The Oistrach Symphony Orchestra
The Oistrach Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 2005. The Oistrach Symphony’s founder, artistic director and conductor, Mina Zikri, is an accomplished Egyptian violinist and conductor with diverse local and international experience and a strong vision of filling an artistic need for young adult musicians and audience members alike.
The Oistrach Symphony is named after the esteemed Russian violin virtuoso David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (1908-1974) who was highly influential in Europe’s recognition of Russia as an epicenter for classical music in the 1930s.
David Oistrakh became a symbol of art (music, theater and ballet) in old Soviet society and in Egypt (and throughout the Middle East) in the first half of the 20th century. During this time, most violin instructors in Russian conservatories had either studied under David Oistrakh or were musically influenced by him. Oistrakh was also an ambassador of art as he traveled through Europe and the United States (when permissible) and is widely recognized as one of the most skilled and accomplished violinists in the history of classical music. His impact was not just at a musical level but at a human level. David Oistrakh is known to have played on at least seven state-owned Stradivarius violins. He then settled on the 1702 Conte di Fontana Stradivarius which he played for 10 years, before trading it for the 1705 Marsick Stradivarius in June 1966, which he owned until his death.
The Oistrach Symphony’s Music Director, Mina Zikri, studied violin from David Oistrach’s son, Igor, and grandson, Valery, as part of his master classes during his formal musical education. Mina also maintains personal relationships with members of the Oistrakh family, is a great admirer of David Oistrakh, and has been and continues to be strongly influenced by this great violinist. It is no surprise that when Mina founded the Oistrach Symphony that he chose to name it after the esteemed David Oistrakh.
The orchestra draws musicians from major music programs in the area, in particular, the DePaul University School of Music in Chicago with whom it has a strong professional relationship. The Oistrach Symphony currently performs Oistrach “signature” concerts and quartets yearly bringing in well-known featured soloists. It is also employed by the Community Music Division of the DePaul School of Music yearly for a solo instrumental competition and choral concerts, and continues to develop relationships with other local Chicago organizations in order to fulfill artistic needs.
The Oistrach Symphony Orchestra Vision and Mission
The vision of the Oistrach Symphony Orchestra is to offer audiences and musicians exposure to a broad classical repertoire, performed at the highest level.
To support this vision, the Orchestra’s mission is to:
- Offer a stable, quality musical home to young musicians with new performance degrees, with exposure to standard orchestra repertory and opportunities to perform in a professional concert setting.
- Make quality classical music performances available to Chicago audiences, with particular focus upon young professionals and families with school-age children.
- Serve as a resource to organizations with a need for quality musicians in the area, including other symphony orchestras, choruses, theatres and similar groups.
To support this mission, OSO is committed to the following objectives:
- Expand our season from five to eight concerts to offer our musicians and audience a more robust musical year.
- Implement our school outreach program beginning with the 2011 – 2012 season.
- At least double our operating budget over the next 3 seasons.
- Grow our target audience base to bring new devotees to the world of classical music.
OSO will use the following strategies to achieve these objectives:
- Expand and diversify our revenue base through use of paid advertising, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, and growth of our cadre of individual supporters.
- Develop information technology to support OSO information needs.
- Continue to attract high caliber soloists for specific performances.
- Expand music performances to additional venues throughout the Chicago region.
- Expand our staff and volunteer base.
