Roanoke Symphony Orchestra

The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra is the largest professional orchestra in Virginia west of Richmond. The organization we know of today as the RSO was founded by Gibson Morrisey and a small group of dedicated music lovers in 1953 -- Morrissey served as the group's conductor until his death in 1975. Although the RSO has enjoyed a rich and vibrant history during the 60 years since Morrissey and his friends organized the Roanoke Symphony Society, the community of Roanoke, and Big Lick before it, enjoyed a deep commitment to symphonic music-making in the Valley from as far back as the turn of the 20th Century, and before.