Help Our Cause

The August Symphony Orchestra is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to serve the communities and residents of the New Jersey region by offering an accessible way for high quality classical orchestral music to be performed, listened to, and appreciated by all. By providing at least one free concert per year open to all members of the community, our mission is to stimulate an interest in and appreciation for symphonic music and to give local musicians (professional, amateur and students) the opportunity to enhance their experience as members of an orchestra. Our vision is to bring arts in the form of classic music and related genres to the local community, to maintain a high standard of quality and performance, while bringing people together and upholding a spirit of accessibility, community, and mutual love for classical music. We will sustain this with the help of volunteers, the financial support of individual and corporate donations, and funding from arts organizations.

The August Symphony Orchestra is a 501(c)3 registered nonprofit corporation.

The August Symphony Orchestra (TASO) was founded in 2005 by Martin Sklar, bassist for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO). During his offseason from NJSO, Sklar loved to conduct and work with musicians. TASO was founded as a summer orchestra with the idea of performing a single concert given each year in July or August in a more relaxed atmosphere. Musicians enjoyed the opportunity to continue playing over the summer and to work with someone actively playing in a major symphony orchestra. Sklar would sometimes invite his friends from NJSO to join the orchestra. After his passing in 2010, his dear friend David Gilbert took over as conductor. For the next five years, Gilbert continued the tradition of solid programing and challenging music. In 2016, TASO welcomed Michael Avagliano as its conductor. He introduced some new changes to the programing, including performing a major symphony and a soloist piece at each concert. Since then the program has featured solo pieces for flute, trumpet, French horn and soprano. With enthusiastic praise from audiences and growing support from the community, TASO is proud to continue the legacy and vision of Martin Sklar and maintain its high standard of quality performance of musical works.

Music Directors

2005 – 2010  Martin Sklar

2011 – 2015   David Gilbert

        2016 –           Michael Avagliano