Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra

A nonprofit organization

The Grand Junction Symphony would like to THANK YOU for your generous support. Your support and attendance to our events ensure that we will continue to provide the highest-quality music and education programs to the residents of the Grand Valley.

Mission

To engage and enrich our community through symphonic music.

Background Statement

The Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra began as the Mesa College Symphony in the 1930’s. In 1978, community leaders and musicians founded the Grand Junction Musical Arts Association, now the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra (GJSO). In August of 1987, Maestro Kirk Gustafson joined the GJSO as the resident conductor and remained with the Symphony until his retirement at the end of the 2015-2016 season. Charles Latshaw is the Symphony’s new Music Director starting in the 2016-2017 season.

The GJSO, now in its 45th season, provides high-quality orchestral performances and educational programs to the residents of Mesa County, the Grand Valley and the Western Slope of Colorado. The GJSO is proud to be the largest professional orchestra between Denver and Salt Lake City and one of the largest arts organizations in the Grand Valley. The organization has grown to a subscriber base of over 900 individuals and is a Level 5 orchestra based on guidelines of the League of American Orchestras.

The Symphony performs at the 1050 seat Avalon Theatre in downtown Grand Junction and at Colorado Mesa University. The Symphony currently plays six classical subscription series concerts and two symphonic pop concerts in its season. The organization produces four chamber music concerts throughout the year at different locations around Grand Junction. Each summer, the orchestra performs a free outdoor concert for 5,000 community members Las Colonias AMP. The largest fundraiser is the annual Gala which is held in the fall. The GJSO now produces full productions of opera and ballet in their season.

The GJSO further benefits by the existence of two groups -- the Symphony Guild and the Grand Junction Symphony Foundation, both of which were established to ensure the longevity and success of the GJSO. The Guild hosts fundraising events and provides an extensive group of volunteers for the organization. The Foundation is a permanent endowment for the GJSO.

The music education programs for the GJSO include the new GJSO Academy that’s purpose is to promote and normalize private lesson instruction for middle school students by subsidizing instruction with GJSO principal players, and the Carnegie Link Up program. Students in grades 3–5 are given the opportunity to join the orchestra in this highly participatory program, in which they learn to sing and play an instrument in the classroom and perform with a professional orchestra from

their seats at a culminating concert at the Avalon Theatre. Other current programs include a Young Artist Competition each year that gives the winner the opportunity to perform with the full orchestra at a subscription concert; the Crystal Baton program, which is a composition contest for middle school students; and the Instrument Petting Zoo, which is a hands-on interactive program that teaches children about different instruments of the orchestra.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra

other names

GJSO, Grand Junction Musical Arts Association

Year Established

1978

Tax id (EIN)

84-0759502

Category

Arts, Culture & Humanities

Organization Size

Medium Organization

Address

414 Main Street
Grand Junction, CO 81501

Service areas

Mesa County, CO, US

Phone

970-243-6787

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