About

he Owensboro Symphony is a star among orchestras of its size and even larger and plays a powerful role in the cultural and economic life of Owensboro and the surrounding region. Founded in 1966 in a city of fewer than 45,000 people, the Symphony’s level of excellence has continued to rise and develop into an ensemble of remarkable artistic power and stylistic versatility – of the kind typically found only in a much larger metropolitan area.

The mission of the Owensboro Symphony is to create meaningful, imaginative performances and educational and community engagement programs that enrich lives and create memorable experiences. We accomplish this mission by creating high quality music experiences to feed the souls of our residents, to bolster the cultural economy and to educate and strengthen our next generation resulting in a creative workforce.

Each season, the Owensboro Symphony offers an inspiring Subscription Series in Owensboro’s RiverPark Center. In addition, the Symphony presents free summer outdoor concerts and Chamber Orchestra performances in area churches. The Symphony also offers a number of unique fundraising events throughout its season. The Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement programs reach thousands of individuals each year. These programs ensure that any individual – regardless of means or background – is given equal opportunity to develop skills and grow through imaginative, high quality musical experiences.

We create exciting, intimate programs that engage students on a personal level and meet the students in their own schools to maximize their instructional time. Through the Symphony’s Guest on the Go program, guest artists give master classes at local schools during their visit to Owensboro.

The Symphony also sponsors the Owensboro Symphony Youth and String Orchestras. Involving students from throughout the tri-state, these ensembles perform challenging repertoire in three concerts each year.

The Owensboro Symphony Academy provides private lessons for students in the local area from qualified music instructors. Currently, the Owensboro Symphony Academy offers private lessons in piano, violin, cello, string bass and voice. Under the supervision of a Kindermusik educator, the Owensboro Symphony also offers Kindermusik at the Academy.

The Symphony’s Music on Call  program continues to move the needle on innovative community outreach through the healing power of music with live, interactive performances presented by musicians working in partnership with, local hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing and group homes, boys and girls clubs, recreational centers, senior centers, libraries and special-needs programs, including the autism community. Program delivery is purely service oriented where making life better for those most in need is the one and only objective.