Bellflower Symphony Orchestra
Géza Szabó, a finely trained European conductor and resident of Lakewood, California, became interested in forming a symphony of amateur musicians in 1968. With the help of the Bellflower Cultural Arts Council, the Bellflower Symphony Association was formed. The orchestra presented its first concert at Cerritos College on September 14, 1968. By January of 1969, the Bellflower City Council had voted to support the orchestra, and a new board of directors wrote its by-laws and formed a corporation.
Symphonic repertoire, opera excerpts, library chamber music and outdoor pops concerts were performed during the next ten years under the able baton of Géza Szabó. When the Bellflower city hall and auditorium was completed in 1983, the symphony found a home base for its programs.
Upon Mr. Szabó's death in 1991, the board elected Joseph R. Taylor its conductor and musical director. Taylor had already been serving as associate conductor at the request of Géza Szabó for several years. Mr. Taylor is credited with revitalizing the organization's emphasis on youth by founding the Bellflower Young Artist Concerto Competition in 1990, an event which has proven to be extremely successful. In 2011, the Amateur Adult Competition was launched in order to offer talented adults 24 years and older the opportunity to perform with the orchestra.
Now we are looking forward to a great year of beautiful music under the direction of our new conductor, Heriberto Ramos, who replaced Joseph R. Taylor after he passed away in 2019. We embrace change and creativity as we move toward a new era of music for Bellflower and its surrounding communities.
Géza Szabó, a finely trained European conductor and resident of Lakewood, California, became interested in forming a symphony of amateur musicians in 1968. With the help of the Bellflower Cultural Arts Council, the Bellflower Symphony Association was formed. The orchestra presented its first concert at Cerritos College on September 14, 1968. By January of 1969, the Bellflower City Council had voted to support the orchestra, and a new board of directors wrote its by-laws and formed a corporation.
Symphonic repertoire, opera excerpts, library chamber music and outdoor pops concerts were performed during the next ten years under the able baton of Géza Szabó. When the Bellflower city hall and auditorium was completed in 1983, the symphony found a home base for its programs.
Upon Mr. Szabó's death in 1991, the board elected Joseph R. Taylor its conductor and musical director. Taylor had already been serving as associate conductor at the request of Géza Szabó for several years. Mr. Taylor is credited with revitalizing the organization's emphasis on youth by founding the Bellflower Young Artist Concerto Competition in 1990, an event which has proven to be extremely successful. In 2011, the Amateur Adult Competition was launched in order to offer talented adults 24 years and older the opportunity to perform with the orchestra.
Now we are looking forward to a great year of beautiful music under the direction of our new conductor, Heriberto Ramos, who replaced Joseph R. Taylor after he passed away in 2019. We embrace change and creativity as we move toward a new era of music for Bellflower and its surrounding communities.