Ariel Felton
Staff Writer
arfelton@valdosta.edu
There will be a new hand holding the baton directing the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra (VSO) this year during its 20th anniversary season, and that is the hand of Dr. Howard Hsu.
Dr. Howard Hsu, (last name is pronounced shoe), is originally from Pittsburg and became interested in music when he learned to play the violin around the age of fourteen. But playing the violin in a concert under the direction of someone else wasn’t enough. “I wanted to do more.” Dr Hsu said, “I wanted to become the one calling the shots.”
And this is precisely what he did. Dr. Hsu started forming his musical resume when he made his first appearance as a guest conductor with the Hartford Connecticut Symphony Orchestra (HSO), but that was only the beginning of his long list of achievements. He was soon appointed as the speaker of the HSO “Symphony in the Schools” Fleet Chamber Orchestra series, a program in which the orchestra visited and performed at public schools, and Dr. Hsu also explained some of the basics of classical music to thousands of students. Dr. Hsu was also known as the Associate Conductor of the University of Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and the Lake George Opera Festival, the Guest Conductor with the New Britain Symphony and the Bronx Arts Ensemble, and the cover conductor with the Westchester Philharmonic. Remarkably, all of this was accomplished along with getting several degrees– his Doctoral in Music Arts from the University of Connecticut, his MM (Master of Music) from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and his BS from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
As for his plans for the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Hsu said there wasn’t much to be done, “Just tweaking.” Dr. Hsu will be joining the assistant conductor, Dr. Paul Neal, and the orchestra will start out its 20th anniversary season by holding a special memorial concert on October the 3rd in honor of Leona S. Hudson. The season will then continue with the usual four subscription concerts held on various Saturday nights throughout the season. All of these concerts will be held in the Whitehead Auditorium and will require reservations. The VSO will also be conducting “The Youth Concert Series,” held the Friday before each subscription concert, to bring the joys of symphonic sound to young students and their teachers in the surrounding area.