Bringing Classical Music to the Region
The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes is the region’s only year-round, professional symphonic orchestra, offering full orchestra concerts, chamber music performances, a youth orchestra, a community chorus, and educational programs. Led by world-renowned conductor, Toshiyuki Shimada.
Vision Statement
Corning-Elmira Musical Arts, Inc. is an integral part of the communities we serve and it is indispensable for its contribution to the pride, confidence, image, hope and success of those communities.
Mission Statement
Corning-Elmira Musical Arts, Inc. will consistently present the highest level of classical music to inspire appreciation and provide musical education through the performances of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes, the Youth Orchestra, the Junior String Ensemble, and the Chamber Music Ensembles.
Values Statement
Corning-Elmira Musical Arts, Inc. provides all people of our region with opportunities to understand, share, and enjoy high-quality, live, classical music. We collaborate with other cultural partners, artists, and like-minded organizations to advance our mutual artistic growth.
We strive to demonstrate artistic excellence in all that we do.
History of the OSFL
The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes (OSFL) has been thrilling audiences throughout the Twin Tiers since 1995. The OSFL was created with the merger of two cherished orchestras: the Corning Philharmonic Society and the Elmira Symphony and Choral Society, with the mission of providing live classical music to the region. Since its first season in 1995-1996, the OSFL has been committed to the performance of masterworks of the orchestra repertoire, as well as to performances of works by living composers.
The OSFL is organized under the auspices of Corning-Elmira Musical Arts, Inc. (CEMA), a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization which was created at the merger to oversee the activities of the OSFL, the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes, the Youth Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, the Junior String Ensemble, and the Doreen B. Hertzog Concerto/Aria Competition.
Marietta Cheng, professor of music at Colgate University served as the music director from 1995 to 2008. Cheng has been an advocate for opening conducting opportunities for women. She was featured in a story about women conductors for a story on CNN, has written many articles about women in music and contributed to the opinion page of The New York Times.
In 2009, Cheng handed the baton over to the Toshiyuki Shimada of Yale University. Shimada’s sparkling personality and musicianship have won the hearts of the OSFL audience. Shimada served as music director of the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra for 20 years and exhibits a love community in his work with the OSFL: featuring soloists with ties to the orchestra and the region at many performances, taking a delight in attending local events, and even taking time to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and participating in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Learn more about Toshi here.
The OSFL has been devoted to working with young people, maintaining programs created by its parent organizations. The Youth Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, originally established by the Corning Philharmonic, and the Annual Doreen B. Hertzog Concerto/Aria Competition, a project of the Elmira Symphony, both provide aspiring area music students the opportunity to perform orchestral works in concert. The OSFL has expanded its education programming with the addition of the Junior String Ensemble which gives younger string students a chance to play together and hone their skills before joining the Youth Orchestra.
