The Florida Philharmonic Orchestra (or FPO, founded in 1985 as the Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida) was a symphony orchestra based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and serving the South Florida metropolitan area (including Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties). With approximately 80 full-time, tenured musicians, the orchestra was led for most of its existence by British conductor and music director James Judd. The orchestra folded after extensive financial problems, performing their last concert in Boca Raton, FL, on May 9, 2003.
History The Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida ('POOF') was formed through a merger of two smaller South Florida orchestras, the Fort Lauderdale Symphony Orchestra and the Boca Raton Symphony Orchestra. Though the orchestra was officially founded on February 15, 1985, the merger had existed on a "de facto basis" since August 1984.Smith, Tim; "Lauderdale, Boca orchestras make merger official"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Feb 16, 1985 The new orchestra filled an artistic void in the South Florida area left after the collapse of the Miami Philharmonic Orchestra in 1982. Over the course of the Philharmonic's entire history, the orchestra (at its peak the largest performing arts organization in Florida, and the 20th largest orchestra in the US) rehearsed in a tiny rehearsal hall, dubbed Philharmonic Hall, that was situated on North Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale just south of Sunrise Blvd, and which had also been the home of the Fort Lauderdale Symphony. This acoustically dreadful room would be the sole venue for Philharmonic rehearsals and would host scores of internationally renowned soloists and conductors. Initial performance venues included Fort Lauderdale's War Memorial Auditorium. In addition to its Tri-County subscription concerts, the Philharmonic continued the Fort Lauderdale Symphony's decades-old legacy serving as the resident pit orchestra of the Florida Grand Opera, a relationship that remained intact until 2000 and which was a major source of operating revenue. In addition, the orchestra also consistently performed Tri-County educational concerts throughout its existence, providing hundreds of thousands of South Florida schoolchildren with access to learning about classical music with a world-class symphony orchestra.
Early years Emerson Buckley, the music director of the Fort Lauderdale orchestra since 1963, continued as music director of the new orchestra until stepping down from the podium in 1986. At this early period in the orchestra's existence, the orchestra began seeking to compete on a national level for musicians and prestige, hiring British conductor James Judd as music director in May 1987 after his frequent guest appearances with the orchestra.Smith, Tim; "Philharmonic selects new music director"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; May 5, 1987 At the beginning of his tenure, Judd expressed optimism for the future of classical music in South Florida.Smith, Tim; "New maestro speaks with optimism," South Florida Sun-Sentinel; May 17, 1987Smith, Tim; "Judd, Philharmonic of Florida could fill Dade's music needs", South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Nov 23, 1986
The 1990s In December 1990, the orchestra changed its name to the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.Smith, Tim; "Philharmonic changing name: POOF it's gone"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Dec 13, 1990
The Florida Philharmonic made several critically acclaimed recordings, including Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (recording dates Sep. 13 & 15, 1993).Symphonie No1 En Re Majeur "Titan": discographie (in French), gustavmahler.net.free.fr. Runs through 2014. Retrieved 2019-05-01. The album, released in August 1994, was declared the best Mahler recording of the year by the Gustav Mahler Society,Oregon Symphony News Releases, http://www.orsymphony.org/news/0102/CL3.html as well as Recording of the Month for August 1994 by Stereophile, who declared it to be "one of the best orchestral recordings of the digital era."Conklin, Kevin, "Recording of September 1994: Mahler: Symphony 1" (with 'Blumine' movement), Stereophile, September 6, 1994. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
From 1991 to 2000, the orchestra engaged pianist Peter Nero to form a pops series Peter Nero and Pops at the Philharmonic.
The orchestra continued to grow in size, quality and prestige throughout the 1990s under the direction of Judd, who shared an amicable relationship with the musicians through much of his tenure. Audience sizes grew significantly, and international tours were discussed. However, nagging financial struggles combined with disputes between the musicians and management led to increasing discord which culminated in a strike in the autumn of 2000.Johnson, Lawrence; "Dissonance sounds from both sides"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Oct 22, 2000
In the late 1990s Judd announced that the Florida Philharmonic would be leaving its principal home in Fort Lauderdale and establishing itself as the resident ensemble of a soon-to-be-built performing arts center in downtown Miami, at that time dubbed the Miami PAC (later named the Carnival Center and then later Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts), slated to break ground in 1998 and open sometime in 2003 or 2004. Due to several factors unrelated to the Philharmonic, initial groundbreaking for the $412 million PAC was delayed until 1999 and after demolition of what was left of the old Sears building, work began on the new performing arts center in ernest in 2001, and was beginning to take shape in 2003 more than a year after its intended resident ensemble (the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra) had dissolved, and the Carnival Center finally opened in late 2006 with a star-studded premiere minus the award-winning Florida Philharmonic Orchestra."Just Announced!", Arsht Center press release, September 13, 2006. and also with the announcement of its new resident ensemble, The Cleveland Orchestra.
2000 Strike Contract negotiations during the summer of 2000 hit frequent sticking points, and tensions between the musicians and management hit an all-time high, with Sun-Sentinel music writer Lawrence A. Johnson suggesting that a strike was inevitable at this point given the ever-increasing tension within the organization through the 1990s. The primary point of debate was regarding the orchestra's wages, which were well below average. In 1991, music director James Judd argued that if management couldn't raise the musicians' salaries up to the level of Atlanta Symphony by 1993, then "there is a limit to what I can do for the orchestra." Nine years later in 2000, the orchestra was nowhere near that goal.Lewinter, Andrew; "Orchestra just seeking to match peer group"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Oct 16, 2000
The management's last offer before what would have been the start of the 2000-01 season consisted of a 5 percent increase over one year. This was dismissed as "extremely disrespectful" by union representative Andrew Lewinter, who further commented that after two years of surpluses, it was time for the orchestra's salaries to catch up after pay freezes and concessions made by the musicians though harder economic times in the 1990s. The union's demands were derided by management attorney Susan Potter Norton as being based on "faulty logic". The musicians' union called a strike on September 25, however during the strike the musicians continued to perform free community concerts on a volunteer-basis, not organized by the orchestra management.Johnson, Lawrence; "Offer hits sour note; musicians go on strike, Philharmonic season in doubt"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Sep 25, 2000
The month-long strike ended after the orchestra accepted a 30 percent pay increase over five years, though many musicians expressed frustration for what they considered a "vote for surrender" on job security issues. The musical silence ended on October 26, 2000, with a program of Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies at Broward Center for the Performing Arts.Zink, Jack; "Philharmonic starts season of healing"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Oct 24, 2000
Judd resignation The period of time after the strike was marked by increasing economic difficulties. The Philharmonic in 2001 announced efforts to fight off their financial woes, with pay concessions on the part of the musicians and cut-backs in the management structure, however this was quickly overshadowed by a major change to the orchestra's staff in the later part of the year. In November 2001, the Florida Philharmonic's music director of nearly fifteen years, James Judd, announced his resignation by releasing a press release to the media. When asked about Judd's departure, Bob Levinson, chairman of the Philharmonic's board is quoted as having responded "It's news to me. You're telling me something I don't know."Johnson, Lawrence; "Florida Philharmonic conductor calls it quits"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Nov 20, 2001
The cracks in Judd's relationship with the orchestra had turned into an abyss by this point, with management blaming Judd's "mildly adventurous" and expensive programming for declining box office performance, and the orchestra's successful attempt to revoke Judd's power to unilaterally dismiss musicians who he considered not up to the task. His resignation came on the heels of the formation of an artistic committee which would share control with Judd over matters of programming.Johnson, Lawrence; "Veteran conductor to direct Philharmonic for two years"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Nov 27, 2001
James Judd was swiftly replaced on November 27, just seven days after his resignation, by veteran violinist and conductor Joseph Silverstein who would take the title of Acting Music Director for two seasons.Johnson, Lawrence; "Music director takes on new job at Philharmonic"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Nov 28, 2001
Collapse and bankruptcy The financial predicament of the orchestra hit crisis mode in the spring of 2003. By this time, the orchestra's 80 musicians had already accepted a cut to salaries and benefits totaling $3.2 million in savings, but in April, the orchestra's chairman, Daniel R. Lewis, announced that unless the orchestra could raise an additional $20 million, the orchestra could be facing bankruptcy by early May.Markowitz, Michael. "Teetering Florida Philharmonic Seeks Money and Ideas ." Andante. April 22, 2003,Chang, Daniel, and Gail Meadows, "FPO chief explains tragic ending", The Miami Herald, May 25, 2003. Retrieved 2019-05-01. The orchestra at this point had already retained a bankruptcy attorney, and some management officials were already announcing the imminent doom of the orchestra in the press.Zink, Jack; "Struggling orchestra appeals for $20 million; only alternative is bankruptcy, chairman says"; South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Apr 23, 2003
Though the amount of money the orchestra required to continue operations was reduced to $4 million, Executive Director Trey Devey said to the Sun-Sentinel that they had had "no significant progress" in reaching that amount. The orchestra's final concert was played on May 9, 2003, in Boca Raton, Florida.Kinzer, Stephen; "As funds disappear, so do orchestras", New York Times. May 14, 2003. At the end of the concert, amidst tears among audience and orchestra members alike, and a thunderous applause that refused to end, Devey took the stage to plead for a "hero." Ninety minutes later, the orchestra announced that it was "terminating the employment" of its musicians.Johnson, Lawrence; "Philharmonic suspends all performances; cash calamity forces orchestra to fire musicians, but not all hope is gone." South Florida Sun-Sentinel; May 10, 2003