Founded in 1953 and in its 60th season, the Queens Symphony Orchestra is the borough’s only professional orchestra and the oldest and largest professional arts organization in Queens. The Queens Symphony Orchestra is made up of professional musicians who also perform on Broadway, with the New York City Ballet, and other freelance orchestras. Famed Maestro Constantine Kitsopoulos, in his seventh season with the Orchestra, occupies a rare position in the orchestral world in that he is only the third Music Director in the 60 year history of the organization. Under his guidance, QSO has embarked upon a new strategic artistic plan; combining the various world art forms with the traditional symphonic style to create entirely new genres of music that speak to the heart of the ethnically diverse borough of Queens. New additions to QSO’s already varied programs include a return to the Young Soloist Competition, a pre-concert lecture in advance of each QSO Concert and Symphony 101-a free, family-friendly musical demonstration series in public libraries throughout the borough.
QSO’s vision and mission statements reflect the organization’s priority of service to the culturally diverse members of the Queens community. QSO has continued to provide numerous programs to the borough of Queens, presenting 10 to 20 concerts throughout the year, serving 30,000 residents, including 8,000 youth.