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Lajos Balogh Leads Portland Festival Symphony into its 28th Season
Excerpt from an article by James Bash in The Gathering Note, July 30, 2008.
Starting July 30, 2008 at Peninsula Park, the Portland Festival Symphony begins its 28th season of free concerts. Over the next few weeks (plus one date in September) this orchestra will perform in seven concerts in six public parks, including Laurelhurst Park, Washington Park, Foothills Park, Grant Park, and Cathedral Park. The acoustics may not be the best, but the ambience is terrific and the price is dirt cheap because it's free. You can bring a picnic lunch, your kids, your dogs, and stay as long as you want.
The concert program varies a bit at each performance, but Haydn's "Toy Symphony" with participation for the children is always on the program and offers a fun way to introduce kids to music.
The Portland Festival Symphony is the brainchild of Lajos Balogh, a Hungarian violinist who came to the United States in 1967 and began teaching at Marylhurst University that same year. For 27 years, Balogh was the principal second violinist of the Oregon Symphony. Balogh is the founder and music director of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and continues to teach music at Marylhurst. I talked with Balogh over the phone recently about his summer orchestra.
Why did you start the Portland Festival Symphony?
Balogh: I started the orchestra in 1981 when I became a US citizen. I wanted to celebrate and give something back to whole community. I had played with the opera orchestra in Washington Park and liked the setting in the amphitheater. So, I approached the city to ask for funding and got money from the city's arts commission and some sponsors. The first concert was a huge success. According to the park bureau, 7,000 to 8,000 people attended. Afterwards I had many requests to do it again and keep it going. So, that's how it began. I think that this is a great way to bring music to the people. Just take it to the people. They can bring their children, their dogs, whatever.