Pacific Names Concertmaster

The Pacific Symphony has named Raymond Kobler its new concertmaster, effective today. He succeeds Kevin Connolly, who resigned in October after only one season.

Kobler, 53, has served as guest concertmaster for most of the Pacific’s concerts since February. He was concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony from 1980 to 1998 and associate concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1974 to ’80.

Since 1991, Kobler has been concertmaster of the Sun Valley Symphony in Idaho. In 1995, he was appointed concertmaster of the World Orchestra for Peace, created by Georg Solti for the 50th anniversary festivities of the United Nations in Geneva. This orchestra is scheduled to play in London in September 2000, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of its founding.

Kobler is the Pacific’s fourth concertmaster. Endre Granat held the post from the orchestra’s founding in 1979 until 1993, when he was succeeded by Sheryl Staples. Staples left in 1996 to become associate concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra (and, subsequently, principal associate concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic).

Kobler has a two-year contract with the Santa Ana-based orchestra.