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EARLY YEARS
In the latter half of the 1930's, Shurtleff College in Upper Alton was the catalyst that resulted in the formation of the Madison County Symphony Orchestra. This Orchestra flourished for several years until World War II when many players left for the service. About the same time, a brilliant young musician, Elyse Ahle, moved into town and started a music school. She was a talented, energetic young woman whose students performed regularly in the area. She started an orchestra calling it the Alton Symhony Orchestra. This orchestra existed for a few years and then folded for a lack of personnel just like the Madison County Orchestra had earlier. Miss Ahle then moved to california where she formed and directed another orchestra.

In 1943, immediately after the war, Shurtleff was inundated with young men and women veterans going to school on the GI Bill. Shurtleff engaged Dr. Bethuel Gross, a dynamic young man and a brilliant pianist and organist to be Dean of Students. He maintained a grueling schedule, working at Shurtleff Monday through Thursday, and then commuting to Chicago to conduct choirs as the organist for a large Presbyterian Church.Dr. Gross conceived of forming another area orchestra. through contacts in the college, he organized a small core of people interested in music. They included, among others, Frank Vorhees, Lucy Sparks, Ralph Ritchey, Paul LCousley, Dr. Frank M. Boals, and Mitchel Petruzza. Because the name "Alton Symphony Orchestra:had been used previously, the new orchestra was named the Alton Civic Orchestra and Dr. Frank Boals was elected its first president. Rehearsals were held in the fourth floor band room of the Alton High School. Instrumentation for the orchestra was somewhat unbalanced since there seemed to be almost as much percussion as strings. Dr. Gross often had the orchestra perform a couple of numbers while he filled in the rest of the program with a strikingly dressed chorus of women singers from Shurtleff College, with him at the piano. Ever the performer, Gross cut a Valention-style appearance with a broad red ribbon worn diagonally across his chest and his glossy black hair while he conducted from the piano. Dr. Gross resigned from the orchestra and returned to his home in Chicago in 1948.



ST. LOUIS CONNECTION
Luckily, the Board succeeded in engaging Max Steindel who served as conductor for the next seventeen years until his death in 1964. The Board and the public soon realized that a coup had been accomplished, since Max was the principal cello and personnel manager of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He was also a link with the bygone century being one of five children, all geniuses, whose father had been a court musician in one of the European
principalities. Papa Steindel taught his children using stern discipline and toured Europe with Max, his "wunderkind". Max recalled sitting on the lap of the Grand Duchessof Russia on one of their tours. Max brought to the orchestra an indirect acquaintance with some of the musical giants of the late 1800's. Despite his difficult upbringing, he was a kindly, jovial man who was able to teach by singing phrases with his own poetry or giving colorful verbal descriptions of how the music should sound: "like going down a coal chute" or "like a group of peasants stomping their feet" or, as in his description of part of Mendelssohn's Italian symphony, "like hooded monks with bowed heads shuffling through a convent garden." Because of his position , he was able to establish Monday as the day off for the St. Louis Symphony so he would be free for the Alton rehearsals. He led the Alton Civic Orchestra until his death from cancer in 1964. The orchestra's collective feelings for the man and his reciprocating rapport with them touched the whole community, and left a void with his passing.



THE LOCAL CONNECTION
Finding a new conductor was a difficult task for the Board, but after much searching a young man, Clarance Drichta, was selected for the position. He was a teacher in the Alton Schools, and was a violinist of high quality. He had a phenomenal knowledge of the musical repertoire, an ability to conduct and enough youthful enthusiasm to
bring the orchestra to a higher standard. In 1968 Drichta accepted a position in a suburb of Cleveland. Before he left he suggested that Kaid Friedel become our conductor.






HORNS TO THE FRONT
Mr. Friedel readily accepted the position. At the time he was Principal Horn of the St. Louis Symphony. He was in the U.S. Navy Band and had graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music.    He had a wide reputation as a French horn teacher and when he
arrived for his first rehearsal, about eight of his pupils showed up with him.
Mr. Friedel turned out to be an able and well-received conductor. Through his association with Curtis, he was able to provide the orchestra with some very capable soloists. The audience loved him and in his lessformal moments he was a great punster. He resigned from the orchestra in 1979 to devote himself to the Compton Heights Concert Band in St. Louis. Concurrent with Mr. Friedell's resignation, Drichta returned to the area for personal reasons. He was
interested in coming back to the Alton Civic and the board happily reinstated him. In 1990, Mr. Drichta resigned for the second time.



INTO THE ROARING 90'S
The search committee was reactivated and after numerous interviews Dr. James Richards was selected as the new conductor. He was also employed in the music department of the
University of Missouri, St. Louis and was also the conductor of the Kirkwood Missouri Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Richards, a fine violinist and conductor, served very capably until the end of the 1992-93 season when he resigned because of significant increases in his duties at UMSL.



MOVING ON AFTER 16 YEARS
In July 1993 the Board selected Edward Dolbashian as Conductor and Music Director. Mr. Dolbashian, a native of New York City, also serves as the Director of Orchestral Activities and Director of Conducting Studies at the University of Missouri in Columbia. His solo instrument is the oboe and he has had much experience in conducting several symphony and chamber orchestras inMassachusetts and Connecticut. He is much respected and is very popular with the Board, the players, and the listening public.
Mr. Dolbashian has chosen retirement this year and will be moving on after 16 productive years. See our farewell letter on Essays and Reflections.