Photo by Allen Aycock
Orchestra Profiles
Anchorage / Fairbanks / Des Moines / Duluth / Great Falls, Montana / New Mexico & Albuquerque / South Dakota / Vermont / Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony
ORP: May 2007
2007 marked the 60th Anniversary of the Winston-Salem Symphony, which began as a small group of twenty-five musicians called the Winston-Salem Civic Orchestra. Since then, the orchestra ensemble has more than tripled in the number of musicians, and formed the Symphony Chorale in 1971 upon absorbing operations of the Singers Guild. Volunteer groups have assisted administration with myriad projects and fundraisers throughout the Symphony's history. The Winston-Salem Symphony has always been dedicated to music education, and its in-school programs reach nearly 30,000 children in 41 public schools each year. Robert Moody was appointed Music Director in 2005.
Founded in 1973 as a small string orchestra, the Winston-Salem Youth Orchestras now include the Youth Symphony and Youth Philharmonic, and are jointly sponsored by the Parents Association, the Winston-Salem Symphony and the North Carolina School of the Arts. Each sponsor manages a particular aspect of WSYO operations, respectively: development, administration, and venue provisions. David Hagy has been the Artistic Director and conductor of the Youth Orchestras since 2002.