Cincinnati Civic Orchestra

Founded 1929

Administration

Laurence Bonhaus, Music Director

Maestro Lawrence Bonhaus has conducted over 100 concerts with the orchestra, an achievement never before reached in the history of the Cincinnati Civic Orchestra - dating back to 1929.   Larry was the concertmaster when the orchestra selected him    as conductor in the summer of 1985. He has performed with the orchestra for over twenty years, previously serving as Principal second Violin, Chairman of the Board of Directors and soloist.

Through his leadership, the orchestra has grown from a regular concert season averaging twenty five musicians and fifty concert attendees to a full eighty member symphony orchestra and audiences exceeding eight hundred. Larry considers the orchestra's Summer Pops series to be his most significant contribution. More than 6500 have attended concerts in one season. Performances have been staged at Sawyer Point, Blue Ash, Loveland and Season Good Pavilion, annually as well as on or two others at various locations in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region. These concerts have brought the orchestra many new friends, featuring the best of Light classical, Broadway, and popular music in exciting concert arrangements scored for full symphony orchestra.

The majority of Larry's musical training was under the late Eric Kahlson, Principal Violinist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Lexington Symphony. Larry also studied with the late Sigmond Effron, CSO Concertmaster and was privileged to work with the late Max Rudolf during the years he conducted in Cincinnati. Larry considers it a great honor to share his musical training and experience with the new generation of musicians.

The orchestra is a Bonhaus family affair. Larry met his wife Hildy, Principal Cellist in the orchestra. His teenage son Andrew, a budding pianist, assist with concert programs and receptions. His father Al, and mother Mary, recently deceased, are founding members of the "Friends of the Cincinnati Civic Orchestra Committee" and have been faithful concert goers.

Apart from the orchestra Larry is an attorney specializing in architectural, construction and real estate law. He graduated form the University of Cincinnati with an honors degree in Architecture and received his Jurist Doctorate form the Cincinnati College of Law. He is also active in supporting energy conservation as president of the Ohio Solar Energy Association.

Larry puts his architectural training to practice restoring the 1895 North Avondale mansion where he has lived for the past 15 years. He also makes time in his busy schedule to conduct and perform variety of local community musical events. Larry's two favorite hobbies are collecting U.S. postage stamps and trains, both the model railroad he's is building with his son, Andrew, and traveling cross country with Hildy on Amtrak.

Maestro Bonhaus believes that what is most important is for everyone to have fun while making music. He is an active participant in having a good time and was instrumental in starting such orchestra traditions as the annual family picnic and member recognition rehearsal. Part of the orchestra's fun is sharing the music with as wide and diverse an audience as possible. Larry fells that the after concert receptions are a very important as a way of letting the audience enjoy not just the music, but also the musicians. The motto Larry chose for the orchestra best shows his philosophy, "Great Music, Great Fun".

Assistant Conductor

Edward Howard

Chairperson

Jill Wilkey

Treasurer
Hildy Bonhaus

Secretary
Rich Moghtader

Social Directors
Pam Lance and Dona Littlefield

Librarian
Linda Wiley

Publicity Director
Sally Motz

Historian
Anne Hunter Akers

Director of Artistic Affairs
Marci Clark

Section Members at large
Anne Cole, Barbara Falk, Derrell Proctor and Howard Suid

Membership Director
Vicki Moseley

Concertmaster Emeritus
Ephraim Roth

Concertmaster
Pamela E. Gaylor

Head Usher
Lisa Mamas

Recording Engineer
Ted Motz

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Johann Strauss "Radetzky March" sequenced by Dan Szymborski . used with permission.