2024 has been a great year for the Des Moines Symphony & Academy! From awe-inspiring guest artists to life-changing youth programs, we have so much to be thankful for. The Orchestra of today is better than it has ever been, and none of these incredible initiatives would be possible without your support. We hope to see you in the concert hall in 2025 and for many years to come.
Des Moines Symphony Academy: Programs, Scholarships & Youth Concerts
The Des Moines Symphony Academy welcomed nearly 450 students each week for lessons and ensemble rehearsals. Of those students, many received need-based scholarships totalling more than $35,000. And in March, thousands of area 4th and 5th grade students joined us at the Civic Center for our annual Youth Concerts.
Showcasing New Voices (Including Des Moines own Linda Robbins Coleman!)
The Orchestra performed a variety of new works by living composers, including Valerie Coleman's UMOJA: Anthem of Unity and Des Moines composer Linda Robbins Coleman's music from The Celebration!. But that's not all! We gave Wang Lu's Surge it's Midwest Premiere as part of the Virginia B. Toulmin program, performed Carlos Simon's Amen! and Kevin Day's Lightspeed, and so much more!
Free Summer Pops
More than 100,000 Iowans joined us for Yankee Doodle Pops and Water Works Pops! As one of Iowa's favorite Independence Day traditions, Yankee Doodle Pops was performed live for an enthusiastic audience and broadcast statewide on Iowa Public Television and Iowa Public Radio. Water Works Pops brought the music of Billy Joel to life in its fifth consecutive year.
Meaningful Community Partnerships
The Symphony is part of a wonderful, vibrant community. It has been our pleasure to partner with the The Varsity, the Food Bank of Iowa, the Iowa Culinary Institute, DART Transit, SingleSpeed Brewing, Des Moines Public Schools, and various retirement communities to bring the magic of live music into the lives of many people.
World-Class Guest Artists
Every year, the Des Moines Symphony hosts some of the finest talent in the world. In 2024, we were joined on stage by pianists Olga Kern (made possible by a generous gift from the Harriet S. and J. Locke Macomber Des Moines Symphony Fund), Michelle Cann and Jon Kimura Parker, violinists Amaryn Olmeda and Geneva Lewis, vocalists Hannah Ludwig, Michelle Bradley, Issachah Savage, and Kevin Deas, and breakdancers BRKFST Dance Company.
Des Moines Symphony's first Holiday Brass concerts!
2024 marks the inaugural year of the Des Moines Symphony's Holiday Brass concerts! The Orchestra's brass section, timpany and percussion, along with Westminster Presbyterian's Dobson Pipe Organ, celebrate the sounds of the season with favorites like Joy to the World, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Sleigh Ride and more. What a great way to spend the holidays with family and friends!
