Suffolk Principal Orchestra

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE

The Suffolk Principal Orchestra, led by Director Phil Preddice, was formed in 2008 and consists of some of the finest musicians in Suffolk County. Orchestra members have participated in LISFA, SCMEA, All-National, All-Eastern, All-State, and All-County festivals. The group has performed at Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, Staller Center for the Arts, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Many members have attended prestigious summer music programs such as the Tanglewood Institute, Crane Youth Music, and the New York State Summer School of the Arts. Several of the orchestra’s alumni are currently attending outstanding programs of study in Music Composition, Music Performance, Music Education, Music Business, and Music Therapy. Suffolk Principal Orchestra’s challenging programming has been enthusiastically and overwhelmingly received by audiences.


ABOUT THE MUSIC DIRECTOR

Phil Preddice, Suffolk Principal Orchestra (MYO)Phil Preddice is a graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he studied viola with Lamar Alsop, Theodore Israel, and Maurice Baritaud. His Voice instruction was taught by Richard Griffith and Brock McElheran. His conducting studies were carefully guided by Brock McElheran. Performances under the batons of Eugene Ormandy, Stanley Chappel, Christopher Keene, and Aaron Copland inspired Mr. Preddice to reach for new heights as a conductor. He has been the conductor of the Suffolk Principal Orchestra since its formation in 2008.

Mr. Preddice is the founding and Principal Conductor of the Crane Alumni Festival Orchestra. This ensemble, founded in 2014 performs concerts to raise scholarship funds for students wishing to pursue advanced music studies at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Mr. Preddice is a composer, with several works premiered by the MYO Suffolk Principal Orchestra.

Mr. Preddice is a past President of the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association. Additionally, he has held executive Board Positions with the Long Island String Festival Association, and the New York State American String Teachers’ Association. He is currently retired from a career as Orchestra director in the Commack, Shoreham-Wading River, and Three Village school districts.

Mr. Preddice is the recipient of the 2000 Helen Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award, granted by the Alumni Association of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.

Music is always being played in the Preddice household. Wife Susan, daughter Alisa, son Jon, and daughter Leanne are all Music Teachers and active local musicians. Susan and Phil have 10 grandchildren, all of whom play the violin, viola, or cello. The Preddice Family String Quartet plays for brides and grooms throughout Long Island and the Metropolitan NYC area.

When he is not composing or conducting, Mr. Preddice can frequently be found fishing on a quiet Adirondack pond or surf casting the rocky shoals of Montauk.

Read more >>


LISTEN


PAST SEASON REPERTOIRE

Repertoire performed by the Suffolk Principal Orchestra in the 2022-2023 season included:

  • Danse Macabre, Op. 40 – Camille Saint-Saëns
  • Fanfare for Fireworks– Vincent Fasano
  • Finlandia, Op. 26 – Jean Sibelius
  • Imperial March, Op. 32 – Edward Elgar
  • Scheherazade, Op. 35, Mvts. I and IV – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
  • Symphony № 10 in E Minor, Op. 93, Mvts. II and IV – Dimitri Shostakovich
  • Un danzón a mi manera – Ivette Herryman-Rodríguez