About Us

Mission & History

The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra quickly evolved from its beginning in 1961 as a community orchestra into a fully professional resident orchestra serving the entire Central and Northern New York State region. Today an ensemble of national acclaim, the Symphony boasts 80 musicians and a conducting staff of international caliber, and performs 184 full-orchestra and chamber ensemble concerts throughout Central and Northern New York, reaching more than 225,000 audience members during its 39-week season.

Music Director’s Note

“I am delighted to present to you the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra's 2010-11 concert season. We are excited about the depth and breadth of programming in store for you during our 50th Anniversary. The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra is an incredibly versatile orchestra comprising a terrific group of musicians who can play anything from Beethoven to Broadway to jazz. They, along with our management team, work very diligently to pull together some of the finest concerts you'll experience anywhere!”

- Daniel Hege

History

Founded with a grant from the Gifford Foundation, the Syracuse Symphony appointed conductor Karl Kritz as its first music director. Led by Kritz, along with Benson Snyder and Carolyn Hopkins, the new Syracuse Symphony performed four subscription concerts at Lincoln High School and eight young people’s concerts during its inaugural 1961-62 season—all to sold-out houses—plus one pops concert. The artistic core of the Orchestra strengthened quickly, with key musicians assuming guaranteed annual positions and by the end of the third season, permanent chamber groups had formed within the Symphony—initially a string quartet, woodwind quintet, brass quintet, and percussion ensemble—a concept later adopted by many other orchestras around the country. On the strength of a Ford Foundation challenge grant, the SSO’s budget grew rapidly, and concerts were recorded and broadcast on WONO-FM. Soon, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra concerts moved to Henninger High School and the SSO’s commitment to regional communities in Watertown, Rome and Cortland blossomed.

Kritz was succeeded in 1971 by Frederik Prausnitz and, in 1975, by Christopher Keene. Shortly thereafter, the Orchestra moved into its new home, the Crouse-Hinds Concert Theater in the Mulroy Civic Center, where it continues to perform to this day. Kazuyoshi Akiyama became music director in 1985, a post he held for eight years before becoming conductor emeritus. Fabio Mechetti served as music director from 1992 to 1999. Daniel Hege became the SSO’s sixth music director with the 1999-2000 season.

The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra performs a vast array of programs, including the Post-Standard Classics Series, M&T Bank Pops Series, Central New York Community Foundation Family Series, and the Stained Glass Series, as well as educational youth programs, and free summer parks concerts. In addition, the SSO also plays for Syracuse Opera performances. SSO concerts are broadcast twice weekly on WCNY-FM and the Orchestra proudly operates two youth ensembles—the Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra and Syracuse Symphony Youth String Orchestra. The artistic quality of the Orchestra is widely regarded as belying its modest $6.3 million budget, and the entire non-profit organization is supported in part through its volunteer organization, the Syracuse Symphony Association and a 60-member board of directors.

A Force in the Region

Beyond its Syracuse-based activities, the Orchestra performs a heavy schedule of concerts in regional communities. In addition to subscription series in Watertown, Rome and Cortland, the SSO frequently tours New York State and, in recent years, has performed in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. The SSO collaborates on a regular basis with organizations such as Syracuse Stage, Syracuse Opera, Syracuse University Oratorio Society, Syracuse Children’s Chorus, Syracuse School of Dance, Center of Ballet and Dance Arts, and Upstate NY Ballet. In recognition of these activities, the Orchestra was presented with the Governor’s Arts Award in 1999.

Recent Accomplishments

The SSO released its first recordings in 25 years, conducted by Daniel Hege: a Classics CD in 2000 and Holiday Pops, released in the fall of 2002. Big Band Bash, was released on July 3, 2006. On Saturday, April 5, 2003, Daniel Hege led the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra in its fifth performance at Carnegie Hall.