Orchestra Iowa is an American

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

based in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

. The current music director and conductor is Timothy Hankewich. Established in 1923 as the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra has a full season, performing a fine arts series, a chamber series, a popular series, and performances with the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre and Ballet Quad Cities. The orchestra principally performs at the

Paramount Theatre Paramount Theater or Paramount Theatre may refer to: Canada * Scotiabank Theatre or Paramount Theatre, a chain of theatres owned by Cineplex Entertainment ** Scotiabank Theatre Toronto or Paramount Theatre Toronto China * Paramount (Shanghai) o ...

located in downtown Cedar Rapids. They also perform regular concerts at Iowa City West High School and

Brucemore Brucemore, a park-like, estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the site of a Queen Anne-style mansion, formal gardens, a children's garden, night garden, pond, orchard, and woodland. Built between 1884 and 1886 by Caroline Sinclair, widow ...

. The chamber series is performed at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts in Coralville, Iowa.

History

Orchestra Iowa began as the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra. Its first concert was held on April 23, 1923 in the Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College. By 1928 the orchestra was playing its concerts at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. They continued playing during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and World War II. It was not until the 1950s that the orchestra had a paid music director and began to pay the musicians. A string quartet was established in the 1970s. By 1980 the orchestra moved to its current location at the Paramount Theatre. The orchestra has an outreach program to area students and the Orchestra Iowa School was begun in 1988 to teach string instrumentalists. An endowment program was begun in 1990. In 2004 the administrative offices and the school moved to the new Symphony Center. It includes music studios and the Rockwell Collins Recital Hall. Orchestra Iowa has partnered with nationally syndicated '' From the Top'' radio program, Iowa Public Television, and

Iowa Public Radio Iowa Public Radio is a state network in the U.S. state of Iowa that combines the operations of the National Public Radio member stations run by Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and University of Northern Iowa. They broadcast programs ...

to bring symphonic music and music education programs to more people. The Symphony Center was extensively damaged in 2008 by the flooded Cedar River that submerged downtown Cedar Rapids. The orchestra had to perform in a variety of venues as a result. They will return to the Paramount Theatre for the 2012–2013 season. Orchestra Iowa became the orchestra for the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre in 2009. The Opus Concert Café, which opened in 2011, provides a space for chamber concerts and other performances. With the 2012–2013 season they began a collaboration with Ballet Quad Cities. They perform with the ballet at both the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, and at the ballet's main performance venue the

Adler Theatre The Mississippi Lofts and Adler Theatre is an apartment building and theater complex located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places by its original name, the Hotel Mississip ...

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

Music directors

*Joseph H. Kitchen (1923–1952) * Henry Denecke (1952–1970) * Richard Williams (1970–1981) * Christian Tiemeyer (1981–2006) * Timothy Hankewich (2006–present)

References

External links

* {{authority control 1923 establishments in Iowa Musical groups established in 1923 American orchestras Tourist attractions in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Culture of Cedar Rapids, Iowa Performing arts in Iowa Musical groups from Iowa