Licking County has a long and rich history of symphonic music. The very first orchestra, the Licking County Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1939 by Dr. John Fleek Miller, a visionary patron of the arts. The orchestra performed at Swasey Chapel on the Denison University Campus. From 1939 to 1960 Maestro Sam Gelfer led the orchestra. After Gelfer's 21 year tenure, conductor Frank Bellino assumed the leadership. Frank was a classically trained musician with a rich background of performing with the finest orchestras of Europe including as principal violist with the La Scala orchestra in Italy. He led the Licking County Symphony Orchestra until 1992, when the orchestra changed names to become the Welsh Hills Symphony Orchestra, conducted by William Boggs.
A second orchestra, the Land of Legend Philharmonic, was formed in 1990 with a mission to present free children's concerts to the Licking County Community, with performances at the OSU Newark Campus and area schools. The conductor of that orchestra was William Baker. Both orchestras merged in 2005 to form the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Timothy Weiss (2006-2013). OSU professor Dr. Russel C. Mikkelson is now the orchestra's Music Director. The NGSO has two student orchestras, the Newark-Granville Youth Symphony under the music direction of Susan Larson and the Newark-Granville Chamber Strings under the music direction of Jordan Koogler. The orchestra also furthers its mission of music education through The Overture Project, a program offering music lessons and instruments for students in need.
