About Us
Since 1945
For over 80 years, the Santa Monica Symphony has been a vital part of the region’s cultural landscape, presenting free concerts that attract over 5,000 audience members annually and engaging the community through school programs, open rehearsals, and local events. Founded by Los Angeles studio musicians, the orchestra now includes a mix of top professionals, emerging artists, and exceptional volunteers, performing a diverse repertoire of classical and contemporary music.
Our mission: As a community of musicians, the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra provides free quality classical music concerts to the residents of Santa Monica and the surrounding areas.
The Santa Monica Symphony was the first orchestra in the United States to record the First and Second Symphonies of Tchaikovsky.
The Symphony has received prestigious grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the James Irvine Foundation, the Colburn Foundation, the Herb Alpert Foundation, the City of Santa Monica and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Additional funders include private foundations, local businesses and private donors.
The Santa Monica Symphony has grown to its present stature under the baton of nine outstanding conductors/music directors: founding conductor Jacques Rachmilovich, composer Arthur Lange, Peter Meremblum, former CBS Symphony director Victor Bay, Colburn School of Music professor Yehuda Gilad, Occidental College professor Dr. Allen Robert Gross, Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist Guido Lamell, USC School of Music lecturer Troy Quinn, and distinguished cellist and conductor Pola Benke.
The Santa Monica Symphony is a member of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
