PCO Founder Wayne Reinecke

Founder Wayne Reinecke

A TRIBUTE TO our founder

Wayne Reinecke started his musical career in 1950 when he began studying violin with Ruth Haroldson, the Rio Hondo Symphony’s founder and first conductor. He received his A.B. degree at Whittier College, a Master of Arts degree at California State University at Long Beach.

Reinecke was assistant professor of music at Pasadena City College when he founded the Pasadena Community Orchestra in 1983 and became its first Music Director and conductor. He served the community as a music educator in California schools from grades one through junior college for thirty years prior to leading the PCO, including eleven years as orchestra director at Arcadia High School. The PCO performed at the Methodist Church of Pasadena from 1983 to 1988 before moving to the (Pasadena) Church of the Nazarene. Reinecke explained, “It offers new opportunities, plus it presents the orchestra in a more attractive format with favorable lighting and acoustics.” He retired from the Music Department at Pasadena City College in 1995, ending his term of eighteen years at that institution.

In addition to leading the PCO, Wayne was appointed conductor and music director of the Rio Honda orchestra by the symphony association board July 1, 1988. Reinecke was the Rio Hondo Symphony’s fifth conductor in 56 years. He succeeded Hans Lampl, who resigned at the end of the 1987-88 season after 12 years with the orchestra.

Various agencies and groups have recognized him throughout his career. In 1970 he receive the Outstanding Young Educator Award from the Arcadia Jaycees. More recently the Pasadena Arts Council recognized him when he was given a Gold Crown Award for contributions to music in the community. He also holds honorary life memberships in the PTA and the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association. Reinecke plays violin and clarinet and has played in a number of Community Orchestras in Southern California including Riverside, Long Beach, Inland and Rio Hondo symphonies and served as Assistant Conductor of the San Gabriel Valley Symphony for nine years. He remains active in chamber music and maintains contact with the educational field.

After twenty-five years at the helm of the PCO, Reinecke retired from the podium at the conclusion of the 2007-2008 season. Reinecke’s wife, Susanne, was principal viola in the PCO and also retired in 2008. For Reinecke, retirement will bring a chance to do some of the things that haven’t been possible while running two orchestras. Explains Reinecke, “there are always things have to be done week in and week out. Now, we’re looking forward to seeing fall colors in the Northeast and we’re going to take a train trip across Canada to get there.”

PCO 1977 photo

Founder Wayne Reinecke Conducting

NEWS CLIPS

Founder Wayne Reneicke at the 17th Annual Bach Festival

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Founder Wayne Reneicke to Conduct Valley Symphony Group, 1969

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Founder Wayne Reneicke Ends Season, April 20, 1969

Founder Wayne Reneicke Begins New Season, January 26, 1990

“Music Soothing to the Wallet”, March 12, 2002, Pasadena Start News

Founder Wayne Reinecke Receives Outstanding Young Educator Award, May 2, 1970

“Wayne Reinecke; 70 Top Teacher”, Arcadia Tribune, May 9, 1970

Founder Wayne Reinecke with Chancel Choir

Founder Wayne Reinecke Accepting Council Honors for Arts Contribution

Testimonials

“Although I first played under your direction in 1970, it was my joining the orchestra at the college in 1981 that really shaped my musical career. That first year when I was your 5th horn I had the wonderful opportunity of playing from every chair. Then in 1983 when the college cut the orchestra I was happy to play a part in saving it by joining your community group. The range of music that we played, the level of musicianship you coaxed from the orchestra, the respect you gave your musicians and your well planned rehearsals are the standards against which I compare all other ensembles. The opportunity you gave me to solo with the orchestra in 1989 was what really set my career into motion. While there, I also enjoyed the camaraderie of the occasional summertime musical soirees at members’ homes, the PCO Horn Quartet – 1 and doing those TV commercials. But my fondest memories are not of my solo (nerve wracking, for both of us I think!) but of our guest artists, especially marimba soloist Evangeline Estrada in Hovahaness’ “Fantasy on Japanese Wood Prints” and pianist Laraine Stivers in Mendelssohn’s 1st Piano Concerto, as well as that amazing Firebird Suite in 1987. Those Performances will always be very special to me. So thanks for all the wonderful things you have done for and with the orchestra and its musicians. A glass of Molsone Golden will be raised in your honor! (How much did we make for doing that commercial anyway?).”
Kim Rodriguez
CCSO/PCIO
1981-1996

“Dear Wayne and Sue, it’s hard to believe that over 40 years have passed since I first met you. Wayne, I still can vividly remember being introduced to you in the assembly room at music camp, as you stood at a large table, putting together our folders for the week. Little did I realize at the time the number of happy years that were ahead of me. I’ve played under a number of conductors, but none has held a candle to you. Sue, I am very grateful for all these years you’ve quietly and patiently led our section; I have always been in awe of your ability, and loved hearing your solos. (Wish there had been more.) But more important, I have appreciated the kind of people you both are and have valued your friendship you have been a very positive influence in my life, I’m quite sure more than you realize. It’s going to be very hard for me not seeing you on Wednesday nights. I am very happy that Alan will be on the podium for a lot of reasons(!), among them that you ill hopefully still be involved with the orchestra in some capacity. With much love and gratitude.”
Paige

“Thank you for putting up with me all of these years! I’m sure you have no idea how much of a difference you and your wonderfully talented family and PCO have made in my life. All my best to you and deepest gratitude for your gifts of music and support.”
Aubree Cedillo

“Dear Wayne, I have been a member of this orchestra for more than 3 years and have loved moment of collaborating with people who love music. Thank you for leading and sharing your passion of music with us.”
Se Sun Park

“Dear Wayne I have enjoyed working with you. Thank you for your passion and inspiration through music for us all.”
Elizabeth Moon

“Dear Wayne, I owe you a lot for having the faith in me to ask me to join PCO in 1985 when I had only just started playing bassoon again after a 20 year layoff. I had played in three orchestras in Chicago during my time at Northwestern, but since joining the Army in 1962, I had played only clarinet and sax. You might no remember, but I had just finished restoring my bassoon with my teacher, John Campbell, and had played the Messiah up at Idyllwild that Christmas. That as the first thing I had played in those 20 years. You took a big chance and I will always be indebted to you for that. You again showed a great amount of faith in me by letting me play the Weber Concerto on a concert. When you said, “bravo” after I finished, that was all the praise I needed. You were satisfied.

The night in 1985 when you called me to ask if I would like to join the group permanently after substituting at the previous concert, I had just come in from doing the initial test drive on Ken’s 1964 Mini after he and I had done a complete restoration on it. When you asked me to stay with the orchestra longer term, it became truly one of the most significant nights in my life. My music had always been important to me but on the way home after playing the concert in which I was a substitute, I had no expectation of ever playing in a group like that again. You changed all that and I will be forever grateful.

Since I mentioned Ken, I want to also relate another time that was particularly important in my years of knowing and working with you. He was trying out for the All State Honor Band program, where he eventually played in every year that he was eligible. His situation was unusual in that he had no formal music program at his junior high school so there was no band director to sign the forms. I called you, knowing that your program at Santa Monica was heavily involved in the state honor program and you gave me invaluable advice about some of the issues. You may remember that he was interested in trying out on both bass clarinet and baritone sax, which he did and made it in that year on both. Then later in his career, while at UCL:A, he won the Rio Hondo Young Artist audition and played with the orchestra under you. I was fortunate to be called to play on that concert, so got to see you and he work together in preparing the Krauss concerto. That was very exciting.

In closing let me say that I have been inspired by you over these years and learned much about orchestral playing. In particular, it has been enjoyable being part of an orchestra that is truly a family. I have never played in any other group of this type that had such a cohesive nature and I have always felt that was primarily because of your manner in working with us and your caring attitude. Thanks again for a great 20 year experience and I wish you all the luck in the world in your future endeavors.”
Don Fisher

“Wayne, I consider it a privilege to have played in PCO under your direction for nearly 20 years! You are an outstanding person and musician and I have learned a lot from you over the years. Through P/cO we have had the good fortune of playing some of the world’s greatest music and I thank you for giving us that opportunity. It is indeed a pleasure knowing and working with you and Sue. I’m glad the baton is staying in the family! Best wishes.”
Karen Moore

“Wayne, thank you for welcoming me into the orchestra. I felt honored to be invited to sit where Gene Hessel last sat but recognized that my present level of playing placed me further back in the 2nd violin section. You have great patience with us and encourage us all to a higher level of performance. I appreciate the deep respect that the veteran members have for you. You will be greatly missed.”
Norm Thomas

“Wayne, it has been such a joy to play the music I love for so many years with you as our director. I am going to miss having you as our director. Thank you for the opportunity to play so much beautiful music.”
Linda Boyd

“Wayne, thanks for allowing me to play in the orchestra. I learned more about string playing just by watching you & listening to you work with the string sections than I ever learned in my college method classes. This helped me greatly in teaching my own string players at the high school. Thank you and enjoy retirement.”
Larry Covellone

“My best memories of high school surrounded my experiences in Mr. Reinecke’s class Orchestra. I first met him in 1973. He had a well deserved reputation of being the excellent conductor of the Arcadia High School Orchestra, and as a cello playing sophmore, I was honored to join this group. He also participated in organizing and conducting the smaller pit orchestras for the HS musicals, which in my senior year was Mame.

Mr. Reinecke’s approach was a good balance of pushing his students to improve and acceptance of our personal and musical limitations. He was ALWAYS respectful of us, and in turn, we greatly respected him. He was universally liked as a teacher and as a person…which was not the case for all members of the AHS teaching staff. I appreciated that he seldom lost his temper, despite the fact that we undoubtedly frustrated him at times. I had had other teachers who would rant and yell when students didn’t perform or behave correctly, but Mr. R never chose that option, instead using humor or the other ways to teach and guide us.

He often chose musical pieces that were a little beyond what we thought we were capable of, and challenged us to rise to the occasion. We practiced at home, because it mattered to us what he thought of us, and we wanted to make the music sound musical and beautiful, and he hung in there with us until that result was realized.

Mr. Reinecke, thank you for the amazing example of teaching with patience, honor and respectfulness, as we joined you in realizing a goal of bringing joyful, beautiful music into our community. I think the reason Orchestra was my favorite place to be in high school is largely because of your leadership-your expectations and standards, and your way of bringing excellence out of even those of us with modest talents.

I have kept in touch with your continued accomplishments through reports my parents (Jack and MA Stumpf) give me. After high school I attended UC Davis, got married here, and have continued to live and raise our kids in this town. My daughter just graduated from UCSD, an d my son is about ready to graduate from high school, warm regards.”
Margo Stumpf Wilcox