You never can tell what the Memphis Symphony Orchestra may have in store for audiences. One day they bring their best to bear on a staple of the repertoire like a Beethoven symphony, and the next you find them tearing into something entirely more modern and less ubiquitous, like a piano concerto by Doreen Carwithen. Perhaps they’re tucking into George Gershwin’s immortal American in Paris or offering up a cello concerto by Sir Edward Elgar. One thing audiences can always count on at an MSO performance: when the musicians let loose on a piece, they seem to tap into a kind of telepathic connection, with all hands working as one. There are moments when it sounds more like a single, polytimbral instrument than an orchestra. That precision combines with a very visceral urgency to produce a unique experience in classical music.

Memphis Symphony Orchestra Background

The roots of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra go back to 1953 and the founding of chamber orchestra the Memphis Sinfonietta directed by Vincent DeFrank. Seven years later, that ensemble became forevermore known as the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, with cellist DeFrank remaining at the helm through the mid ‘80s. Originally, the orchestra’s HQ was the Ellis Auditorium, but in 2003 they took up residence in the city’s new Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. Different music directors have taken the helm over the years, with Robert Moody coming on board in 2016. Through every era, the MSO has presented the indispensable repertoire of the classical canon while doing everything possible to keep things fresh. Comprised of musicians from across the globe, the orchestra regularly offers community concerts and educational programs in schools in addition to the usual concert calendar, remaining very much in touch with Memphis and the city’s cultural life.