Jay Friedman, music director of the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest is preparing for his 30th season, but in the three decades before he stepped into this role, Friedman never thought about becoming a conductor.
During his decades as a trombonist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Friedman said that while he had no desire to become a conductor, he was always interested in the different sounds of different orchestras. This initial curiosity led him to consider accepting offers from small orchestras that approached Friedman later in his career about conducting for them.
“I just kind of fell into it much later in my performing career,” he said. “I was a hesitant conductor. That’s not what I started out to be because I was an orchestra player.”
Finally, during the 1995 season, the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest held a music director search, during which Friedman and four others conducted and were considered. Friedman won out as the best option to take over. Friedman is only the fourth music director since the orchestra was founded in 1931.
Now in its 93rd season, the OP-RF Symphony is one of the oldest in the country. It has been honored as the top community orchestra in Illinois, and features both local musicians and professionals from across the Chicago area.
In his role as music director, Friedman is responsible for conducting the orchestra during weekly rehearsals, plus five concerts per year. Calling himself “very particular” about music preparation, he has also taken on the role of music librarian, in which he plans programs and prepares the physical music for the musicians. Their passion, he says, keeps him motivated.
“Most of the players are amateur musicians, so they make a big commitment during the year. That means they really love music because it’s not their primary vocation,” he said. “They do it firmly for the love of making music. That’s a rare thing these days.”
During Friedman’s illustrious career, he has had the opportunity to conduct two world premieres and two Chicago-area premieres. He has also conducted six large-scale choral works with the orchestra at Chicago’s Symphony Center, which are among the highlights of his conducting tenure. His dedication to his job did not go unnoticed. Friedman was honored as the Illinois Council of Orchestra’s Conductor of the Year three times and the ICO’s Cultural Leadership Award in 2018.
“It’s quite an honor to be recognized for something you love to do, in spite of all the work,” said Friedman, adding that his love for conducting remains strong.
“We’re like an old married couple, myself and the orchestra. We have our agreements and our disagreements. However, we try to make up for that fact with commitment, love of the music, and love of performing so that comes through in our performances.”
First concert of season 30
This season begins with works by Mozart and Bruckner at a concert at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Concordia University Chapel in River Forest. Free parking is available in the garage at 1124 Bonnie Brae, and the chapel is just west of the garage. A preconcert conversation with David Leehey begins at 3 p.m., and a free reception follows the concert. Tickets for students through college are free.
The first piece on the program, the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 features soloist Yang Liu, an award-winning Chinese-American violinist who has toured North America, South America, and Asia with multiple orchestras. He is an advocate of cultural exchange via classical music, and is a founder of the Yang and Olivia Foundation and Momento Virtuosi, a chamber ensemble featuring diverse ethnicity and instrumentation.
Friedman will also direct Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4. Bruckner used the subtitle, “Romantic,” for this symphony and provided thematic descriptions of each movement.
The program is supported in part by grants from Cook County Arts, The Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council and the Oak Park Area Arts Council.
For tickets and more information, go to SymphonyOPRF.org, email theSymphonyOPRF@gmail.com, or call 708-218-2648. Tickets are $30 through October 12, and $35 on concert day. Season subscriptions are $100.