Jackson Symphony Orchestra

History:

The Jackson Symphony Orchestra has a rich and vibrant history serving the Jackson area for over 60 years. Our mission is to add value, joy and enrichment to the lives of all Jackson area residents through music. The Jackson Symphony strives to impact the lives of everyone in the community either directly through performances and education programs or indirectly by offering positive programs and arts support in collaboration with community agencies, educators and other arts organizations.

The orchestra has performed with many legendary figures in the world of music including Dizzy Gillespie, Grant Johannesen, Ralph Votapek and Ian Hobson. Mannheim Steamroller, Ann Murray, and the Manhattan Transfer have invited the orchestra to do multi-state regional tours with them. The repertoire of the orchestra has been adventurous (including two entire seasons where every piece performed was from the 20th Century) and has drawn national attention as evidenced by frequent grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. The orchestra has premiered works by such distinguished composers as Jeff Beal, Crawford Gates, David Gibson, Robert De Gaetano, Falla Guitar Trio and it's own composer in residence, J. Bruce Brown.

Operas including Tosca, La Boheme, Merry Wives of Windsor, Die Fledermaus have been presented in fully staged productions and eight different collaborations with the Indianapolis Ballet and Grand Rapids Ballet have resulted in magical productions of Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker.