After a two-year search, the South Orange Symphony has appointed Susan Haig as its new conductor. Haig replaces long-time conductor and music director Robert Helmacy, who is still active as a guest musician in the orchestra, according to a release.
Haig has served as music director of the Windsor (Canada) and South Dakota Symphony Orchestras, associate conductor of the Florida Orchestra in Tampa-St. Petersburg, and assistant conductor and coach with the New York City, Santa Fe Opera, and Canadian Opera Companies. She also is creative director and founder of NJ Arts News, a nonprofit news site focused on short-form, humanities and civics-based videos.
Born and raised in Summit, NJ, Haig graduated from Princeton University and received Master’s and Doctoral degrees in piano and conducting from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is a trustee of the National Music Museum, a board member of the Summit-New Providence Rotary, and a member of IWF (International Women’s Forum) – NJ. An elder at Central Presbyterian Church and a member of the Summit Area GreenFaith Circle, she serves on the Steering Committee of Creative NJ, a nonprofit initiative fostering vibrant growth through cross-sector collaboration.
The South Orange Symphony will present a concert on November 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Sterling Hall at South Orange Middle School, 70 North Ridgewood Road, South Orange. The concert, which is free of charge, will feature the music of Strauss, Glazunov, Schumann, and Dvorak. A reception to follow will offer audience members the chance to meet Haig.
