Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra

Currently in its 91st season, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra provides 6 mainstage, 3 pops, 5 chamber, and 3 educational concerts between September and May each year. Also, additional educational and community engagement programming in the summer adds to its offerings. A robust array of educational programs are a central component of the A²SO's mission and impact over 30,000 young music lovers each year. One of the Midwest's leading symphony orchestras, the A²SO is critically acclaimed for its innovative programming and deep commitment to artistic excellence. Its musicians are the finest professional performers in the region. They regularly perform in the state's key orchestras and hold prestigious professorships at leading academic institutions in Southeast Michigan. The A²SO actively commissions and programs many works by living composers, and regularly engages artists of international acclaim. These include pianists Emanuel Ax, Orion Weiss, and Garrick Ohlsson, cellists Zlatomir Fung and Julie Albers, and violinists Rachel Barton Pine and Itamar Zorman. Other notable collaborations include composers William Bolcom, Michael Daugherty, and Evan Chambers. Radio broadcasts on Detroit's WRCJ and Lansing's WKAR take A²SO concerts throughout Southern Michigan, along with national broadcasts carried on Performance Today and Pipedreams from American Public Media. In 2009, the A²SO produced a major recording of Paul Fetler's works on the Naxos label praised as "...vital, alive and utterly polished." The A²SO is Washtenaw County's largest arts employer with 71 professional musicians, IATSE stagehands and technicians, and an administrative staff of 8. The A ² SO is supported by an active and committed 34-member Board of Directors.