The Sioux City Symphony Orchestra is an American
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, c ...
based in
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...
. Its home is the
Orpheum Theater.
History
The Sioux City Symphony Orchestra and The Sioux City Municipal Band were each formed in the early 1930s under the guidance and direction of Leo Kucinski. Under Kucinski's leadership, the orchestra gradually developed into a highly respected, paid-professional Class B civic orchestra with a regular performing season. The orchestra originally performed in the
Sioux City Municipal Auditorium
The Sioux City Municipal Auditorium, known as the Long Lines Family Recreation Center for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose facility in Sioux City, Iowa. The fifth in a line of major indoor venues built in Sioux City, it was designed by Kn ...
, but in 2001 moved to the restored historic
Orpheum Theater.
The Municipal Band, with close kinship to the orchestra, is also a paid-professional group that traces its origins to The Monahan Post 64 Band of the
American Legion, in the 1920s. The Monahan Post Band became world-famous when it was selected as the "official" band of the American Legion in the mid-1920s. From its founding until the early 1930s, The Monahan Post Band made several tours that included concert appearances in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
,
and
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. The home of the Municipal Band is the city band shell in
Grandview Park.
Sioux City's ability to produce highly gifted musicians for fine music of all styles can be attributed to its citizens' very strong and longstanding commitment to and financial investment in music education within the public and private school systems. In the 1930s, Kucinski worked closely with Superintendent of Schools M.G. Clark to create the foundation for its public school music program. Additionally,
Morningside College
Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a campus in Sioux City (ar ...
has long been home to a vital and energetic music department, which has served to contribute to the pool of fine musicians and music educators in Sioux City. Sioux City has an All-City Orchestra whose members are elementary grade students who participate by audition, and the Siouxland Youth Symphony, whose players are selected by competitive auditions from the junior schools and high schools in the area.
After Kucinski, other music directors of the orchestra have included Thomas Lewis, Stephen Rogers Radcliffe and
Xian Zhang. Xian Zhang had originally been contracted to the orchestra for 3 years, but resigned after 2 years because of her schedule demands. In March 2009, the orchestra announced the appointment of Ryan Haskins as its next music director, as of 1 July 2009.
Music Directors
* Leo Kucinski (1925-1977)
* Thomas Lewis (1977- )
* Stephen Rogers Radcliffe (1995-2004)
*
Xian Zhang (2005-2007)
* JungHo Kim (2008)
* Ryan Haskins (2009–present)
References
External links
History of the orchestra from the Sioux City Symphony page
{{authority control
American orchestras
Wikipedia requested audio of orchestras
Musical groups established in 1925
Performing arts in Iowa
Musical groups from Iowa
Tourist attractions in Sioux City, Iowa