Orchestra Profiles
Anchorage / Fairbanks / Des Moines / Duluth / Great Falls, Montana / New Mexico & Albuquerque / South Dakota / Vermont / Winston-Salem
Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and Greater Des Moines Youth Symphonies
ORP: January 2008
Established in 1937 as an adjunct of Drake University, the Des Moines Symphony celebrated its 70th Anniversary in the 2007/2008 season. The orchestra became an independent entity in 1969 and moved into its current home of the Civic Center ten years later. The orchestra performs six pairs of classical concerts throughout the season, as well as an Opening Night Gala, a pops performance for New Year's Eve and its annual Yankee Doodle Pops concert, a free performance on the State Capitol grounds on July 3rd. In 1987, Maestro Joseph Giunta joined the Des Moines Symphony as Music Director and Conductor.
Beginning in the post-World War II era, the Greater Des Moines Youth Symphony operated under the city's public school system for nearly 50 years until budget cuts compelled the Des Moines Symphony to take over operations in 1997. The Des Moines Symphony Academy opened in September 2003, and now oversees the management of the youth orchestras. In those five years, the Academy has grown to provide private lessons, group classes, chamber music, and performance opportunities for approximately 500 students. Today the Academy is home to four youth orchestras that make up the Greater Des Moines Youth Symphonies, ranging from beginners to most advanced, plus a Chamber Orchestra. In the 2006-07 season, over 130 young musicians participated in the Greater Des Moines Youth Symphonies.