with Bartok, and he led the Honolulu Symphony and Opera for 18 years, so leading a community orchestra was a step down,” said Michael Stamp, former executive director of the Symphony. “But having George Barati here helped us to attract seven strong candidates for his replacement once he left. It was a sign that we were gaining credibility.” As its popularity grew, the Symphony began appearing at other venues in the county. Said Nancy Meyberg, a former publicity director. “We played at Holy Cross Church, Mission San Juan Batista, Henry Cowell Park, Cabrillo College, the Cocoanut Grove, First Congregational Church, Twin Lakes Church, the Fox Theater in Watsonville, and even Croscetti Hall at the fairgrounds. Sometimes the critics showed up at the wrong venues. The acoustics weren’t always great, but people came because they loved the orchestra.” The symphony also performed at Kennedy Memorial Center, First Christian Church and the Veterans Memorial Hall in Watsonville, E.A. Hall School, Santa Cruz High School Auditorium, Aptos High School and the UCSC College Five Dining Hall. The annual Pops for Pops Concert was held every Father's Day at Henry Cowell Park. More change was in store After settling in at the Cabrillo College Theater, it seemed as if the Symphony had a sort-of permanent home. However, the college had priority on calendar dates, which put the orchestra at a disadvantage. In addition, seating was limited to about 500. It became painfully apparent that Santa Cruz County had no performing arts facility that combined a proper sound system, reasonable acoustics, concert hall seating arrangements, and sufficient capacity. After the earthquake in 1989 closed several venues, the Symphony had little choice but to move back to the Civic Auditorium, with concerts at the new Mello Center in Watsonville serving the South County communities beginning in 1994. In fact, the Symphony was involved in building the Mello, including initial grants from the Packard Foundation to help fund an expansion. Still, playing at the Civic was no picnic. The site had been created as a multi-use facility, including for basketball games, and its acoustic tile ceilings and hardwood floors did nothing to enhance the instruments’ sound quality. But Rick Larsen, facilities manager for the Civic, was determined to make it work. In three phases, he and his crew, with the advice of acoustician Red Wetherill, installed an acoustic wall behind the orchestra, acoustic panels for the back