Madison Symphony Orchestra
| Madison Symphony Orchestra | |
|---|---|
 MSO Opera in the Park, 2009 | |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Location | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Concert hall | Overture Center for the Arts |
| Principal conductor | John DeMain |
| Website | madisonsymphony.org |
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an orchestra headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Its conductor is John DeMain, who began his 20th season with the orchestra in the fall of 2013. The orchestra was founded in 1925 as a small community ensemble and is now a full-sized orchestra.
The Madison Symphony performs in Madison's Overture Hall, one of two theaters in Madison's "Overture Center for the Arts", a gift given to Madison by longtime M.S.O. patrons Jerome Frautschi and his wife, Pleasant Rowland Frautschi. The Frautschis' gift held the distinction of being one of the largest gifts ever donated to the performing arts by a single donor in American history,[1] actually exceeding the entire budget of the "National Endowment for the Arts".[2] Their gift in turn inspired a wave of gifts to the performing arts nationwide. Overture Hall has been described as "one of the acoustically finest halls in America" by guest artists, conductors, and visiting shows alike; and among other notable features the hall possesses the magnificent "Overture Concert Organ", custom built for the Overture Center by renowned organ builder, Johannes Klais of Bonn, Germany. At twenty tons, the Klais organ is the largest movable object in any theater in America, with a capability to move forward and back into storage on a set of railroad tracks. It provides the orchestra with superior augmentation to such works as Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" or Gustav Holst's "The Planets".
Artists such as guest conductor Vladimir Spivakov and pianist Emanuel Ax were engaged for concerts in the 2007-2008 season.
References
- ↑ "The 1999 Slate 60: The 60 largest American charitable contributions of 1999.". Slate. February 16, 2000. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
- ↑ "Wisconsin Philanthropist Funds $205 Million Madison Arts Center". Philanthropy News Digest. Foundation Center. August 2, 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2012.