MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra is to provide a shared experience through the power of music - uniting musicians, audiences, and students through innovative programming and musical excellence. For over 25 years the PSO has been enriching, inspiring, and transforming lives through performances and educational outreach programs within the local community and beyond.
The Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, proudly based at the Michael A. Hughes Center for the Arts at Highland School, has established a reputation as the premier orchestral ensemble of the Greater Piedmont region.
Founded in 1996 as the Piedmont Regional Orchestra by Conductor Emeritus Michael A. Hughes, the PSO performs five regular season concerts with varied programming to appeal to a wide audience. Glenn Quader was appointed Music Director and Conductor in 2005, and since his appointment the PSO has increased its paid core membership, strengthened its volunteer membership, and engaged in numerous collaborations with other local arts organizations.
The PSO has undertaken several highly successful collaborations with other local arts organizations. In 2017, the PSO partnered with The Reston Chorale to perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. The performance also included the American University Chorus and soloists from the Maryland Lyric Opera. Over 200 musicians on stage performed the soaring epic Ninth Symphony to a sold-out audience.
The members of the orchestra include musicians from Fauquier County and the neighboring communities, as well as many local teachers. Educational outreach is a key component of the mission of PSO. Under the leadership of Maestro Quader the PSO pioneered the Music Mentors Program, placing PSO principals in band and orchestra classes for sessions with students and teachers, all at no cost to schools.
The PSO has proudly featured world-renowned soloists, including: Emily Casey (soprano); Rachel Franklin (piano); Amy Beth Horman (violin); Jason Love (cello); Thomas Pandolfi (piano); Carlos Cesar Rodriguez (piano). The PSO also regularly features principal players as soloists, including: H. Lee Brewster, Concertmaster; Alisha Coleman, Principal Clarinet; Matthew Gattuso, Principal Second Violin; James Forry, Principal Cello; Deborah Gilbert, Principal Flute.
The PSO has premiered several works, including: "Our Childhood Friends" (U.S. premiere) by Danish composer Henning Wellejus (2005); James Schroeder's "Black Forest" Concerto for Horn and Orchestra (world premiere) (2006); and "Extensions" Concerto for Guitar and Chamber Orchestra (world premiere) (2007). “Extensions” was also the orchestra's first commissioned work.
A native of Washington, DC, Glenn Quader is rapidly gaining national recognition as a dynamic and versatile conductor. Equally adept in the classical, jazz and popular genres, he appears extensively as a conductor, performer and session musician in the United States and Europe, placing him in consistently high demand both on concert stages and in recording studios.
Since Mr. Quader’s appointment as Music Director of the Piedmont Symphony Orchestra in 2005, the orchestra has increased its paid core membership, added to the number of performances and enjoyed a three-fold rise in season subscriptions. He has also introduced compelling new Educational Outreach programs including the orchestra’s annual Student Visual Art Contest, and the Music Mentoring Program.
His most recent professional appointments include Conductor of the American Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra. He continues to serve as Conductor of the American Studio Orchestra, which fuses music, audio visual and graphic arts into multimedia concert experiences.
Mr. Quader’s international guest conducting includes programs with the Czech Republic’s Czech Virtuosi and Czech Moravian Chamber Orchestra, Hungary’s Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra and Romania’s Bacau and Brasov philharmonic orchestras. In the US, he has led the Symphonies of Memphis and Nashville, Tuscaloosa, and Fairfax.
Mr. Quader studied at the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University and the universities of Indiana, Illinois, Miami and Florida International, and holds a conducting diploma, awarded by Sicily’s Catania International Conducting Institute. His principal conducting teachers include Gustav Meier, Ovidiu Balan and James Brooks-Bruzzese, while intensive workshops were undertaken with Marin Alsop, Jorma Panula, James Litton, Larry Rachleff and David Loebel.
Along with a rigorous conducting schedule, Glenn is an in-demand electric/synth bassist for studios and large scale festivals. He has been developing high end bass synth systems for the last several years and recently acquired the very first synth bass built by Rob O'Reilly Guitars (Ireland). The design uses a groundbreaking tracking system not available to bassists until now. This year he will premiere this instrument in several shows.
Not many symphony orchestras can say that they have their own resident Rock Band...Well at PSO we have just that...
The PSO Rock Band is comprised of seasoned professional artists who have shared the stage and studios with numerous Grammy winning artists. PSO Music Director Glenn Quader has pulled in his closest and baddest Rock friends to form an ensemble capable of all styles from Progressive and Classic Rock to Funk, Soul and Contemporary.
Since our first Rock Symphony show in 2010, the PSO has launched over fifteen Rock Orchestra concerts in locations all over the region. We now have a songlist of over 70 titles spanning the 1960s to the present.
We have presented these shows at our home base at Highland Center as well as the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival, downtown Warrenton, the Hamilton in DC and at private events. The Rock Band has also appeared alongside our artistic partners: The Reston Chorale, The Frederick Symphony Orchestra, and The Columbia Orchestra in sold out shows.
The PSO Rock Band:
Robert Foster - Lead Vocals/Guitar
Michelle Kern - Lead Vocals
Jason Labrador - Lead Vocals/Electric Violin
Kenny Hasty - Lead Guitar/Lead Vocals
Michael Thompson - Piano/Keyboards
Thomas Tucker - Rhythm Guitar/Acoustic Guitars/Bass/Mandolin
Glenn Quader - Bass/Synth Bass
Sammy Sosa - Drums
If you are interested in booking the PSO Rock Band, CONTACT US.
