Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard McKay.
Richard, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born in Plano and grew up here, in Dallas, and started taking piano lessons in the second grade. I attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting. I then moved to Baltimore and earned a doctorate in conducting from the Peabody Institute where I studied with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar and served as assistant conductor and chorus master of the Peabody Orchestras and Opera. After graduating, I moved back to Dallas where I founded the Dallas Chamber Symphony in 2011.
Has it been a smooth road?
For me, the musical path was a natural one. I was fortunate to find opportunities to do work that I enjoyed. I had some excellent teachers who helped me along the way, as well as opportunities to travel and work abroad. These things have made my journey more fun and fulfilling.
Tell us more about the organization.
I am the artistic director and conductor of the Dallas Chamber Symphony (DCS), which is a professional orchestra and 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves over 54,000 annually through its educational outreach programs and critically acclaimed subscription season presented at Moody Performance Hall in the downtown Dallas Arts District. The DCS is a cornerstone of the performing arts community, known for world-class artists, imaginatively curated concert programs, and groundbreaking multi-disciplinary collaborations.
Not everyone knows that the “Chamber” in Dallas Chamber Symphony refers to our performance space, which seats 750. It’s small enough to feel intimate, and feature music written for a leaner ensemble, but still large enough to comfortably feature a full orchestra.
The DCS is known for a lot of things. First, our ensemble is fully professional and showcases some of the city’s top talent as well as important guest soloists and composers. We tend to perform music specifically written for medium-sized orchestra but often branch out to include standard orchestral repertoire, new works, and multimedia. One of our most popular projects is our UnSilent Film Series, for which we commission new scores for classic silent movies. We then perform the score live to film in concert.
What sets the DCS apart is the atmosphere at our concerts. Concerts are fun, social, more casual than your average symphony concert, and attended by and diverse audience. People of all ages and backgrounds attend, including millennials and young professionals. There’s great energy in the room at our events.
Pricing:
- Concert tickets are $24 – $54 each.
Contact Info:
- Address: Concerts are held at Moody Performance Hall
2520 Flora Street,
Dallas, TX 75201 - Website: www.dcsymphony.org
- Phone: 214-449-1294
- Email: contact@dcsymphony.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dallaschambersymphony
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dallaschambersymphony
Image Credit:
Dallas Chamber Symphony
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