1945 - Burbank Symphony Orchestra Performs at Stough Park
1945
Guest conductor John Ellis leads the 75-piece Burbank Symphony Orchestra in a performance at Stough Park on July 29, 1945, in a ravine near the future location of the Starlight Bowl. Founded in 1944 by conductor Leo G. Damiani, the orchestra was nationally renowned and regularly played at the Starlight Bowl for decades. Following a series of financial and fundraising difficulties in the 1980s and early 1990s, the board of directors reorganized the group as the Burbank Chamber Orchestra in 1991 and as the Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002. Damiani resigned from the orchestra in 1959 after fifteen years as conductor, although he remained involved and occasionally returned as a guest conductor until his death in 1986. According to the Burbank Department of Parks and Recreation, Stough Canyon Park originated as a gift to the city of over 128 acres to be used exclusively as public parkland from real estate developer Oliver J. Stough. The natural bowl of the ravine was first used for performances in 1935, with salvage lumber and telephone poles used for seating, and served as the rehearsal and performance space for the Burbank Symphony Orchestra until the permanent Starlight Bowl was built and opened in 1950. Notes on back of photo: "Stough Park 7-29-45. Burbank Symphony Orchestra."
1249 Lockheed View Dr, Burbank CA 91501
8 x 10 b&w print
Burbank Public Library, Burbank in Focus Office
cco01389
City Clerk's Office
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