Our History
It started with a dream…
Dr. Marion Clark had played in and conducted pit orchestras for several musicals in Longview but wanted
to do more and have a different challenge. His dream was to start a symphony orchestra and in the
summer of 1966 he shared that dream with Irv Gattiker.
And to that dream was added talent…
Irv Gattiker was already an accomplished conductor, starting the RA Long orchestra in 1945. He and Dr.
Clark drew up a list of players they knew would be able to play in the symphony. He met with a five-man
symphony board consisting of violinists Bill Watson and Janet Freiberg, Dr. Clark, trumpeter Bob Warren
and bassoonist Dick Wollenberg. Auditions were held, members selected and rehearsal began.
And from that talent a symphony was born…
60-plus members took their places at the R. A. Long Auditorium on April 25, 1967 as the Southwest Washington Civic Symphony. They performed
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with soloist Bela Siki, Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus and Moussorsky’s Great Gate of Kiev before an audience of 1000.
When Siki finished the Beethoven, the audience erupted, but instead of thanking them first, he congratulated Gattiker, the orchestra and then the
audience. The adventure had begun.
And it grew to include…
The success of the April concert cemented the resolve to have a symphony and plans were already underway for the 1967-68 season. The three concert
series would include a purely orchestral one in November, with a guest artist in February, and, after auditions in January and February of high school and
college students, the April concert would include a young artist performing with the symphony.
And grows to this day…
Irv Gattiker and Dr. Clark are now gone, but their dream still lives on. It has taken countless hours of practice, many musicians, different venues, fund
raising and commitment. With the addition of a Christmas benefit concert, there are now 4 concerts a year. The Young Artist concerts continue to this
day and some of those players have joined our Symphony. From Irv Gattiker’s years as conductor (1967-1973) to George Simonsen (1973-2003), to Ryan
Heller (2003-2013) and currently Robert Davis, (2013-present) leadership has changed but the outcome is the same – volunteers giving of their time and
talent to express their love of music and share it with the community.
From the November 14, 1966 Daily News, Irv Gattiker stressed three aspects of the new orchestra – its professional nature, its intention to play popular
works, and the low admission prices. “It is our aim to attract families to the concerts,” Gattiker said. “We would rather have 800 people and make $400
than have 400 people and make $800.”
In keeping with Gattiker’s vision, and to encourage concert attendance, we are offering free admission to all concerts in this, our 58th season.
Dr. Rob Davis
Rob Davis has been the conductor and music director of the Southwest Washington Symphony
since 2013.
In addition to these duties, he is a music faculty member at Lower Columbia College where he
oversees the performing arts department, directs the instrumental music program, teaches
music theory, and conducts the LCC Symphonic Band. Rob has conducted orchestras, bands, and
choirs at the collegiate, community, and public school level. He studied conducting under Larry
Livingston and Sharon Lavery at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
A French horn player as well as a conductor, Rob was a prize-winner in five national solo and
chamber music competitions and has played in the horn sections of the Utah Symphony, the
Utah Chamber Orchestra, and numerous theatrical orchestras including the first-ever regional
production of Les Miserables. He performed with The Orchestra at Temple Square for five years
and played three times on Christmas with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, distributed nationally
on PBS.
He has performed in concert with a diverse array of musicians, including Frederica von Stade,
The King’s Singers, Peter Cetera, Debbie Reynolds, Lucy Lawless, Lone Star, and Jason Castro.
Orchestral performance tours have taken Rob to Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, England,
Scotland, Wales, and many cities in the United States.
In addition to live concerts, Rob has played on over 100 recording studio projects. Notable
scores include Disaster Movie, episodes of the television shows Marco Polo, The Seeker, and
Spartacus, and the Lord of the Rings Online video game.
Before joining the faculty at LCC, Rob taught horn and music theory at his alma mater, Brigham
Young University, where he graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor and Master degrees in
Music. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California,
where he was privileged to be one of only three students to complete the DMA in French Horn
Performance under Hollywood’s leading studio horn player, James Thatcher. While at USC, Rob
was honored to receive the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society’s Outstanding
Musical and Academic Achievement Award.
When not teaching or conducting music, Rob enjoys mountain biking, gardening, and caring for
an assortment of chickens, cows and goats with his wife Tamra and their family.