In January 1971 the St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley established a symphony orchestra for college students and community adult musicians. From the very beginning the orchestra has performed the major symphonic works from the classical literature. In 1978 in order to improve the quality of performances, a small number of professional musicians were hired to fill empty positions in the orchestra. In 2003 The Friends was formed to provide added support for the orchestra. In 2004 when rehearsal space was no longer available on the college campus, the orchestra began rehearsals in a nearby church. In 2008 the orchestra made a significant step forward in the quality of performance when we joined in collaboration with the St. Charles Community College Orchestra. The size of the combined orchestras increased from 50 to 75 members, providing the opportunity to play larger and more difficulty music. Each year there are 3 concerts in The Terry M. Fischer Theater on the College campus and 2 at the St. Charles Community College. All of our concerts are open to the public without charge.
(Ivy Allen)