The Prometheus Symphony Orchestra owes its longevity to many things: The joy for the players to be able to do what we love most. The very remarkable conductors who have kept challenging us to play our best and to try things we sometimes believe are too difficult. The dedication of orchestra members who not only practice hard, but do all the behind-the-scenes work to produce five concerts a years and sustain a volunteer orchestra. And, the appreciative (and sometimes tolerant) audience with whom we can share our pleasure in music.
The members of the Prometheus come from all walks of life - teachers, office workers, lawyers,
accountants, doctors, computer scientists, professors, homemakers, university students, parents
with young children and more than a few grandparents. We put all of that aside each Monday night
to come together, sometimes struggling to meet the demands of the great composers and always
rejoicing in the experience. We thank our audience for the forty years of support. It wouldn't be much
fun if we played and nobody came.
Here is our story.
The orchestra began as an outgrowth of Randy Hunt's choral music program at Merritt College - when it was still downtown on "Grove Street." Randy wanted instrumentalists to back his singers, to do semi-staged scenes from operas, oratorios, and such. He turned the orchestra into a Merritt College class, where he was on the music faculty, and began a rigorous performance schedule. A showman at heart, he not only presented concerts but also involved the orchestra in a number of exciting performance adventures. Notable in those early years was a collaboration with the Oakland Ballet, which is also celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. Working with dancer and company founder, Ron Guidi, we backed ballet performances of Hansel and Gretel, Faure's Requiem, and other programs to a SRO audience at what is now Calvin Simmons Auditorium. With the San Francisco Lamplighters, we were the pit orchestra for Oakland performances of Die Fliedermaus.
Deciding that "Merritt College Orchestra" sounded a bit pedestrian, Randy chose the name Prometheus Symphony Orchestra. The Greek god Prometheus, best known in mythology as the god who brought fire to mere mortals (hence our logo), also was the god of music.
International award-winning pianist Roy Bogas, who had played a concerto with us, then became our first conductor after Prometheus became an independent community orchestra in 1972. The late Sally Kell, principal cellist with the Oakland Symphony, took the podium for the next few years, and brought us to a new level of musical excellence. She continued the operatic tradition, when we participated in a fully staged production of Poulenc's Dialogue of the Carmelites." We took the production "on tour" to Berkeley, San Rafael and Monterey. We also "played in the pit" for the Berkeley Ballet's Nutcracker.
The Prometheus matured with a regular five-concert season in the dozen years that Jonathan Kuhner
held the baton (1980-1991). Under his tutelage, the orchestra benefited not only from performing
some of the most demanding symphonic literature but also from Jonathan's associations
in the opera world and the remarkable singers he invited to perform with us. (He was and still is on
the San Francisco Opera staff and conducts the Berkeley Opera). Semi-staged productions of Chabrier's
Etoile, Weber-Mahler's Die Drei Pintos and performances of arias from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro,
Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Verdi's Otello were highlights of those years. The orchestra also
took on master works such as Mahler's 1st Symphony, Brahms' 4th and Bruckner's 8th.
With Jonathan came his remarkable father, violinist Felix Kuhner, who modestly sat in the back of the
violin or viola sections, and on occasion could be heard to hum the part of an absent wind player during
rehearsals. He played with us into his 90s. The annual Felix Kuhner Concerto Competition for young
musicians (18 and under) is a highlight of our season, with one or two superbly talented young people
performing each year since 1991. Several have gone on to careers as professional musicians and at
least one conductor (Jack Bailey), and they thank the Prometheus for the experience of playing with
a full orchestra to a live audience. (See list of winners below.)
We arrived at our 30-year celebration during our six years (1991-97) with the noted young Bay Area conductor, George Thomson. George expanded our repertoire and our appreciation of music. George is well known as the Associate Conductor of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the "new music" group Earplay. During his tenure, Prometheus was able to renew our association with Merritt College, where we now rehearse.
Each of these conductors were remarkably gifted musicians, and the members of the Prometheus learned much from their direction. Our good fortune did not fail us when Eric Hansen took up the baton in 1997. A lecturer at U.C. Berkeley and East Bay (Hayward) State University and a guest conductor with leading regional orchestras around the nation, Eric has brought to the Prometheus a superb balance of his own extraordinary musicianship, patience with the foibles of tired musicians with day jobs, and a natural talent as a teacher. He is a treasure trove of knowledge about music history and theory, to the great benefit of musicians and audience alike. The orchestra has grown in many ways under his leadership. (Eric and his father had both played with Prometheus in earlier years.)
Under Eric's baton we have performed over 100 demanding works, which include the following
(to illustrate the variety of our repertoire): Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 1; Bartok, Suite No. 1 in E Major;
Beethoven, Symphonies No. 2 and 5; Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique; Brahms, Concerto for Violin and
Cello and Symphony No. 4; Bruckner, Symphony No. 6; Copland, Quiet City; Debussy,
Prelude to `L'Apres-Midi d'un Faune; Dvorak, Symphony No. 6; Elgar, Enigma Variations; Hindemith,
Symphonic Metamorphoses; Mahler, Symphony No. 5; Mozart, Symphony No. 18; Nielsen, Symphony No. 4;
Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5; Schumann, Symphony No. 3; Strauss, Death and Transfiguration;
Stravinski, Firebird Suite; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5; Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Oboes.
For the record, here are a few of the most notable vocal and instrumental soloists who have performed with the Prometheus over these 40 years (not counting Prometheus's own members who have played concertos with professional proficiency).
- Ruth Ann Swenson, lyric soprano (leading roles in all of the major opera companies)
- Nancy Gustafson, lyric soprano (leading roles in all of the major opera companies)
- Marsha Hunt, mezzo-soprano (wife of Prometheus founder Randy Hunt and mother of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, acclaimed mezzo-soprano. Lorraine herself played viola with the orchestra as a teenager)
- Roy Bogas, pianist (soloist with San Francisco Ballet, frequent chamber music concerts, faculty member and orchestra conductor, Holy Names University)
- Jeffrey Kahane, pianist (conductor Santa Rosa Symphony and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)
- Members of the Adler Fellows program at San Francisco Opera, who performed at Jonathan Kuhner's invitation and who have since launched careers in opera,have included Nikki Li Hartliep, soprano; David Burnakus, baritone; Pamela South, soprano; John Matthews, baritone; Susan Patterson, soprano; Mark Delavan, baritone; Douglas Wunsch, tenor; Colette Rice, soprano;