment of Michael Pratt as the Music Director and Conductor of DVPO. Maestro Pratt continues with the Orchestra and has helped to cultivate our gem. As a professional orchestra, the musicians of DVPO rehearse several times before each performance. A dress rehearsal, usually on the day of the performance, is also conducted with guest performers. All musicians participate in these additional functions: they don’t simply show up on the night of the concert and play the complicated works of the Masters, nor the syncopated rhythms of modern composers. A monumental amount of work goes into each performance, and the musicians’ compensation is well earned.
Like all professional musical organizations, DVPO is subject to a collective bargaining agreement with the Trenton Musicians Association, Local 62 of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada. In addition, the Orchestra respects copyrights and is subject to fees from ASCAP and BMI as well as rental fees for scores and arrangements.
Each concert season is planned to meet the interests and desires of the Community. DVPO truly is your Orchestra! Enjoy performances at the Council Rock High School South and the TD Bank Amphitheatre in Bensalem. We look forward to continuing to celebrate DVPO’s long history.
