What is a philharmonic orchestra anyway? If a symphony orchestra plays symphonies, a question can be posed…Does a philharmonic orchestra play philharmonics instead? Well, actually, philharmonic orchestras play symphonies, too. An examination of the root of the word gives some insight to its use. Depending on your preference the word Philharmonic comes from the French word philharmonique or the two Greek words philo “love of” and Harmonik “theory of music”. So, loosely translated that means that a philharmonic orchestra is a “music lover’s orchestra” as opposed to a “music hater’s orchestra", which makes no sense at all. As I was researching this topic, I found that the word was first used in 1813. A London organization was formed called the Philharmonic Society--LPO. In 1961 another LPO was formed in Lawton, Ok. (See history of Lawton Philharmonic Society, Inc http://www.lawtonphil.org/history.html)

Many cities that have universities have orchestras associated with the College of Music, but few cities find the means to have an orchestra apart from that. Surprisingly, the Lawton Philharmonic is older than the one formed in Oklahoma City (1988) and second to the one formed in Tulsa (1942). When one compares the populations of those cities to that of Lawton Oklahoma it is reasonable to conclude that for its size Lawton must be full of music lovers to be able to support a professional orchestra.

Ticket prices are held within range because of the huge amount of volunteer work done by the Lawton Philharmonic Society. Without its member’s devotion to the music enrichment of the community, the ticket prices would likely be too expensive for many of the citizens of this area. (2010-11 season http://www.lawtonphil.org ) Much effort is made to have special ticket pricing for students so that they may be enriched by the opportunity to enjoy fine music presented professionally.

Many of the professional musicians travel to Lawton for the concerts, but several are Lawton residents. A future article will include an interview with Derek Griner, a trumpet player who also teaches at Central Middle School.

The Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra is something that this hub of southwest Oklahoma can be proud of. Let us all try to support it by attending at least one if not all of the performances that it presents.

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