SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT CIRCUMSTANCES have been good to Jon P. Mosbo, who – following an extensive 2014 talent search – accepted his post as executive director of the Reading Symphony Orchestra, moved to new digs in the city and started his job the next day. Born in the Midwest but raised in small-town Cortland, NY, Mosbo is a member of a talented, music-loving family that encouraged his interest in viola and his choice to study philosophy rather than music or mathematics (math is the family business).
Q: You’ve lived and worked in many places – like New York City, Savannah, Syracuse, Binghamton – how do we measure up, musically and otherwise?
I love that it is a musically rich place. Look at the number of musical groups here, from the RSO to the Reading Pops, the Ringgold Band, the Berks Sinfonietta, Jazz Fest and more. I believe music is a participatory sport, and in that sense Berks is wonderfully all-in. As a newer resident I also see the beauty here. For instance, the architecture in the city is like a mini San Francisco – the stained glass and woodwork, even the hills. I’ve seen cities transform with the arts as a big part of it, and I can see a new glory here.
Q: Did you know that about this area before arriving?
I did. I’ve been lucky to have great friends who’ve helped me get here. [RSO music director Andrew] Constantine knew me from before and I’m so fortunate to work with him. He is really, really good at his work. A symphony has a responsibility to people to create a cultural experience. By its communal nature, it’s a social gathering to share music in a way that isn’t possible when listening alone. It tightens bonds and celebrates human achievement. Mozart, Mahler, Beethoven, and Dvorak all exemplify this. Of course the community has to reciprocate by participation, which has been terrific, yet I hope to see it grow even more.
Q: You started as a musician; how did you go into orchestra management?
I guess you could say I follow teachers. My parents are both math professors. My brother and I played viola and piano, then he became a math professor too. I studied philosophy and was encouraged by good teachers to go to New York City to study viola. I did and formed a quartet which later disbanded and one of those friends — another instructor — recommended me as music librarian for the Savannah Symphony Orchestra in Georgia. I signed the contract there on Sept. 11, 2001, and couldn’t fly out because of what happened that day. The following year, he left, and I took the role of director of operations, and that’s when the lights went on for me; I knew I wanted to chart the course for a symphony.
Q: Do you still play?
I play for fun, but it’s hard because I don’t have time for much practice. However, playing is also work that I love. I’ve been asked to play with the Berks Sinfonietta, which is exciting, and I’m an occasional guest player with my old Syracuse Symphony friends.
Q: Aside from music, what other forms of play do you enjoy?
I’m not good at it, but I like golf. Also concerts and restaurants, of course. And riding my bicycle – in fact, last summer some friends and I rode the Schuylkill River Trail from Valley Forge National Park to the Philadelphia Art Museum. I think it was 45 miles round trip, and we took photos posing in front of the Rocky statue. It was a little tough, but a lot of fun.
by Michelle E. Biggerstaff | photo by John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
