Des Moines Symphony

The Beatles crossing Abbey Road? Nah. It’s Des Moines...

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:37:44 -0500

The Beatles crossing Abbey Road? Nah. It’s Des Moines Symphony Orchestra musicians crossing 3rd Street to our performance venue — the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines.

Hear the Des Moines Symphony perform The Classic Hits of The Beatles, with Classical Mystery Tour, New Year’s Eve, Mon Dec 31 at 8 p.m.!

Photo

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:52:00 -0400

Have you seen our 75th Anniversary Video yet? It’s...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:02:11 -0400

Have you seen our 75th Anniversary Video yet? It’s entertaining, interesting, and above all else, celebrates the Orchestra’s accomplishments during the last 75 years!

Des Moines was extra special Saturday night and Sunday afternoon...

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:46:34 -0400

Des Moines was extra special Saturday night and Sunday afternoon as we kicked off our 75th Anniversary Season. The crowds rolled in anxiously awaiting the debut performance of our Masterworks Series: Scheherazade & Nomade.

Under the conduction of Joseph Giunta the Des Moines Symphony played the following repertoire:
KORNGOLD Overture to Captain Blood
WAGNER Preludes to Act I & III * from Lohengrin
Steve HEITZEG Symphony In Sculpture/World Premiere
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade

“Our 75th Anniversary Season debuts with the world premiere of a newly-commissioned piece written by Minnesota composer Steve Heitzeg for this very special occasion. This work — Symphony In Sculpture – celebrating our Music From The Heartland project, portrays in music the groundbreaking and signature addition to downtown Des Moines: the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park.”

The audience followed along every minute to truly capture the art, of not only the music, but of the wonderful sculptures that were shown through the video which accompanied the symphony.

We anxiously await our Masterworks 2, Symphonie Fantastique, which will be on October 27th & 28th. More information can be found at http://dmsymphony.org/events/masterworks-2-symphonie-fantastique/

The moment we have all been waiting for. The Season Debut of...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:04:52 -0400

The moment we have all been waiting for. The Season Debut of Masterworks 1: Scheherazade & Nomade. Saturday, September 29 at 7:30pm & Sunday, September 30 at 2:30pm.

Our 75th Anniversary Season debuts with the world premiere of a newly-commissioned piece written by Minnesota composer Steve Heitzeg for this very special occasion. This work — Symphony In Sculpture – celebrating our Music From The Heartland project, portrays in music the groundbreaking and signature addition to downtown Des Moines: the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park. That and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, a stunning and opulent depiction of Arabian Nights, will make for an unforgettable, celebratory concert event!

Tickets start at just $15 for adults and $7.50 for students
dmsymphony.org/

A couple of VERY nice Thank You cards from some students at the...

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:27:17 -0400

A couple of VERY nice Thank You cards from some students at the Academy. Here’s what they had to say:

“Thank you so much for sharing your time and talents with our family this fall. Extra special thanks for taking the time to make-up her missed lesson… we are very appreciative of your generosity. Most of all, thank you for instilling a love of music and piano lessons in all of your little charges. I cannot imagine a more perfect introduction to music education than the one that you have artfully provided. Your passion for music, teaching and children shines through in each of your interactions with your young students. Many thanks and best wishes for a joyful holiday season.”

“Thank you for teaching me so many things at music class. I love coming!”

Help us welcome our Des Moines Symphony marketing intern JT...

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:20:06 -0400

Help us welcome our Des Moines Symphony marketing intern JT Cattle! JT is a marketing and management senior at Drake University from Seward, NE. His love for music has evolved as a member of the Drake Choir (going on 4 years now) and is excited to collaborate with the Symphony for the Carmina Burana in April. In his free time you can find him at the local coffee shop or swinging a racquet around on the tennis courts.

Get ready for our 75th Anniversary Season Debut concerts on...

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:44:00 -0400

Get ready for our 75th Anniversary Season Debut concerts on September 29 & 30 at the Civic Center!

At the 2012 Polk County Fair, Symphony Academy piano student...

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 10:08:30 -0400

At the 2012 Polk County Fair, Symphony Academy piano student Tylar Meister received a blue ribbon for this coffee table book on Iowa-born Michael Daugherty’s Red Cape Tango. Tylar heard the Des Moines Symphony perform the piece in April.

The judge thought his project not only looked fun but also reflected his learning and research. He’s already looking forward and making plans for his next music project!

Congrats, Tylar!

At the 2012 Polk County Fair, Symphony Academy piano student...

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 10:01:00 -0400

The judge thought his project not only looked fun but also reflected his learning and research. He’s already looking forward and making plans for his next music project!

Congrats, Tylar!

Can you find Waldo in between all of our musicians? As we...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:53:37 -0400

Can you find Waldo in between all of our musicians? As we prepare for our 75th Anniversary Season, we want to celebrate our great musicians and conductor, Joseph Giunta, as they prepare for our biggest season yet. Just like Waldo is always in the thick of things, we hope our friends and patrons in Central Iowa can get involved in the excitement and fun of our next season!

On Tue Jul 17, the Des Moines Symphony held a ribbon cutting to...

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:01:57 -0400

On Tue Jul 17, the Des Moines Symphony held a ribbon cutting to celebrate its 75th Anniversary Season, the 10th Anniversary of the Symphony Academy and its new administrative offices at The Temple for Performing Arts!

L to R: Russ Bitterman, Des Moines Symphony office architect and former Association Board member; Richard L. Early, Des Moines Symphony Executive Director; Casey Port, Hubbell Construction; Steven M. Nadel, Association Board Co-President; Joseph Giunta, Music Director & Conductor; MD Isley, BRAVO Greater Des Moines Executive Director; Jake Christensen, President, Christensen Development; Jay Byers, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership; Pamela Bass-Bookey, Temple Partners; Sophia Ahmad, Des Moines Symphony Director of Marketing & Public Relations.

Photos from Yankee Doodle Pops this year! Photo credit goes to...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:55:37 -0400

Photos from Yankee Doodle Pops this year! Photo credit goes to Kelly Sargent, who did a great job of capturing our musicians in action at the concert and rehearsal earlier in the day. Our musicians did a great job of braving the heat this year to bring over 100,000 people in downtown Des Moines another exciting Yankee Doodle Pops concert.

Last week, the Academy hosted its Rhythm Boom! summer percussion...

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:40:00 -0400

Last week, the Academy hosted its Rhythm Boom! summer percussion camp. Aaron Williams, the Des Moines Symphony’s principal percussionist, taught the camp which was designed for students in grades 1-5. We had two great students this year, Roger Phillips and Jesse Floyd, and they had a lot of fun with activities that incorporated hands-on performance with a wide variety of percussion instruments, from African hand drums to household objects. We especially enjoyed hearing them practice their bass drum technique - you could hear it throughout the whole building!

when you heard the dsm symphony was having its 75th anniversary

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:47:22 -0400

whenindsm:

(Congratulations @DMSymphony!!)

WHEN YOU HEARD THE DSM SOCIAL CLUB WANTED TO MOVE INTO THE FIREHOUSE

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:04:44 -0400

whenindsm:

                                       #keepDSMcool

nprmusic: Having a hard time get your kid to practice his or...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:36:25 -0400

nprmusic:

Having a hard time get your kid to practice his or her instrument? Self-motivated discipline isn’t exactly first nature for most kids, so it’s up to families to help create positive, engaging and fun ways to practice as a path towards self-motivation.

Help us welcome our Des Moines Symphony Academy summer intern...

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:35:00 -0400

Help us welcome our Des Moines Symphony Academy summer intern Neil Erbes! Neil is a Des Moines native and a senior at Drake University, pursuing a degree in music business with a minor in marketing. He’s a percussionist with the Drake University Wind Ensemble and his other interests include boating, biking, film (movies), reading and sports.

Watch Leah McIntire-Barnett’s encore of her winning...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:07:58 -0400

Watch Leah McIntire-Barnett’s encore of her winning performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the Des Moines Symphony’s Oh Say, Can You Sing? Competition.

Congratulations to this year’s winner of the Oh Say, Can...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:00:06 -0400

Congratulations to this year’s winner of the Oh Say, Can You Sing? Competition, Leah McIntire-Barnett! Here’s a little more detailed information on who exactly will be singing in front of over 100,000 people with the Des Moines Symphony this year.

Leah McIntire-Barnett has won accolades as both a cellist and soprano, and has been awarded state, regional, and national titles in various vocal competitions; she has also appeared in numerous masterclasses with various artists, including Cheryl Studer and Simon Estes. McIntire-Barnett earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Voice and Cello from Drake University in the spring of 2012. She is a six-time winner of the National Association of Teachers of Singing state and regional competitions, and in 2008 won the Music Teachers’ National Association state, regional, and national competitions in the Senior Division; in addition, she has soloed on both voice and cello with the Drake Symphony Orchestra and the Ft. Dodge Area Symphony. In the summer of 2010, McIntire-Barnett was asked to travel to Italy to perform the lead role of Violetta Valery in La Traviata with La Musica Lirica, a prominent summer program held in Novafeltria, Italy. McIntire-Barnett is the youngest singer ever to be accepted into the Opera Division, and the youngest soprano to sing a lead role with La Musica Lirica. McIntire-Barnett has also been featured in concerts with the world-renowned bass-baritone and Iowa native, Simon Estes. McIntire-Barnett maintains a private studio for both cello and voice students at her home in Des Moines, where she resides with her husband, Dave Barnett.