When Steven Karidoyanes drove to Plymouth for the first time in the early 1990s as a candidate for music director of the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, he remembers cresting the rise on Samoset Street and catching his first glimpse of the ocean.
“My lungs filled up with air,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘I have to have this job.'”
More than three decades later, Karidoyanes isn’t ready to leave.
The Plymouth Philharmonic has announced a new 5-year contract for its longtime music director and conductor, extending his tenure through June 2031 and ensuring one of the South Shore’s most recognizable cultural leaders will remain on the podium through at least his 37th season.
Approved by the orchestra’s board of directors, the contract began July 1. As he does every year, Karidoyanes conducted the Plymouth Philharmonic on the fourth of July – another spectacular show for the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth.
He is never a reluctant to describe his love for what he does, and the Philharmonic’s board and leadership are thrilled to have him continue.
“This new contract emphatically acknowledges the importance of Steven’s leadership and commitment to the Phil,” Board Chair Phil Hildebrandt said in announcing the agreement.
The upcoming season will mark the Philharmonic’s 111th and Karidoyanes’ 33rd season leading the orchestra, a tenure spanning much of the organization’s modern history.
“Beginning a 33rd season with one organization is a remarkable milestone,” said Kara E. McEachern, Executive Director. “Having worked alongside Steven for nearly nine years, I’ve seen firsthand his unwavering commitment to the Phil, our musicians, and the community we serve. I’m grateful we’ll continue working together for another five years as we continue building on the Phil’s legacy and looking toward the future.”
A Boston native, Karidoyanes has built an international career as a conductor and composer while making Plymouth the center of his musical life. In addition to leading the Phil, he is music director of the New England Conservatory Youth Symphony, has served as an understudy conductor for the Boston Pops since 2008, and made his Boston Pops conducting debut at Symphony Hall in 2016.
His guest conducting engagements have taken him throughout the U.S. and Europe, and his own compositions have been performed by orchestras from Pittsburgh to Australia. He has also served on the conducting faculties of both the New England Conservatory and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
Yet Karidoyanes has left perhaps his most lasting mark in Plymouth.
When he arrived in 1994, the orchestra presented just three subscription concerts and a single benefit performance each year. Today, the Philharmonic offers a year-round season of classical masterworks, pops concerts, holiday performances, family programming, educational initiatives and community collaborations now part of the cultural fabric of the South Shore.
This season alone illustrates its growth. The orchestra opens Sept. 19 with a program pairing Rossini, Borodin and Sarasate with internationally acclaimed violinist Irina Muresanu, while also presenting the world premiere of Elena Roussanova’s Festival Celebration Music for orchestra.
Later in the fall comes the Philharmonic’s popular holiday celebration, now expanded to four performances to meet demand. Throughout the season, accomplished guest artists and award-winning musicians regularly travel to Plymouth, giving local audiences performances typically associated with much larger metropolitan orchestras.
“My goal became that I wanted the Plymouth Philharmonic to be my career job,” Karidoyanes said. “I wanted to see how far I could take it in the time I had with it.”
He credits much of the success to the orchestra’s musicians, who travel from across New England to perform in Plymouth.
“Our orchestra is the envy of a lot of orchestras,” he said. “Many major cities in this country wish they had an orchestra as strong as ours.”
Yet it takes a conductor to shape something inspiring enough to lure musicians. And Karidoyanes shapes the future – not just of the orchestra but in synch with the changing nature of the town. It was his first intention to make this job his career.
Despite his national and international résumé, he speaks most passionately about Plymouth.
“Plymouth has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, especially in the arts,” he said. “We’re grateful to have been part of that growth.”
He is also grateful for the patrons who keep the doors open. The conductor describes the Philharmonic’s audience as unusually loyal. While many orchestras find listeners drawn primarily to either classical or pops programming, he said, Plymouth audiences often support the entire season.
“We have audience members who come just because it’s us,” he said. “They love everything we do.”
Like many nonprofit arts organizations, the Philharmonic relies heavily on philanthropy. Ticket sales cover only a portion of operating costs.
“Ticket revenue only gets us to intermission,” he said. “The rest has to come through fundraising.”
If anyone wondered whether Karidoyanes is having as much fun as his audiences, they got their answer during the Philharmonic’s June 28 It’s Tropical Rock concert.
He traded his baton for a microphone, joining guest vocalists Scott Coulter, Travis Birch, Shaleah Adkisson, Chris Blem, and pianist John Boswell for one of the afternoon’s crowd favorites. The audience roared its approval—and discovered the longtime conductor can sing too.
For now, his focus remains firmly on the future. Programming discussions already extend nearly two years ahead. He is involved in every single minute, from the planning to the rehearsals to the performance. Patrons see his energy watching him conduct.
At the same time, Karidoyanes said he is mindful of the importance of eventually making way for the next generation.
“I’ve seen what happens when conductors stay a year or two too long,” he said. “I pray I have the courage and clarity to step down a year or two early.”
For now, the conductor is preparing for another five years.
“My pillow might be in Boston,” he said, “but my heart’s in Plymouth.”