Originally founded by the late George London in 1982 as The Baltimore Chamber Group, Mr. London and the other members of this small string ensemble were also members of The Gettysburg Symphony Orchestra, which was founded and conducted by the late Baltimorean, Dr. William Sebastian Hart. Dr. Hart's philosophy was to have a symphonic orchestra of professional musicians FROM the community to perform concerts FOR the community. These concerts, which were funded by Dr. Hart's foundation, were offered free of charge to the public, including youth concerts at the schools. When Dr. Hart died in 1989, concertmaster Raffaele Faraco took over as conductor, continuing with the same philosophy. After a few years, Mr. Faraco needed to step down for personal reasons, and in 1998, his successor decided to change the mission of the orchestra, while dismissing 90% of the musicians, many of whom performed there for years under Dr. Hart.

Unwilling to give up this valuable opportunity that we all dearly appreciated, Mr. London allowed us to convert The Baltimore Chamber Group into the Baltimore Philharmonia Orchestra. We also were able to bring back Raffaele Faraco as conductor. Unfortunately, the funding, on which we relied, was still in the control of The Gettysburg Symphony, forcing us to look elsewhere for support. This has deprived the community of many of the free  concerts and educational outreach, as well as the artistic experience derived by the musicians. Until we get back to major foundation and/or corporate funding, we depend on small private donations and mini grants from arts organizations. Nevertheless, we HAVE managed to restore several public concerts per year, performing at schools, churches, and retirement communities for people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. We have developed a database of our patrons, which we use to promote our concerts. Additional funds would allow better promotion, utilizing radio and newspaper advertising, which is quite expensive for our present budget. We have also recorded CDs, which are available on request.

The funds we are seeking will help to re-establish some of the youth concerts that we have been unable to afford since our reorganization in 1998. Although we have many volunteer musicians, the orchestra depends on the services of several professional players, who need to be reimbursed for expenses consistent with making the rehearsals and concerts. These professionals elevate the artistic quality of the orchestra, while providing valuable progress for the less experienced players.

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