The Long Beach Symphony is a symphony orchestra based in Long Beach, California. Founded in 1935 as an amateur "recreational ensemble", it became fully professional in 1966 and hired the Cuban conductor Alberto Bolet two years later. The orchestra faced serious financial troubles in the mid-1980s and cancelled an entire season in 1984-85. In 1989, pioneering female conductor JoAnn Falletta took over and served for 11 years. Since 2001 the company has been led by music director Enrique Arturo Diemecke, a native of Mexico, who announced his departure in November 2013.