By Edward P. Noga

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The team is made up of Michael and Carmine Ficocelli, John Krueger, Franz Bibo, Peter Leonard, David Effron, Isaiah Jackson, Randall Fleischer and a new team member on the way.  Yes, nine talented players, but … not on a baseball team (as hinted at in this article’s title). Actually, they are the nine conductors of our Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. Their individual stories are a kaleidoscope of different backgrounds, birthplaces and musical experiences. Actually, I remember the first eight – wow!

So, by now, you are thinking, “Yes, there are/will be nine names, and a baseball team has nine players, but why on earth is the title of this article ‘Three Strikes’?” Did all nine play baseball? (Not that I know of.) Did all nine have a favorite team? (Maybe.) Did they all come from cities that had teams? (Not sure.) So why the title?

In baseball language, “three strikes” refers to the number of pitches that are good to hit but are often swung on and missed or called a strike by an umpire. I think most folks know that if an umpire makes a rather flamboyant gesture and yells, “You’re out!” the batter’s time at home plate is over. What does this have to do with the Youngstown Symphony?

In recent years, using the baseball analogy, three things have happened to our symphony that could have easily produced the “You’re out!” call. In 2020, Randall Fleischer, our conductor who had worked tirelessly to promote the symphony and engage the musicians with the community (they played at our county fair among other places), passed away suddenly at his home in California. STRIKE ONE! 

We all know the damage done to people, places and things because of the pandemic. STRIKE TWO! 

And, after a long search for a new conductor, after dozens and dozens of applications and hours of work by a very diligent search committee, a wonderfully talented young man from Florida was hired, who within a few months of his hire, asked the symphony to let him out of his contract for personal reasons. STRIKE THREE!                

What a roller coaster ride! Added to the above is a new cooperative initiative for the arts in the Valley that has been discussed for quite some time. Our symphony has been part of the discussions. Believe me, the Herculean effort involved in bringing the players together that form the arts community in our part of the world could fill a “special edition” of The Business Journal. 

So back to our “three strikes.” The upcoming season will probably be somewhat limited this year because of the late start, but Strikes One, Two and Three did not result in a  “You’re out!” call. No, the symphony has not struck out, but the road this year will be different for various reasons. We all know many organizations and groups whose 2025-2026 calendars have been in place and announced since early summer.

The first three “players” listed at the beginning of this article led their concerts with a start-up, fledgling orchestra that came together in 1926. It was made up of young students and steel workers. As best we can tell, the symphony’s first public concert happened in 1929. The growth of the symphony mirrored the growth of the Valley as the surging steel industry drew workers from near and far to make the quality steel that earned us the title “Number Two Steel Producing Community in the Nation.” As we know, sadly, that all changed starting in September of 1977.

So here we are getting ready for a new season with “players” (actually musicians, support staff and conductor) ready to step up to the plate and hit a home run for our Valley.

What, if anything, is missing? To continue the baseball analogy, we’re looking for the “10th teammate” (a time-honored reference to the folks in the stands). In the very near future, the season will be announced. Will that “10th teammate” show up?

Help us throw out the first pitch on opening night. There won’t be popcorn or overpriced beers, but it definitely could be an experience that will go down as “one for the record books.”