Stanford Symphony Orchestra
The Stanford Symphony Orchestra is one of the America's leading collegiate orchestras, with a distinguished history dating back to 1891, the year that Stanford University was founded. With a membership of approximately 100 undergraduate and graduate students, the SSO rehearses on Monday and Thursday evenings and presents about ten concerts annually on campus of repertoire ranging from the Classical Period to the present. When Bing Concert Hall opened in 2013, it became the new home of the SSO and SP, providing a world-class venue for Stanford's orchestras. SSO frequently features renowned faculty soloists and visiting guest artists, often in collaboration with Stanford Live. The annual Concerto Competition gives students the opportunity each year to appear as soloists with SSO; other annual events include the popular Halloween Concert with the Stanford Wind Symphony and yearly collaborations with the Stanford Symphonic Chorus.
In June 2024, the SSO performed a two-concert tour of France and Monaco, performing music by Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Richard Strauss, and Anthony Burgess along with American music by George Gershwin, Adolphus Hailstork, John Williams, and Leonard Bernstein. The SSO's six tour concerts included performances in Versailles, Lyon, and Monte Carlo. Previous international tours by the SSO have included trips to Australia and New Zealand (2005); to China (2008) as part of the Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival; to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic (2013) as the culmination of the SSO "Beethoven Project" that year; and to Mexico and Cuba (2017) for a cultural exchange on the theme of "Music that Dances", incorporating traditions of the host countries.
Highlights of the 2024-25 season will include performances of Stravinsky's Firebird (complete ballet); The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas; Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with pianist Spencer Cha '26, winner of the 2024 Concerto Competition; "Gigues" and "Rondes de Printemps" from Debussy's "Images" pour Orchestre; and Poulenc's Stabat Mater with the Stanford Symphonic Chorus. In October 2023, the SSO became the first collegiate orchestra to perform with Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros with the Wolf Pack, playing for a wildly enthusiastic audience of 6000 Grateful Dead fans at Stanford's Frost Amphitheater. Other recent SSO performances have included Mahler's Symphony No. 2 and the West Coast premiere of Adolphus Hailstork's A Knee on the Neck with the Stanford Symphonic Chorus; Pines of Rome, Le Sacre du Printemps, and Symphonie Fantastique; Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor; the California premiere of Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain Suite; and a joint performance with the University of Stuttgart Academic Orchestra. Over 150 videos of SSO, SP, and SSS performances can be viewed at the Stanford Orchestras YouTube channel.
Like its sister organization Stanford Philharmonia, the Stanford Symphony Orchestra is supported by the Department of Music and the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU). Membership is open to all Stanford undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and members of the community. Anyone with questions or comments about Stanford's orchestral program, or who wishes to audition for the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, Stanford Philharmonia, or Stanford Summer Symphony, is encouraged to express their interest by contacting Dr. SunYoung Park, Orchestra Studies Program Administrator, Orchestral Studies Program Administrator, by emailing her at <orchestra@stanford.edu>, or calling her at (650) 725-2694.
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