Conductor to retire from Symphony of the Redwoods
Allan Pollack will step down from his position after 24 years
FORT BRAGG >> Longtime conductor and leader of the Symphony of the Redwoods, Allan Pollack will be retiring soon from his position as the symphony’s music director and conductor.
“While he will be sorely missed, we’re happy to know he’ll have more time for new endeavors, including his passion for composing. Symphony of the Redwoods is making plans to acknowledge and honor Pollack’s three decades of inspiring and uplifting contributions to our classical musical scene,” the group said in a press release.
Pollack has served as music director and conductor of Symphony of the Redwoods for the past 24 years. He also currently serves as artistic director for the Mendocino Music Festival and served as artistic director and conductor for the Camellia Symphony Orchestra in Sacramento for eight years. The Symphony of the Redwoods said it would like to make it clear that Pollack has indicated he has no plans to retire from any of his other community positions, at this point.
Pollack received a Ph.D. in Composition from UC Berkeley in 1984, and has since written several works for orchestra and chamber ensemble. Among his compositions are “The Spiral Dance” for chorus and orchestra, “From the Song of Songs” for soprano and orchestra, “Two Movements in Time” for orchestra, a “Vibraphone Concerto,” and “A Summer Evening at the Boonville Fair” for orchestra. His jazz concerto for saxophone, “Albion Song,” was recently premiered at the Mendocino Music Festival and subsequently performed by the Camellia Symphony Orchestra.
Pollack has also had an extensive teaching career in the Bay Area, including a 35-year lectureship at UC Berkeley, and various appointments at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Community Music Center. He taught clarinet and saxophone out of his Berkeley studio for decades.
A search committee comprised
has been formed to find a new conductor and music director.
Find more information and Symphony news at SymphonyoftheRedwoods. org.