The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra (Reno Phil) is a professional symphony orchestra based in Reno, Nevada. Its season runs from late September through April. The current music director is Laura Jackson. History and organizational facts The orchestra was founded in 1969 and is now led by music director Laura Jackson, is made up of over 60 professional musicians. They perform in Reno, Carson Valley, and the Lake Tahoe Region in various outdoor and indoor venues. The popular Classix Series is presented from September to April. The orchestra also presents over 10 specialty performances throughout the year from the holiday classic, Spirit of the Season to July 4 in Genoa, Lake Tahoe Music Festival, and the perennially sold out Pops on the River. The first performance in the orchestra was in 1969. Conductor Laura Jackson was named music director after the 2008–2009 audition season. The two-year search audition gained national recognition for its detailed process, the talented and diverse candidates, the use of technology to engage the community in the process, and the increases in ticket sales. Ms. Jackson's most recent prior post was Associate Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra organizes more than 60 live performances per year in front of more than 50,000 seats. The Reno Philharmonic Association also has an education department, which includes three youth orchestras, a series of 12 "Young People’s Concerts" performed throughout the school year, "Celebrate Strings," an after-school violin instruction program, and the "Discover Music" program, which brings music ensembles into schools. The education programs reach over 30,000 school-aged children per year and cover many areas of music and arts education that the school district does not have the resources to provide. Reno Phil is the largest performing organization in arts in Northern Nevada. In 2009, the orchestra was recognized for its longevity and artistic merit by a Governor's Arts Award for Leadership in the Arts. The orchestra has been named the "Best of Reno Award" by Reno Magazine in 2006 and "Best Performing Arts Group" in Reno nine times from 1991 to 2001 by Reno Gazette-Journal readers. The RPA has been honored to receive several Silver Star awards for education programs and concerts from Truckee Meadows Tomorrow for enhancing the quality of life in northern Nevada. In 2003, the Reno Philharmonic Youth Orchestras received a Best of Reno Award from the Reno News and Review. Most recently, the Reno