Conductor Laureate: Sidney Rothstein
Sidney Rothstein was named Music Director of the Reading Symphony Orchestra in June of 1976. For twelve years, he commuted to Reading from other cities, while conducting the orchestras of Honolulu, West Virginia, and Florida. Prior to his appointment in Reading, from 1964 to 1976, Maestro Rothstein was the Music Director of the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia. In his final year with that orchestra, he conducted the Symphony No. 8 by Gustav Mahler (The Symphony of a Thousand) to officially open Philadelphia’s Bicentennial celebration. The performance was broadcast nationally.
In 1988, Rothstein’s commitment to the RSO deepened when he became a resident of Reading.
On April 8, 2006, Sidney took his final farewell as he stepped down from the podium and his position, completing a thirty-year tenure with the RSO. During the premier year of his successor - Andrew Constantine, Rothstein assumed the title of Conductor Laureate.
During his thirty years with the RSO, Rothstein’s artistic vision and innovative programming have attracted the regions most talented musicians as well as a very loyal and appreciative audience. Creative programming has been one of the hallmarks of his tenure. And while he sparked many new concerts and other projects, such as the highly popular New Year’s Eve concerts; the KinderKonzerts; Music in the Making; RSOvertures; the Encore Club; The Friends of the Symphony, to mention but a few, Rothstein is quick to say that his were ideas only, and that it took others to make them a reality.
Sidney pays tribute to past and present members of the RSO Family, “without whose skill and talents the Orchestra would not have flourished as it has. I trust the programs of this year will set the stage for an exciting future, for the musicians, our audience, our valued Board members and sponsors, and the community.”
