The Penfield Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 60th anniversary Monday night, as local Congresswoman Louise Slaughter presented a certificate to mark that achievement at a commemorative concert.
There probably aren't a lot of community organizations, including orchestras that have reached their 60th anniversary, so Music Director and Conductor David Harman says that's something worth celebrating.
He says the Penfield Symphony started as an outgrowth of the Penfield High School music program and then it organized as a separate non-profit organization.
Harman says the orchestra is made up of mostly volunteers; some of the musicians are music teachers in their day jobs, and others come from a wide variety of backgrounds.
"We have all sorts of people from various lines of work who are very talented musicians, veterinarians, accountants, a couple of real estate folks, lawyers here and there; it's a wide variety of very skilled people who are also wonderfully good musicians."
The Penfield Symphony Orchestra plays four main concerts each year, and Harman says the selections range from serious classical music to pops concerts.