For all the majestic allure and Old World shadows cast by the legacies of Mozart, Bach, Brahms and Prokoviev - in the beginning, all Isabelle Singer wanted was a job.

She was raising two kids and, having moved with her husband to such locales as New Orleans, Italy, New York, Arizona, the Bahamas and Mexico, never had the time to properly establish a career.

Singer finally settled as a single mom in southeastern Connecticut and landed at the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra in New London. First, she was an assistant and, within a few years, she was running the organization.

It's been 25 years, now - a terrific run in any career, much less the carousel of arts-organization gigs notorious for their tentative status - and Singer can't quite believe her good fortune.

"I feel so genuinely blessed because, early on, I kept expecting it would all come to an end," she says. "And early on, I knew I never wanted to leave here."

The musicians, civic leaders and citizens she's worked with over the years suggest that, if anyone's been blessed, it's the ECSO and New London.

"Isabelle is a gracious and caring person and an incredibly hard worker," says Paul McGlinchey, president of the ECSO Board of Directors. "That someone with her skills, reputation and connections has stayed with us is amazing. You don't see much of that. She could have moved to any of a variety of great situations."

He points out that the goal of Singer and the board has always been to keep the operation running in the black.

"She is really a great business person," McGlinchey says. "We're still in the black today and very proud of it. These are times when you hear about orchestras big and small across the country running in the red or going out of business."

For the record, Singer was hired at the symphony in 1984 and became general manager two years later. The title of executive director evolved as the symphony slowly grew and flourished under the vision of her command.

During her tenure, there have only been four music directors at the symphony, and most arts business professionals would consider that an amazing statistic. The first conductor was the late George Baziotopoulos, followed by Paul C. Phillips in 1987, Xiao-Lu Li in 1998 and, currently in his inaugural season, Toshiyuki Shimada.

In a retrospective conversation, Singer shares a variety of warm and funny anecdotes and describes the learning curve of running a symphony. There are stories of the guest conductor who lost his tux trousers en route to a concert, as well as a too-eager usher who wanted to take the stage and present flowers to a guest violinist - before her performance was over. Singer effectively solved these problems and dozens more over the years with ad-lib solutions that ranged from high level, Winston Churchill-style diplomacy to Marx Brothers wit and neo-samurai action.

One of Singer's first and most important strategies was to launch a subscription program and garner corporate support, using treelings in pots and a "We're branching out" tagline as symbols for the orchestra's growth potential. She took one of the trees to SNET and demanded to be let into a committee meeting, where she made a successful pitch for sponsorship.

"Life got better around here when we started kicking in doors and getting some help," Singer laughs.

Singer also helped oversee the transfer of the orchestra's performance space from New London High School to the Garde Arts Center.

"She's been a wonderful partner and great friend to the Garde," says Steve Sigel, executive director of the venue. "Her perseverance and dedication has shepherded a profitable and very talented urban orchestra in tough times. Put these 25 years in perspective: she is very, very loved by people in this community, and her lasting legacy is an orchestra that will survive and thrive that maybe would not have otherwise."

While a fan of classical music, Singer wasn't particularly schooled in the repertoire when she was hired.

"I knew I had business skills and was not afraid to work, but I didn't know much about the music," says Singer, who graduated with a liberal arts degree from Smith. "I went to a conference and Albert Webster of the New York Philharmonic was conducting a seminar. Someone asked, 'Do you need to really know music to be a good director of a symphony?'

"And he said, 'No, but you need passion.'

"And I thought, that's good. Passion is my calling card."

Constance Coghlan, a percussionist with the ECSO for over 30 years, says the members of the orchestra are absolutely aware of Singer's contributions.

"The musicians work hard to prepare and present the best possible musical experience for our audiences, and it's Isabelle's advance work that gets those people in the seats," Coughlin says. "Musicians change, conductors change, board members change - but the one constant is Isabelle."

In commemoration for a quarter-century's vision and service, the orchestra and community acknowledged Singer earlier this month. At the conclusion of the ECSO's November concert, Singer was surprised by an onstage presentation of a proclamation from the state of Connecticut, as well as a plaque from the board of directors.

A few days later, she was the guest of honor at a dinner at the Thames Club in New London. Family and friends from across the country were in attendance. Several past ECSO and civic leaders spoke or sent congratulations.

"Isabelle is a dear friend who has given her life to the ECSO," says Phillips, now a professor of music and director of orchestral activities at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. "I always enjoyed her and appreciated her work and it was rewarding having her as a colleague."

r.koster@theday.com