Our Henderson Symphony Orchestra

We attended The Henderson Symphony Orchestra's final Master Series concert of this 21st Anniversary Season featuring Gustav Mahler's powerful 'TITAN' Symphony No.1 in D Major. Under the baton of Music Director and Conductor, Taras Krysa, the Henderson Symphony Orchestra shared Mahler's musical journey in four distinct movements from the birdsongs of nature to the wayfarer's tune of the fields then through a foot-stomping dance scherzo and a sad funeral march followed by a thunderous flash of lighting from a dark cloud. The ending was truly a victorious and jubilant musical conclusion.

In January 2007, the Henderson Symphony Orchestra welcomed Taras Krysa as its new conductor and music director when conductor Peter Aaronson unexpectedly announced he would need to resign and relocate to the east coast. In addition to his appointment as Music Director and Conductor of the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, Taras Krysa is currently the Director of Orchestras at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

A recent addition to the Las Vegas / Henderson cultural scene, Taras has proven himself to be a consummate conductor and exquisite violinist who adapts quickly to change, rising to the occasion and making the most of spontaneous musical opportunities. Mr. Krysa has had several tests of his flexibility since moving here in 2006 from his home in Kiev, Ukraine. Last summer, he quickly moved to the United States, where he had previously completed years of music studies at Indiana University and Northwestern University, and stepped in at the last minute to become UNLV's orchestra conductor following the resignation of the previous conductor. He has also stepped into the violin section at the Las Vegas Philharmonic when needed. Now, Mr. Krysa has ‘stepped in’ to one of the valley's most long-standing orchestras - the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, currently in its twenty-first season.