Svend Rønning, Artistic Director ~ Jerry Kracht, Artistic Director Emeritus


Home

Current Season

Directors & Artists

Masterpiece Series

Concerts in the Garden

Spotlight Concerts

Young Chamber Players

Special Event

Tickets

Venues & Directions

Support SCCS

Gift Shop

Art and Archives

Contact Us


 

Artistic Directors

SVEND RØNNING, Artistic Director,
is one of the most active musicians in the Puget Sound, serving as Chair of the Faculty of Stringed Instruments at Pacific Lutheran University and Concertmaster of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. As soloist, he has appeared with various orchestras, including the Charlottesville Symphony, the Prague Radio Symphony and Orchestra Seattle and has served as Concertmaster for several orchestras around the country, including the Charlottesville Symphony, the San Jose Symphony, and the Tacoma Opera.  Dr. Rønning has an extensive experience in chamber music, having founded the Rivanna String Quartet at the University of Virginia and currently serving as violinist with the Regency String Quartet at PLU. His performances at Second City number over a dozen. Dr. Rønning graduated from Pacific Lutheran University where he was mentored by violinist Ann Tremaine and SCCS Artistic Director Emeritus Jerry Kracht, and has worked with a number of other distinguished teachers including Syoko Aki, Sidney Harth, Jaap Schröder and members of the Tokyo String Quartet. He is a former faculty member of the University of Virginia and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University. This is Svend Rønning's fourht year as Artistic Director of the Second City Chamber Series.

JERRY KRACHT, Artistic Director Emeritus, served as Second City Chamber Series artistic director for twenty-five years--from 1982 to 2007--and as frequent clarinetist on the Series from it inception in 1977 through the close of the 2006-2007 season. During that time he oversaw the programming and production of nearly 150 concerts, performing on some 80 of them himself.

Under his leadership, Series offerings were more than doubled over the years, with venues added at Lakewold Gardens and First Lutheran Church in addition to the original Annie Wright School--all of which are still home to the Series.  He also led the Series to awards for artistic excellence by both the Tacoma Arts Commission and the Pierce County Arts Commission and established an educational adjunct for young musicians, the Young Chamber Players.

Dr. Kracht taught clarinet and conducted the University Symphony Orchestra at Pacific Lutheran University for over thirty years.  He is now emeritus professor of music there, where he was also a founding member of the Camas Wind Quintet and the Regency Concert Series.  In addition to his many performances in the Northwest--both for Second City Chamber Series and Pacific Lutheran University--he has performed in Canada, Japan, The Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong, Australia, Norway and Germany.  He begins his new advisory role as artistic director emeritus at Second City Chamber Series in 2007. 

  Back to top

Artist Biographies
Artist biographies for the 2011-2012 season will be posted soon!

  Back to top

home | current season | directors & artists | masterpiece series | concerts in the garden | spotlight concerts
 young chamber players | special event | tickets | venues & directions | support sccs | gift shop | art & archives | contact us