Northern Arizona's Premier Regional Symphony

The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra (FSO) has been one of the premier cultural organizations in Northern Arizona, providing quality concert experiences to its residents for 59 years. Few communities the size of Flagstaff enjoy a symphony orchestra of FSO's caliber. Many people and events have molded FSO's development into the orchestra we appreciate today.

The original iteration of the "Flagstaff Symphony" made its debut on April 11, 1899 in Babbitt's Opera House, located in what today is the second floor of the Babbitt Building in downtown Flagstaff. The weekly Coconino Sun reported on April 15, under the headline "A Grand Success," that "a large and appreciative audience" was on hand for this milestone in Flagstaff's cultural history.

The modern Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra was founded as the Northern Arizona Symphony in 1950 by Dr. Eldon Ardrey. FSO's first conductor, Dr. Jack Swartz, began rehearsals in January of that year. Fifty-nine years later, FSO remains a strong and vibrant cultural organization, now under the baton of Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Elizabeth Schulze. The orchestra continues to progress in artistic achievement, treating audiences to consistently fine performances.

FSO's seven-concert season runs from September through April. During the holidays, FSO offers free to the community a shortened version of its holiday concert -- the Lollipop Matinee. This concert is geared to families with young children and has become a long standing Flagstaff holiday tradition. As part of its education program, FSO invites 4th and 5th grade students from elementary schools in and surrounding Flagstaff to attend the Young People's Concert. Each year 3,000 students have a concert experience that many may otherwise not have. The concerts are performed in Northern Arizona University's 1500-seat Ardrey Auditorium.

A new summer tradition began in the summer of 2006; two free summer concerts are performed at the 3,000 capacity Pine Mountain Amphitheater, located on the grounds of Flagstaff's Fort Tuthill. The concerts are held on Independence Day and Labor Day.

The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra is a non-profit corporation, organized under Article 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and is governed by a 31-member Board of Directors. FSO is supported by two auxiliary organizations - the Flagstaff Symphony Guild and the Sedona Flagstaff Symphony League, both of which function largely as fundraising arms of the organization