For Immediate Release:
Media contact: Sue Moylan. [email protected]

LONG BEACH SYMPHONY EXTENDS CONTRACTS FOR TOP LEADERS, MUSIC DIRECTOR ECKART PREU AND PRESIDENT KELLY RUGGIRELLO, THROUGH 2028-2029 SEASON

Long Beach, CA – 6/10/2024 – Long Beach Symphony is pleased to announce that it has reached agreements with its key artistic and administrative leaders through the 2028-2029 season. Eckart Preu has served as the Symphony’s Music Director since 2017 and Ruggirello was hired in 2013 to head up its administration.

“I am so honored to have the opportunity to continue serving as Music Director in this very special community,” said Eckart Preu, Music Director and Conductor. “The Long Beach Symphony is a family of dedicated musicians, staff, Board and volunteers who continually inspire me, and I couldn’t ask for a better team. We have so many exciting ideas and plans for the years ahead and I simply cannot wait for this next chapter to begin.”

Entering her 12th year as the Symphony’s President, Kelly Ruggirello continues to champion the creation of a new summer series in a proposed professional, outdoor amphitheater having been appointed by former Mayor Robert Garcia to the Queen Mary Land Development Task Force Commission in 2015. As well, LA28, the L.A. Olympics Committee is supportive of her vision to produce a multi-cultural arts festival coinciding with the 2028 Olympics and the 8 sporting events to be held in Long Beach. Ruggirello states, “I am grateful to have a tremendous partner in Eckart and the support of the Board of Directors as we celebrate our 90-year history while looking to an exciting future and new opportunities to serve this wonderful community.”

Preu and Ruggirello’s transformative work with the Cambodian community in Long Beach – the largest outside of Southeast Asia, garnered much praise and recognition, including receiving the inaugural 2023 Social Impact Award by the Association of California Symphony Orchestras for creating positive change and addressing a challenge or injustice in its community. These key leaders also launched the Symphony’s first Family series of concerts due to the generosity and shared vision of The RuMBa Foundation of Long Beach which committed $540,000 – the largest single gift in the Symphony’s history – over 4 years to fund this new initiative serving the families of Long Beach.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are absolutely thrilled to extend contracts to these two leaders who champion artistic excellence, award-winning music education programs and a profound commitment to our diverse community,” said Roger Goulette, Chairman of the Long Beach Symphony Board of Directors. “Eckart brings both innovation and a sense of tradition to Long Beach while Kelly’s dedication to our vision and mission of uniting all people through the transformative power of music ensures the Symphony’s growth, relevance, and service to our broad, diverse city.”

As Preu and Ruggirello look ahead to the future, they are firmly and passionately committed to continuing a tradition of excellence in its artistic, music education and collaborative multi-cultural programming.

ABOUT MUSIC DIRECTOR ECKART PREU

Maestro Eckart Preu began his tenure as Music Director of Long Beach Symphony in 2017 and has already made a strong impression on the city of Long Beach, surrounding regions, and with critics for his programming and dynamic stage presence. Critics, the orchestra, and audiences alike have celebrated his ability to combine well-loved masterworks with rare or newer works in programs offering dimension, sophistication, and spirit.

Preu also currently serves as Music Director of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (OH) and Portland Symphony Orchestra (ME). Previously, he held the positions of Music Director of the Spokane Symphony (2004–2019) and Stamford Symphony (2005–2017), Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony (2001–2004), Resident Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (1997–2004) and of the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (1999–2004). Other former posts include Music Director of the Norwalk (CT) Youth Symphony and Principal Conductor of the New Amsterdam Symphony (NY). He was associated with the Bard Music Festival from 1997 to 2004 as both Assistant and Guest Conductor. In Europe, Maestro Preu served as Music Director of the Orchestre International de Paris (1993–1995).

ABOUT PRESIDENT KELLY RUGGIRELLO

Kelly Ruggirello has led the Long Beach Symphony – celebrating its 90th season – since March 2013. During her tenure, the Long Beach Symphony has enjoyed tremendous growth and financial stability as well as new initiatives aimed at serving all residents in the city – one of the most diverse in the nation.

In recognition of her transformative work, the Symphony won the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce Award for Outstanding Non-profit in 2015 and Ms. Ruggirello won Mayor Garcia’s Go Long Beach Award in 2016, the award for outstanding arts management by the Arts Council for Long Beach and the NAACP Founders Award, both in 2017. In June of 2018, Ms. Ruggirello won the 40 Inspiring Leaders Award by the Nonprofit Center of Southern California. Dedicated to a thriving cultural landscape for all arts organizations in the region, Ms. Ruggirello was appointed by former Mayor Robert Garcia to the Queen Mary Land Development Task Force commission resulting in the City Council approval of a world-class amphitheater, aka “The Summer Home of the Long Beach Symphony” on Queen Mary Island.

Dedicated to strengthening orchestras and arts managers, Ms. Ruggirello served as President of the Board of Directors of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras and was a faculty member for the national service organizations, Chorus America and the League of American Orchestras. Having raised nearly $100 million during her career, she actively consults with local and national orchestras and choruses and serves as a presenter at state and national conferences. Committed to community service, Ms. Ruggirello is a Rotarian and elected to serve as President #109 in 2025/2026. She has been a proud Long Beach resident for over 37 years.

ABOUT LONG BEACH SYMPHONY

The premier producer of live, orchestral music in the greater Long Beach region and one of Southern California’s most renowned, professional regional orchestras, Long Beach Symphony’s vision is to unite people through the transformative power of music by engaging audiences of all ages and cultures through exceptional orchestral performances, community partnerships and meaningful educational experiences. Entering its 90th season, Long Beach Symphony is led by Music Director Eckart Preu and serves 70,000 community members annually through its robust concert and education activities. Five Classical concerts at the Terrace Theater are filled with dancing fountains, firepits, and the ability to sip and enjoy while experiencing classical and newer works. The Pops Series at the Long Beach Arena encourages audiences to bring their picnics and libations and enjoy indoor parties while dancing to the music by renowned artists and the power of a professional symphony orchestra. Its award-winning music education programs serve over 25,000 children annually through field trips, ensembles in the schools, family series, and instrument petting zoos. Located in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, the Symphony’s Musical Bridges program celebrates the musical artistry of the many diverse communities through free, collaborative multicultural performances.

For information on the 2024-2025 Season, please see our Calendar.

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Thursday, July 13, 2023 – The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) announced today that the Long Beach Symphony is the recipient of its 2023 Social Impact Award.

Launched this year, ACSO’s Social Impact Award is given to an organizational member that has created positive change or addressed a challenge or injustice in its community.

The Long Beach Symphony’s initiative, Musical Bridges, celebrates the musical artistry of the many diverse communities in Long Beach through free, collaborative, multicultural performances. Its inaugural Musical Bridges project took five years to develop and was presented in April 2023 in artistic collaboration with the Long Beach Cambodian community, the second largest Cambodian population in the world.

The resulting concert and festival were called KHMERASPORA and told the Cambodian American experience from genocide to camp relocation, to the Long Beach ghettos, and ultimately, the integration into the broader community. The program celebrated traditional and contemporary Cambodian artists and featured three world premieres by Cambodian composer Dr. Chinary Ung for a 15-member Long Beach Symphony ensemble and Cambodian dancers, instrumentalists, and singers. The brilliant vision of praCh Ly, the Cambodian American rapper who wrote, directed, and performed the one-hour piece, was to unite the fragmented Cambodian community by using both traditional art forms (nearly decimated by the Khmer Rouge) as well as contemporary performers. The impact on the Cambodian community was profound and deeply moving.

Long Beach Symphony partnered with Cambodia Town Inc., United Cambodian Community, Khmer Parent Association, Long Beach-Phnom Penh Sister Cities, Cambodia Town Film Festival, and many more organizations that said the collaboration had a profound impact on the Long Beach Cambodian community. In a collective letter of support they wrote, “Our story is personal and tragic but also one of survival and strength and it deserves to be told. Many of our genocide survivors and their children and grandchildren finally feel seen and heard. We also had a public forum to share out story with people who may have known nothing or little about the Cambodian genocide. It is partnerships like this that inspire trust, mutual respect, and understanding between cultures.”

“Thrilled to be in one of the most diverse cities in the United States, Long Beach Symphony has embraced its role to partner with many diverse groups and community leaders in our city of 500,000. Relevance and sustainability goals were outcomes of our recent, comprehensive strategic planning process,” said Kelly Ruggirello, President of Long Beach Symphony. “The result [of our Musical Bridges Initiative] was a community that finally felt heard and seen through a very difficult journey to freedom. Non-Cambodian attendees were educated about an important historical event and its impact on 20,000 Long Beach Cambodians. Also, there is an immense sense of gratitude that the Long Beach Symphony helped heal, unite, inspire, validate, and educate our city’s residents.”

ACSO Executive Director Sarah Weber said “With the Social Impact Award, ACSO seeks to recognize the work that orchestras are doing to serve, strengthen, and improve their communities both inside and outside the concert hall. ACSO believes that an orchestra’s value extends beyond the music that it performs – it can also serve as an agent to influence social change and make its community stronger and more connected. The Long

Beach Symphony exemplified social impact by collaborating with and providing a platform for the Long Beach Cambodian community to tell its story.”

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The premier producer of live music in the greater Long Beach region and one of Southern California’s most renowned, professional regional orchestras, Long Beach Symphony’s vision is to unite people through the transformative power of music by engaging audiences of all ages and cultures through exceptional orchestral performances, community partnerships and meaningful educational experiences. www.longbeachsymphony.org

The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO), founded in 1969, is a member service organization representing 120 classical music organizations and their 2,000 board and staff in its network. ACSO’s members are comprised of professional, academic, youth, and community-based orchestras, choruses, and festivals in California and the western region. ACSO’s annual awards program recognizes remarkable individuals and organizations for their meaningful contributions to the orchestra field. To read about all our 2023 award winners, click here. www.acso.org

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