BILLINGS — Anne Harrigan took her final bow as music director of the Billings Symphony on Sunday, closing a 20-year tenure that transformed the orchestra, expanded its reach across Montana, and inspired a new generation of musicians.
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Her last performance came at Sunday's Symphony in the Park, the orchestra's annual free outdoor concert at Pioneer Park, which is the same event where she made her debut as music director two decades ago.
"My very first concert as music director 20 years ago was at Pioneer Park, at Symphony in the Park," Harrigan said. "So it was really great to come back full circle."
Thousands gathered for the 54th annual Symphony in the Park, the final concert of the Billings Symphony's 75th season. While the evening featured crowd favorites, one tradition reflected Harrigan's influence beyond the podium.
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During her first season, Harrigan introduced the Kids Conducting Contest, giving children a chance to lead the orchestra for a moment.
Rosie Weiss was the contest's first winner in 2005.
"She was the first one to do the contest, and then I was the first person to win," said Weiss.
Today, at 29 years old, she serves as the Billings Symphony's assistant concertmaster and says the orchestra has influenced much of her music career.
"I auditioned when I was 12 to be an intern, and Anne made an exception for me because I was a little bit too young," Weiss said. "Over the years, she still continued to be instrumental, offering me solo opportunities and so many things over the years, so I owe a lot to Anne, for sure.”
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Harrigan first came to Billings as a guest conductor from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She said she immediately connected with the orchestra and the community before eventually becoming the symphony's first female music director.
"I just loved the orchestra,” she said. "I was very fortunate to have been chosen as music director.”
Under her leadership, the orchestra broadened its programming, increased community outreach, and expanded educational performances throughout Billings and across Montana.
"We reach over 100,000 people now, and the diversity of programming that the Billings community has embraced. We've done everything you could possibly imagine," Harrigan said. "We did some really adventurous stuff, great symphonic things, and great guest artists.”
Among the performances she remembers most is "The Long Walk Home," a collaborative production developed over two years with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.
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Longtime Concertmaster Randy Tracy said Harrigan also elevated the orchestra's artistic level.
"She's brought the orchestra a long, long way," Tracy said, who has been involved with the orchestra for 39 years. "There was music that would have been such a struggle for us that we wouldn't attempt it. And now it's just part of a concert."
Tracy said Harrigan's greatest legacy may be the musicians she helped develop.
"That's the lifeblood of any orchestra, is the homegrown musicians, and it's always great to see that happening,” he said.
Although retirement marks the end of Harrigan's tenure in Billings, she said she's looking forward to her next chapter, including becoming a grandmother.
“It is kind of bittersweet. A lot of wonderful memories, though," said Harrigan. "At the same time, I'm going to be a grandmother, so I'm excited for a new chapter in my life."
The Billings Symphony will spend its 76th season auditioning candidates for its next music director as part of a season titled "The Search."
Whoever takes the podium next will inherit more than an orchestra, but the traditions Harrigan established, the musicians she mentored, and the community she helped build over the past two decades.
"The orchestra organization wouldn't be where it is certainly without everything that she's done," Weiss said. "She's going to leave a big hole for sure. I'm going to miss her a lot."
"This is probably going to be the absolute best symphony in the park I've ever done," said Harrigan. “It's going to be a night to remember.”
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