WHO WAS JAMES K. GUTHRIE Maestro James K. Guthrie James Kelley Guthrie, son of James A. Guthrie, publisher of the San Bernardino Sun, began his musical careet at the age of fifteen. In 1929, he formed an orchestra of 60 professional, amateur and retired musicians from the San Bernardino community and the Los Angeles area to form the San Bernardino Community Orchestra, the forerunner of the Inland Empire Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, he was its music director. With this energetic start, James K. Guthrie began a conducting career that spanned more than six decades. His road toward the conductor’s podium was solidified when he introduced himself to Dr. Alfred Hertz, conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, and the founder of the summer concert series at the Hollywood Bowl. Dr. Hertz not only advised young Guthrie, but took him as a pupil. At seventeen, Guthrie conducted his first opera, “Don Pasquale” with the Riverside Opera Company. Maestro Guthrie went on to attend the University of Redlands, and afterward expanded his training with Maestros Cimini and Berezowski. At twenty-two, he was engaged as the chief conductor of the Hollywood Grand Opera and conducted its first performance of Verdi’s “Aida” before an audience of 5,000 at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. After this performance he gained national attention in the press and on the pages of “Life” and “Time” magazines as the nations’ youngest “full-fledged” conductor. Maestro Guthrie’s musical career flowed in tandem with his life as a newspaperman and publisher. From 1964-1969 he was the owner and publisher of the San Bernardino Sun. He also was a community leader, serving as a special deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office from 1931 to 1996. In this position, he was instrumental in improving the education opportunities and living conditions for the inmates. During his career, Guthrie collected musical scores and in 1974 he founded the Guthrie Music Rental Library. Through the library, he provided scorres and orchestra music to thousands of schools, colleges, and orchestras (both major and new struggling orchestras) at affordable prices in order to encourage music performance. He also acquired the library of his friend, James Dolan, librarian for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Later, Mrs. Louis Palange donated her late husband’s library to Guthrie, as did Mrs. Leo Damiani. The result is an extensive and varied musical library full of important and obscure documents. Web site designed by Doneza Webhosting