Gift Certificate for 2 tickets to the 2009-2010 Season

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s commitment to meaningful musical experiences is the heart of its past, present, and future. The MSO is an integral part of the cultural, educational, and economic life of the Bluff City and has been since 1952.

Get into the Past

Best known as the birthplace of blues and rock ‘n roll, Memphis also boasts a rich heritage of symphonic and classical music.

In the earliest days of the Bluff City, new settlers to the rough, raw, river town brought their musical traditions along.  It was common for ladies to learn to play the piano, and many gentlemen enjoyed playing the fiddle. As Memphians, these amateur musicians and their patrons promoted their passion through such groups as The Casino Club, the Philharmonic Society, and later, the Beethoven Club.

In the spirit of those musical pioneers, twenty-one musicians formed the Memphis Sinfonietta and performed their first concert at the Goodwyn Institute in January 1953.  When audiences swelled past capacity, the Sinfonietta moved to downtown’s Ellis Auditorium -- later renamed in honor of the founding conductor and music director, Vincent de Frank.

By 1960 the Sinfonietta matured into the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, operating as it does to this day, under the organizational leadership of the Memphis Orchestral Society, Inc. The MOS is directed by a board of community, business, music, and civic leaders.

The MSO has only had three Music Director/Conductors. Alan Balter replaced Maestro de Frank on the podium as music director and conductor in 1984. Less than a year after Balter retired in 1998 Maestro David Loebel joined the symphony. The 2008-2009 season will be Loebel’s last with the symphony.

The MSO moved into Eudora Baptist Church while the de Frank Music Hall underwent a multi-million dollar transformation into a world-class concert venue.  The work took six years. In January 2003 the orchestra came home to the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, one of the nation’s best acoustical facilities for live orchestral music.