Dallas Symphony Orchestra Their Artistry

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Their artistry is supreme. They play the most challenging symphonic music confidently and beautifully..."

Symphony Orchestra Institute on symphony orchestras

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has been making musical magic in Texas for over 106 years. And all those who have been touched by that magic over these many years have in turn touched others with the joy and power they experienced while inside the concert hall.

Sports, film and art help define and refine our lives, but only music sweetens the soul.

Indeed, from the fledgling 40-member ensemble receiving civic accolades for their excellence in presenting Ravel, Mozart and other classical giants back in May 1900, to the 100+ talented world class musicians today rising to the top of the world with bountiful helpings of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky and a myriad of masters, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has never stopped spreading a golden glow over lives of music lovers in Dallas.

Don't let anyone tell you that the city of Dallas is less proud of it's cultural heritage - including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - than it is of its Cowboys, its Stars and its Mavericks.

And citizens have a perfect right to be proud of their renowned orchestra, considering that the orchestra won the first ever "Celebration of Diversity" award from Ernst & Young for its unfailing commitment to embracing people of all faiths and ethnicities in its community outreach programs.

There is pride, too, in the 2005 Gramophone "Editor's Choice Award" given for the orchestra's brilliant Rachmaninoff CD, which has sold over 28,000 copies to date. And orchestra administrators and musicians can take great pride in the fiscal year 2006 increase in ticket revenue and attendance; 198,000 people paid to hear our outstanding symphony music this season, up from 192,000 in 2005. And that included 4,200 new patrons, another pride-producing fact.

But pride, magic, culture, booming popularity and international acclaim are not the only gifts that the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has given to and shared with its beloved city. The orchestra reaches out every year to those citizens who love great music but have limited means through which to acquire tickets; indeed, since 1980, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra has granted more than 40,000 complimentary tickets to children, adults, and community organizations.

Moreover, the orchestra has shown how much it cares about the younger generation, in particular those talented minority youths who are just looking for a chance to learn an instrument and be part of music-making in Dallas. The program reaching out in particular to young Latinos and African-Americans is called "Young Strings," and as the orchestra's Web site points out, "virtuosos aren't born - they're trained."

Another worthwhile program reaches out to schools, creating classic music aficionados out of middle school-level children, high school students, some of whom had never heard any music other than hip hop, rock, or country. And the orchestra presents numerous community concerts at no charge to concertgoers - including the "Annual African-American and Hispanic Festival Concerts" at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

Yes, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is an locally, regionally, nationally and internationally respected force in classical music, but the orchestra also has a reputation of satisfying the thirst of contemporary and popular music lovers