We invite you to experience the wonder of music. In the same way that majestic landscapes and architectural marvels leave you feeling awestruck, we’ll share musical moments that will leave you breathless.

The triumph of Orff’s Carmina Burana.
The majesty of Respighi’s Pines of Rome.
The yearning of Dvorak’s New World Symphony.


We hope you’ll join us as we embark on our 87th Season. Close your eyes, let your imagination take you on a journey through amazing histories and cultures and into realms of beauty and contemplation, and experience the wonders for yourself.

Pair our Masterworks 7 with our Pops Trio for ten unforgettable musical experiences that will uplift, inspire, challenge and comfort. If you cannot attend all the concerts, the Flex 4 and Pops Pair are for you. Subscribers at all price levels receive the absolute best discounts available. Lock in your favorite seats for the Masterworks Series, the Pops Series...or both!

Masterworks Series

  • SEASON DEBUT: THE EMPEROR Classical tradition meets innovative spirit in the Symphony’s Season Debut! Kevin Day’s Lightspeed kicks off the concert with kaleidoscopic textures and futuristic soundscapes. Critically acclaimed Olga Kern brings the bold spirit of Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto to life. Bruckner’s majestic Symphony No. 7 closes the concert. (Sep 28 & 29, 2024) 
  • LEWIS PLAYS BRAHMS Geneva Lewis makes her Des Moines debut playing Brahm’s virtuosic and emotionally profound Violin Concerto. The lush harmonies of Still’s Serenade, which weaves American jazz and blues with classical traditions, open the concert. The Orchestra shines during Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5. (Oct 26 & 27, 2024) 
  • PARKER PLAYS GERSHWIN The Symphony’s third Masterworks program is bookended by Des Moines’ composer Linda Robbins Coleman’s joyful and exuberant Music from The Celebration: A Symphonic Jubilee and Beethoven’s triumphant Symphony No. 7. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker ignites the Civic Center with the exuberant melodies and syncopated rhythms of Gershwin’s Concerto in F. (Nov 23 & 24, 2024) 
  • CHEN CONDUCTS RACHMANINOFF Chicago’s Mei-Ann Chen leads the Orchestra! The concert opens with Florence Price’s Dance of the Canebrakes, a lively work inspired by African American folk music. Anne Marie McDermott makes her Des Moines debut performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Rachmaninoff’s dramatic Symphonic Dances closes the evening. (Feb 8 & 9, 2025) 
  • FROM THE NEW WORLD Sterling Elliot makes his Des Moines debut performing Haydn’s elegant Cello Concerto in D Major. Coleridge-Taylor’s The Song of Hiawatha and Dvorak’s New World Symphony bookend the concert, celebrating the rich tapestry of American musical expression. (Mar 8 & 9, 2025) 
  • O FORTUNA - CARMINA BURANA Explore fate, fortune and the joys and sorrows of human existence when more than 100 voices join the Orchestra for Orff’s bold and powerful Carmina Burana. Wagner’s grand Prelude to Die Meistersinger opens the concert, with a poignant interlude from Brahms, Nanie, Op. 82. (Apr 5 & 6, 2025) 
  • SEASON FINALE: PINES OF ROME Be transported to the Eternal City at the Symphony’s Season Finale! Mendelssohn-Hensel’s effervescent Overture in C Major opens the concert, followed by Mendelssohn’s exuberant Italian Symphony, evoking the bustling street of Italy. George Li dazzles with Sant-Saens’ Second Piano Concerto. Respighi’s evocative Pines of Rome closes the concert and the season.” (May 17 & 18, 2025) 

Masterworks Packages

Masterworks 7 - Starting at $108.50

Flex 4 - Starting at $66

Don't want to order online? Download our order form? 

Pops Series

    • SANTINO FONTANA WITH THE DES MOINES SYMPHONY Perhaps best known as the voice of villainous Prince Hans in the Academy Award-winning Disney film Frozen, Tony Award-winning Santino Fontana is one of Broadways’ favorite leading men. His rich voice and charisma take center stage when he performs live with the Des Moines Symphony. (Oct 5, 2024)
    • NEW YEAR’S EVE POPS: THE DOO WOP PROJECT Ring in the new year with the classic sounds of doo-wop! The Doo Wop Project traces the inception of group singing to the biggest hits on the radio today. From the tunes of Frankie Valli, The Drifters and The Four Seasons to reimagined favorites by Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz and Maroon 5, this is the hottest New Year’s Eve ticket in town! (Dec 31, 2024) 
    • FINAL SYMPHONY: MUSIC FROM FINAL FANTASY® Experience the musical world of Final Fantasy in this awe-inspiring orchestral production! Original compositions by Masashi Hamauzu and Nobuo Uematsu, including Terra’s Theme,Hum of the Fayth, Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY VII and J-E-N-O-V-A, have been lavishly arranged for orchestra into a symphonic poem, a piano concerto and a symphony in three movements. (Apr 26, 2025)

Purchase Pops Package

Summer Pops

  • DES MOINES SYMPHONY’S YANKEE DOODLE POPS Join us on the Iowa State Capitol West Lawn as Joseph Giunta and the Orchestra perform our 30th Yankee Doodle Pops complete with Des Moines’ premiere fireworks display over the downtown skyline. Bring your picnic baskets, blankets and lawn chairs for Iowa’s largest single-day concert event! (Jul 3, 2024) 
  • WATER WORKS POPS Bring your picnics and blankets and join the Symphony for free, family-friendly performances at the Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park! 

Season subscriptions for the Masterworks Series and the Pops Series are available now! Individual concerts will go on sale during Summer 2024. 

WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

BY PHONE

Call us at 515.246.2300.

BY MAIL

Click here to download the order form and mail with your payment to:

Des Moines Performing Arts Ticket Office
221 Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309

IN PERSON

Visit the Civic Center Ticket Office at 221 Walnut Street from 10am-5pm Monday through Friday.

ONLINE (A step-by-step guide can be found below)

  1. Visit www.desmoinesperformingarts.com
  2. Select "Season Tickets" from the "Events" drop-down menu.
  3. Click on Des Moines Symphony
  4. Select which subscription package you would like to purchase.
    • If you are purchasing a Masterworks 7 or Pops subscription, you will now choose your ticket level. Seat selection is not available online. If you would like to choose your seats, please call or visit the Des Moines Performing Arts ticket office.
    • If you are purchasing a Flex Four subscription, you will select the ticket level you would like your seats to be in. Flex subscribers choose their seats for the individual performances they attend. You do not need to choose your performances when you purchase your Flex Four package.

  5. On the next screen, you can purchase single tickets to Pops concerts. Note: This screen is NOT where you purchase a Pops Package. Skip this step if you plan to purchase a Pops Package. This is also where you can prepay for valet parking if you choose to.

  6. If you want to add another type of subscription (Masterworks, Pops or Flex) to your order, click the "View All Events" button at the bottom of the screen, and repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have added everything to your cart.

  7. If you have added everything you want to purchase to your cart, continue the checkout process by adding your payment information and confirming your purchase. Before you finish checking out, you can add a donation to the Symphony to your order. Every gift helps the Symphony and Academy continue to bring extraordinary musical performances and outstanding educational opportunities to Central Iowa.

  8. When your payment is confirmed, you will receive a confirmation email from Des Moines Performing Arts. If you have any questions about your order or the buying process, please contact the ticket office by calling (515) 246-2300.

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