The McLean Symphony welcomes you to a Tribute to Dingwall Fleary.
During the summer of 1970, the directors of McLean’s Academy of Musical Arts, June and Robert (“Bob”) Trayhern, sought out Dingwall Fleary to organize an amateur, grass-roots orchestra in the McLean Community. He was chosen because of his orchestra-building skills. They wanted to provide an opportunity for talented, non-professional instrumentalists – which included teachers from the school’s faculty – to play in an organized ensemble capable of accompanying concertos. They also sought to provide the growing number of the academy’s young music students the experience of playing with a live orchestra.
The success of the mission far exceeded the expectation and vision of its founders, and within three years the project could no longer be supported by just those families involved with the academy. It was destined to become one of the first community orchestras in Northern Virginia made up solely of amateur musicians.
Among its earliest and most enthusiastic supporters was Washington Post editor and long-time McLean resident, Robert Ames Alden, and his wife, Diane. In the spring of 1971, they, along with news correspondent, Roger Mudd, his wife, E.J., and an impressive list of McLean luminaries, many of whom were politically and/or socially connected, came together to establish the orchestra’s first Board of Directors. The rest is history.
Since its years as the McLean Chamber Orchestra, the McLean Symphony has grown from the original 18–25 musicians to nearly 60. The expansion of the orchestra has led to broader and more diverse symphonic repertoire, and an opportunity to feature up-and-coming as well as established solo artists based primarily in the metropolitan Washington area. In addition to its local concerts, the orchestra has been invited to play on the stages of Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts, The John F. Kennedy Center, and Strathmore Hall.
