By Chris Barber
Contributing Writer

The Kennett Symphony Orchestra, founded by a group of local music lovers in 1941, just received a new name.

Board President Tim Blair announced at the concert on June 26 the name has been changed to the Brandywine Valley Symphony.

Blair spoke to the audience in the Unionville High School auditorium, explaining that the orchestra had grown in both expertise and support in recent years, and that it’s clear the latest popularity and esteem had to be recognized.  

“We are all very excited about this. It will be the same orchestra and the same wonderful musicians. …It is a new way for a new day,” he said.

As he spoke he held up a new logo that showed the “B” in Brandywine appeared as a half-vertical cutout of a stringed instrument.

Blair said the support and attention through the years had extended far beyond the original name of “Kennett.”

He said attendance at the concerts had been attracting increased audiences from as far away as New Jersey, Maryland and beyond.

“It has actually been a Brandywine group for decades,” he said.

In a statement in the evening’s written program, Blair is quoted as saying the orchestra remans rooted in Kennett Square – “with our home office and cultural partnership with the Kennett Library.”

In the early years, the orchestra, performed at the Kennett High School auditorium or other local locations, including the Unionville High School auditorium.

In fact, the concert of June 26, which was scheduled to be held at Longwood Gardens “under the stars” was moved inside because of inclement weather.

In other symphony news:

In a surprise announcement last Dec. 3, Blair told the concert audience the orchestra had been invited to play at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 18, 2025. In order to help defray frequent expenses, the symphony offered a raffle at that time with several orchestra-related prizes.  At last week’s concert, Blair announced the four winners: C. Dargitz, Norman Christ, Alex Polidoro and Paul Larson.

First Prize Winner C. Dargitz will receive an overnight stay in New York City, two tickets to the Carnegie Hall concert, and dinner for two at Trattoria Dell’Arte, an Italian restaurant across the street from the hall.

Christ, earning second prize, will receive a tour of the Steinway piano factory in Astoria, Queens, followed by a tour of the establishment that sells them in Manhattan at 43rd and 6th streets.

Polidoro, earning third place, will dinner for two with Kennett Symphony Conductor Michael Hall, followed by an instrumental recital by Hall.

Larson, earning a fourth prize, will receive $500 and a ride in a 1923 Franklin automobile owned by Dave Ventura.

Hall, who has offered a recital for the third-place winner, competed his 10th year as conductor at Kennett Symphony and has been popularly received by his audience. He is also in his seventh year as music director of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia, Canada.

The Kennett Symphony was founded in 1941 by Kennett Square general practitioner Dr. Duer Reynolds and musician Ray Ott. They decided to form a musical group and performed the first concert in 1942. Reynolds was the president and Ott was the conductor.

According to a historical report in the Kennett Square history book, “Kennett Square, Yesterday and Today,” Ott was honored at the opening for the 40th anniversary of the symphony.

Proceeds from those early concerts were given for music scholarships to students at the local schools.

The Kennett Symphony had its roots with local residents who served in other professions but played music as an interest or hobby.

In the early years, late symphony members included Unionville High School Principal Wilber Reese, Unionville music teacher and composer Karl Forssmark, Kennett Square physician Dr. Robert McKinstry and Kennett Square barber John Dettori, among many others.

In the years since the founding, the orchestra has become totally professional and the audiences, and the leadership as well as concerts have extended far beyond the original borough of Kennett Square.

Currently, a vast majority of the board members live outside the Kennett Square area, according to the list published online.

Additionally, of the seven concerts and abbreviated events scheduled for the coming season, one is in Malvern, one is in West Chester, one is in Longwood Gardens, and one is in Mendenhall. The orchestra’s varied quintets will perform at West Chester, Winterthur (Wilmington) and the Kennett Square Library.