A WORD FROM THE CONDUCTOR……

            For 43 years, your Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra has been bringing to life some of the most beautiful music ever written. This season promises to be no exception.

            It is said that the eyes take us into the world, but the ears bring the world into us. To paraphrase a mentor, music goes directly into our body systems and triggers reactions, whether conscious or not. It has the phenomenal ability to penetrate our Being to undiscovered levels. 

            Because music stimulates the entire physiology, it is the most powerful and at the same time the most intimate of the arts.   

            Music has the power to transform. It stimulates the intellect and the emotions. It brings us joy, serenity, peace, hope and love. Music is a mirror to our souls, bringing expression to that which cannot be expressed in words.

            Like the soft drink commercial proclaiming "It`s the real thing!" there is no substitute for the live concert. Each performance is an original, as is our experience of it. So sit back and relax together as we experience some of the greatest music of all time. 

John W. Strickler