Mission
The Walla Walla Symphony delights and challenges our community by providing live orchestral performances and opportunities for learning about music.
Vision
We will cultivate a growing appreciation for symphonic music in Walla Walla by attracting enthusiastic audiences to programs of the highest artistic quality and by providing wonderful experiences and deep and rich education programs for the benefit of the Walla Walla community.
We strive for inclusion, diversity, and equity as we support and promote orchestral music, artistry, and music education in our community. We bring these values into our planning, dialogue, decision-making, programming, outreach, staffing, assessments, and study of emerging new practices.
Click here to learn more about our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
What We Do
The Walla Walla Symphony creates opportunities for people of all ages to experience live music, learn about music, and feel more connected to their community.
Each season, we perform full symphonic concerts, present international touring artists, and offer free music education programs for youth and families. Our concerts bring people together for shared experiences, while our education programs give more children the chance to listen, learn, and take part, regardless of their family’s income.
Through performances, classrooms, youth programs, and community partnerships, the Symphony helps keep music within reach for people across the Walla Walla Valley.
Our History
Founded in 1907, the Walla Walla Symphony is the oldest continuously operating symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi.
The Symphony began when a small group of community members formed a “Symphony Club” to bring live orchestral music to Walla Walla. Under the direction of Edgar Fischer, the 29-member orchestra presented its first concert on December 12, 1907.
Since then, the Symphony has continued through times of growth, change, and challenge, including the Great Depression, World War II, and more than a century of community support. Generations of musicians, conductors, donors, volunteers, students, and audience members have helped keep the Symphony part of life in the Walla Walla Valley.
Today, under the direction of Music Director & Conductor Dina Gilbert, the Walla Walla Symphony continues this work through concerts, education programs, and community partnerships that help more people experience live music.
Explore the Walla Walla Symphony’s full history