About Us:
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert in 1944, at its current home - Springfield Symphony Hall, which was originally built as the Municipal Auditorium. That performance received great reviews and was even recorded by the Office of War Information for rebroadcast to our troops overseas.
Today, the SSO is the largest Massachusetts symphony outside of Boston. It consists of over 80 musicians from the NE region of the United States and Canada, and holds many performances in a given season - as either the full orchestra or in ensemble formats. The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is led by internationally acclaimed American conductor Kevin Rhodes, who has held the post since 2001.
The established mission of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra is to maintain and develop a professional symphony orchestra that produces musical performances of high artistic quality; to entertain and educate our audiences; to expand and develop our audiences; and to sponsor related programs and concerts that enhance the musical life of the region we serve.
SSO concerts are typically broadcast over WFCR-FM, the area NPR station. The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is the parent organization of two youth orchestras - the Springfield Youth Sinfonia (formally Young Person's Philharmonia) and the Springfield Youth Orchestra (formally Young Person's Symphony). Both of these ensembles offer young musicians a chance to play in a full orchestra, an option not offered in many schools.
