Our Story

We are 51 years young!

The Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra (HSO), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, will celebrate its 51st season starting in September 2023.  

Our mission is to bring arts enrichment and music educational opportunities to all ages in our community and this is only made possible by valuable partnerships within our professional business networks and through the generosity of individual donors.

The HSO has evolved over its history from a largely volunteer community orchestra into an all-professional ensemble featuring some of the finest orchestral talent in the region.  From its beginning, the orchestra has contributed to Hendersonville and the surrounding area through concert offerings and extensive outreach to area youth.  We value the opportunity we have to work with the  young musicians in our community and take seriously our responsibility to work with them and the schools to further their musical education.

A typical concert will employ 60-70 musicians, many of whom reside in Henderson County.  The balance comes from communities in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.  A small, dedicated staff supports our concert and educational outreach initiatives.

Each year, in addition to our four Symphony Orchestra concerts at Blue Ridge Community College and two Chamber Orchestra concerts, we also perform orchestral concerts for every 3rd and 6th grader in Hendersonville, absolutely free.  These programs in many cases are the first and only live professional concerts of classical music that many of these children experience. Our Youth Orchestra and Children’s Choir are open to all area students to learn from some of the most gifted musicians in the region.  

To learn how your generous support can ensure we continue to provide live music concerts and music education programs to our youth, please visit our SUPPORT tab at top or call us at (828) 697-5884.

See you at the Symphony!