By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

Kennett Symphony Board of Directors President Timothy Blair wowed his audience at the October concert when, during the mid-concert break, he shared the news that the orchestra members will perform at Carnegie Hall next year.

A gasp of surprise followed by enthusiastic applause erupted from the assembled guests at the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester.

Carnegie Hall is an internationally famous concert venue on Seventh Avenue in New York City that attracts many of the most famous musicians in the world.

Blair explained that the musicians will present an afternoon concert on Oct. 18, 2025 at Zankel Hall. a 600-seat auditorium among the five at Carnegie and play the background orchestral support for concert pianist Rupert Egerton Smith.

Many people casually recognize the hall’s prestige with the well-known riddle, allegedly asked by a Manhattan visitor, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

The answer, “Practice, Man.”

Blair said later he believes that the Philadelphia Orchestra and the planned Kennett Symphony occasion are the only two regional bodies to ever play at Carnegie Hall.

Blair, who earned his Ph.D in music at the Catholic University of America, served for 30 years in higher education, including 20 years as dean at West Chester University, first, as dean of the School of Music, then as founding dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and subsequently as founding dean of the College of Arts & Humanities.

He is a concert pianist and is especially fond of jazz and French composers Ravel and Debussy, about whom he presented his doctoral dissertation.

Blair also serves as the president of Alexander & Buono Foundation, whose mission is described online as identifying the world’s most promising classical musicians and helping them launch and sustain careers, while developing new audiences who understand, value, and appreciate classical music.

Those dual presidencies of KSO and Buono help define the connection between the Kennett Symphony and its planned performance at Carnegie Hall.

He said that, living in the Willistown area, he has had a longtime fondness for the Kennett Symphony and habitually made the automobile trip to attend the concerts. Given his credentials and his love of KSO, he was elected president of the KSO board in 2023.

“I liked it very much, and several of the graduates of West Chester (University) and professors perform with the symphony, as well as other area orchestras,” he said.

In his position at the Foundation, he said he became aware of Smith’s coming recital and realized that this talented concert pianist needed an orchestra behind him.

The Kennett Symphony immediately came to his mind.

There were plans to be made, including arrangements for travel, paying for the event and getting the news out.

As of the October announcement,Blair said, it was not yet clear what musical numbers the orchestra would be playing.

Explaining the obvious financial challenges of running a symphony orchestra, he said it is expensive to keep going. Fortunately for the Carnegie trip, however, Alexander & Buono Foundation has agreed to pay for the event.

Still, he said, the orchestra has to raise funds twice a year just to make up the difference between expenses and ticket revenues. He announced what he called “Kennett-to-Carnegie,” a raffle that would yield the winners attractive, musical awards.

The cost per entry is $20.

The first prize is an overnight stay in New York City, two tickets to the Carnegie Hall concert, and dinner for two at Trattoria Dell’Arte, an Italian restaurant across the street from the hall.

Second prize is a tour of the Steinway piano factory in Astoria, Queens followed by a tour of the establishment that sells them in Manhattan at 43rd and 6th streets.

Third prize is dinner for two with Kennett Symphony Conductor Michael Hall, followed by an instrumental recital by Hall.

Hall is in his 10th year as conductor at Kennett Symphony and has been popularly received by his audience. He is also in his seventh year as music director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia, Canada.

Fourth Prize is $500 and a ride in a 1923 Franklin automobile owned by Dave Ventura.

The raffle was launched on Nov. 3, and tickets are on sale by the musicians and the symphony board members.

Transporting the musicians to New York City is also part of Blair’s job planning this event.

He said they will board a bus at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, the day of the concert.

He anticipates arriving in New York by 10:30 a.m. to begin practice. The concert is at 3 p.m.

He said a bus is the ideal means of transportation for an orchestra to travel because buses have room for the musicians on top and an entire storage area underneath. Train travel is less convenient because it is not as equipped for large instruments as a bus.

Blair said additionally, if the demand is there, he might hire another bus to take local attendees to the concert.

“Everyone’s excited,” he said.

The Kennett Symphony was founded in 1941 by Kennett Square general practitioner Dr. Duer Reynolds and musician Ray Ott. They decided to form a musical group and performed the first concert in 1942. Reynolds was the president and Ott was the conductor.

According to a historical report in the Kennett Square history book, “Kennett Square, Yesterday and Today,” Ott was honored at the opening for the 40th anniversary of the symphony.

Proceeds from those early concerts were given for music scholarships to students at the local schools.

The Kennett Symphony had its roots with local residents who served in other professions but played music as an interest or hobby.

In the early years, symphony members included Unionville High School Principal Wilber Reese, Unionville music teacher and composer Karl Forssmark, Kennett Square physician Dr. Robert McKinstry and Kennett Square barber John Dettori, among many others. The orchestra has since become all-professional.

For years, the orchestra played at Kennett and Unionville high school auditoriums and other local venues.

Blair said he has tried to offer a more fully enjoyable experience with food and drink available causing the expansion to theaters and restaurant complexes.

Kennett Square has been credited as the smallest community in the United States to have a symphony.

The musicians and staff numbers have expanded through the years to include those from beyond the borough and even the county.

Upcoming concerts include March 23 at Longwood Gardens Exhibition Hall and June 26 at Longwood Gardens open air theater.

The brass quintet will perform at Chester County History Center on Dec. 13. A woodwind quintet will play at the Kennett Square Library on Feb. 22. And a string quartet will play a Mother’s Day concert at Winterthur Museum on May 10.