Founded in 1924, The Amarillo Symphony is proud to serve Amarillo and the Panhandle region with this simple goal: to provide cultural, spiritual, entertaining, and educational experiences to residents of the area by offering some of the most beautiful music ever written.

What began with a group of 12 musicians (in a town of less than 25,000 people) today serves more than 20,000 people annually and employs 85 professional musicians as well as a staff of five full time and four part time employees. In addition to adults, the Symphony performs for more than 10,000 students each season, helping introduce orchestral music to the next generation through a variety of education programs.

In 1932, the orchestra had 56 musicians, performed a six concert season and sold season tickets for $5. In 1948 Clyde Roller was engaged as Music Director. He was a native of Oklahoma and had conducted the famous GI Symphony in Europe during WWII. He led the orchestra until 1964. During the 50's the orchestra began its move to professional management, first with Monte Rosenwald and then Eddie Melin. It was also during the Roller years that the players first began to be paid. In 1953, the first Symphony Ball was held and the Belles program began. In 1955, the Symphony Guild was formed with Peggy Hammock as the first president.

In 1981, Sybil Harrington made generous donations to the Symphony and West Texas State University to split the costs for a resident string quartet. The Harrington String Quartet has since gone on to win the prestigious Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. They have performed to rave reviews in Chicago, New York and Houston. Every year, they present concerts in Amarillo and Canyon, as well as maintaining responsibilities as principal players in the Amarillo Symphony and faculty at WTAMU.

Since 1988, James Setapen has led the Amarillo Symphony as its Music Director and Conductor. Under his leadership, the orchestra commissioned Samuel Jones' Palo Duro Canyon Symphony. The CD of this work was released in 1992. In addition, KACV produced a documentary about the composition and performance that has now aired in over 150 cities across the country. Setapen and the orchestra commissioned Samuel Jones' Roundings: Musings and Meditations on Texas New Deal Murals for the Symphony's 75th Anniversary Season in 1999-2000. KACV-TV produced a documentary on this work and it was released on the Naxos label.

The Symphony is lead by a volunteer Board of Directors of 45 and an active Guild with over 600 members. The Symphony is supported by over 1800 subscribers and more than 600 generous donors.

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