The Seattle Symphony Orchestra Tickets

About The Seattle Symphony Orchestra

The Seattle Symphony has a dedicated subscriber base of more than 36,000 patrons and performs over 220 concerts annually to an audience of more than 315,000 spectators. The performances are mainly held in Benaroya Hall and the concert season runs from the months of September through July in the following year. The orchestra has also won an Emmy Award for their self-produced television special, “Seattle Symphony From Benaroya Hall.”

The Seattle Symphony is particularly known for their performances and renditions of the works of twentieth century composers especially of overlooked and neglected American composers of the era of the mid-20th century. Under the artistic leadership of Gerard Schwarz who has been the music director since the year 1985, the Orchestra has recorded a sizable number of pieces such as the major orchestral works of Howard Hanson. The Orchestra's performance of “Beethoven's Symphony No. 9” has also been included as the default music for the Microsoft's “ Windows Media Player.”

The Seattle Symphony gave their debut performance on the 29th of December in the year 1903. Right from the start, the orchestra was known as the Seattle Symphony but it was later renamed in the year 1911 as the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra in the year 1919. However right through its century old history, the ensemble is popularly known by the two-word name "Seattle Symphony."

Right from its first performance, the Seattle Symphony has held a unique place in the world of symphonic music. During its formative years the Orchestra had solely concentrated in improving and enhancing its musical skills and reputation, however it later expanded their venture into education programs and overseas tours. Since the year 1983, the Orchestra has given 70 premieres, which include commissions by seven major American composers in celebration of the Symphony's “Centennial Season” and most of these works are available on re-mastered recordings issued on the Naxos label.

In the year 1998, the Orchestra began performing in the acoustically enhanced and state of the art Benaroya Hall located in downtown Seattle. Later the Orchestra also opened the “Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center” which offers exhibits, music classes and live music presentations. The Symphony’s education programs and its nationally recognized community engagement programs reach out to more than 90,000 people, including students at 190 schools in the Pacific Northwest of the US.

The symphony is globally renowned for its innovative programming of contemporary works. With their dedication to the major classics and its extensive recording history which amounts up to more than 100 records, the symphony is heralded as one of the most-recorded performers in the whole world and has also reportedly earned 11 Grammy nominations. In addition to their own performances, the Seattle Symphony also features and plays in most productions of the Seattle Opera, including the opera's annual “Richard Wagner” presentations.