If you looked around Houston 60 years ago, you would have seen an emerging metropolis. The Astrodome broke ground in 1963. Interstate 610, which would fuel the region’s sprawling growth, wouldn’t be finished for another four years. Skyscrapers were sprouting up downtown.

But when it came to the arts, Houston already had a long tradition, with the Houston Symphony and the Museum of Fine Arts having been founded decades earlier. Then in 1964, a group of amateur musicians formed what would become the region’s oldest community orchestra, the Houston Civic Symphony.

Sixty years later, the Houston Civic Symphony is still going strong.

Last spring, for example, 96 musicians took the stage for a concert that included The Planets by Gustav Holst. That number didn’t include the chorus, said Brian Runnels, the symphony’s music director.

The Houston Civic Symphony’s strength is a testament to its leadership, which holds to a mission of providing a musical outlet for both the musicians and the community.

Runnels is a long-time presence with the Houston Civic Symphony, having taken the position 2006. But his roots go back much further, to 1979, when he was an apprentice conductor before pursuing his teaching and conducting career throughout the Midwest.

His strength, orchestra members say, is in understanding the needs and interests of the orchestra’s membership.

“Brian has the perfect personality for a bunch of adults who love to play music,” Thomas said. “He’s very knowledgeable but also can handle the rehearsals.”

“Indeed, it’s a balancing act,” Runnels said.

“With a group like this, people are coming from all walks of life,” he said. “I recognize that they’ve been working hard all day long, and they come ready to work hard, but they don’t need somebody bustin’ on them all the time.”

This doesn’t mean the orchestra has a light schedule. It stages six concerts a year, and rehearsals are Mondays from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Each concert has seven or eight rehearsals.

A diverse group

Most members find the orchestra through the website, where they apply and are later asked to audition.

Matt Chan, a violinist and a Houston native, is one of those members. He works as a music teacher at a local school but wanted another musical outlet.

“I looked at a couple, and the Houston Civic Symphony was the one that aligned with what I wanted the most,” he said.

“They play real repertoire,” he added. “We get a lot of fulfillment in the standard repertoire. Everyone is in it to enrich themselves.”

Runnels said that the orchestra sticks largely to the standards, though he added that members are open to newer works.

Chan, who is on the orchestra’s board, is among the orchestra’s diverse group of musicians, who range from Gen Z players in their 20s to baby boomers in their 70s. The range in age is accompanied by a similar diversity in professions.

“Last year, we lost one of our founding members, who was still playing at almost 90 years old,” said Al Thomas, the orchestra’s president.

“He was a petroleum engineer. A woman who played the French horn until recently is in her 80s. She‘s a CPA.”

Musicians represent an array of industries, from energy to finance to law to technology.

“Our concertmaster is in software,” Thomas said. The principal bassist is a partner in a big law firm.

A lean operation

One reason for the orchestra’s longevity is its lean operation. Nobody is paid other than honorariums given to the concertmaster, the librarian and the music director.

“But that’s pretty minimal stuff,” Thomas said. “Our financial needs are not great.”

The annual budget is under $25,000, he said.

“We have no dues,” he added. “We do it all with donations from members and audience members and a few companies here and there. For our level, it works.”

Thomas, a lawyer by profession, became involved with the orchestra as assistant treasurer in 2003, shortly after his wife, Dea Larson, joined as a violinist.

He never played in the orchestra, preferring to serve in an administrative role. “I enjoy the music and enjoy being around it,” he said.

But he has been a consistent presence, lending his professional experience and helping keep the group strong.

The Houston region, to be sure, has other community orchestras. The Texas Medical Center Orchestra, for example, has won national awards and draws many of its players from the medical community.

But the Houston Civic Symphony shows how a community orchestra can thrive for 60 years with strong leadership, dedicated musicians and a clear vision of serving the community.

Other stories in Bob Goetz’ Featured Orchestra series:

An orchestra that lives up to the ideals of the United Nations

Connecting the generations through music