History of the LSO

Since 1968, the Longview Symphony has provided classical and contemporary music for residents of Longview and surrounding East Texas area. Starting as an amateur group with a few conservatory trained musicians volunteering their time, today the Longview Symphony is a full professional orchestra drawing its musicians primarily from Shreveport, Dallas, and the greater East Texas area. Following early directors Dr. James Snowden, Longview High School Band Director and Dr. Frank Carrol, Dean of Music at Centenary College, Tonu Kalam joined the Longview Symphony in 1988 and served as our Conductor and Music Director through the 2012/2013 Season.Dr. Gene Moon served the Symphony for two seasons from 2016-2018. Maestro Jerry Steichen served as conductor from 2019-2022.

For the 2022-2023 season Dr. Gregroy Grabowski was selected for the position of conductor for LSO.

The Longview Symphony concerts are hosted at the beautiful S.E. Belcher, Jr. Chapel and Performance Center on the campus of LeTourneau University and Longview Community Center.

In conjunction with the Longview Symphony Orchestral season, the Longview Symphony hosts a free lunchtime series of concerts titled the Bach’s Lunch series. Due to the onset of the Covid 19 virus, the Symphony has been committed to the safety of our patrons. Following the guidelines of our State, we had to cancel our Spring of 2020 performances after February. In order to continue serving our devoted following, we began our Sounds of Summer and Autumn concert series on June 14, 2020. The Longview Symphony also hosts a free maze at Longview Arboretum prior to their Pops Concert in the spring.

The Longview Symphony League Board of Directors is the guiding body for the Longview Symphony. This volunteer board consists of men and women from Longview and surrounding areas, bringing their skills and experience in business, law, accounting, marketing, banking, finance, education, music education, and music performance to enrich the leadership of this non-profit organization.

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