Reno Philharmonic

Holy moly, Laura Jackson is excellent! My first attendance at the Philharmonic happened to be a night with some lively selections from An American in Paris and West Side Story. It inspired me to attend an evening that might not be as chipper.

Laura Jackson, the conductor is absolutely brilliant. We have a fantastic class of musicians here in Reno and she has guided this group to be Top Brass. Coming from Seattle, I didn’t think I’d be as impressed as I am with Reno Philharmonic. I’ve been about dozen times now and I am always impressed. Truly a talented leader and talented group of musicians. I am very grateful for the student ticket pricing too.

Yes, Reno has a Philharmonic Orchestra.
And they are really really good. I grew up with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Reno Phil (as they are affectionately known) stacks up very well to that venerable institution.
We have attended concerts in the past — usually the summer concert/​fundraiser as a part of Artown. When we lived in Rural Nevada their late Sunday Matinée /​Tuesday Evening schedule did not fit well with the 80 mile drive. Now that we live in Reno full time, we have bought season tickets for the Classix series (six classical programs = Classix)
They perform at the Pioneer Center, a perfect venue for a full scale orchestra. Their sound is rich and professional and the pieces are beautifully executed. The Phil is masterfully conducted by Maestro Laura Jackson. Her passion and enthusiasm for the music are so apparent. Her talent in leading the orchestra is so apparent in the well paced and executed pieces.
This is not stuffy uptight boring performances. The music is beautiful and accessible. The guest artists are world class. The audience are truly the «Fourth Wall» and bring their love and enthusiasm for classical music to the richness of the performance. Pioneer Center was almost filled! It is so encouraging to see the Arts being so supported in Reno.
Looking forward to the next five performances with breathless anticipation.

Much like the Nevada Museum of Art and the Reno Opera, Reno is lucky to have such a talented group of people who chose to make a difference in the community. It is so rare to see so many accomplished musicians in a smaller community. The Classix Six Series is so excellent and they always pick such beautiful and often uncommon pieces to perform. Last night, Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 was particularly moving. After that Vaughan William’s Sea Symphony, a symphonic adaptation of a Walt Whitman poem, made for an interesting and again quite unique musical experience.
Another excellent part of the experience is watching the articulation and the passion of the conductor Laura Jackson, another talent we’re lucky to have in Reno. Of course the evening wouldn’t be complete without taking advantage of one of the many bars throughout during intermission, and the best part is they let you take your drinks into the performance! Pretty unusual, but wonderful.
Located in the beautiful Pioneer Center, the Reno Phil is far from stuffy, but it’s also elegant. You’ll always meet someone interesting, from the older subscribers to the younger crowd. They have a great student rush offer with tickets at only $ 9, and the rest are very affordable to begin with. All of the staff and the ushers are very friendly, even if you show up late, which I often do. A night at the Reno Philharmonic is a pleasure that I never miss, and a must for locals.

Splendid performance.