Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) has a mission to develop and sustain a symphony orchestra of the highest artistic standards and to reach East Tennessee audiences of all ages by providing excellence in musical performance and education programs.
Established over 80 years ago, the KSO is the longest continually performing orchestra in the Southeast. It was founded in 1935 by Bertha Walbun Clark, who was its first conductor, and is now led by its eighth Music Director, Aram Demirjian. The museum has gained both local and national acclaim and its programs have reached an audience of over 200,000 people annually.
In 2020, the KSO commissioned a violin concerto to complement the epic steel and glass masterwork, Cycle of Life: Within the Power of Dreams and the Wonder of Infinity, by Knoxville sculptor Richard Jolley, creating a convergence between the two artistic disciplines.
