Since its founding in 1982, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra’s influence and reputation has reached far beyond Western Maryland. It is one of only four professional symphony orchestras in Maryland and audience members from South Central Pennsylvania, West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area are drawn to concerts held at the historic Maryland Theatre in downtown Hagerstown. Under the baton of Music Director Elizabeth Schulze—whom the Washington Post calls “a superb conductor”—the MSO has become a first-class orchestra of exceptional artistic quality. The Maryland Symphony Orchestra provides a dazzling variety of programs, from the grand musical treasures of the Masterworks Series to the joyful offerings of the MSO Pops! and Home for the Holidays; from the glorious sentimentality of the Salute to Independence Concert at Antietam National Battlefield to the exuberance and wonder of the annual Citi Youth Concerts and Kinder Konzerts Series. Barry Tuckwell, Music Director for the MSO’s first seventeen seasons, provided a solid foundation for the orchestra, bringing musical masterpieces to life for many who were unfamiliar with the beauty of classical music. Under the artistic leadership of current Music Director Elizabeth Schulze, new concerts and programs have been added and the repertoire has both broadened and deepened. By keeping in mind its mission – “to provide musical performances and programs that educate and entertain while enhancing the cultural environment of Western Maryland and the surrounding region” – the Maryland Symphony Orchestra remains one of the area’s greatest treasures. “The MSO has become a cultural gem in the four-state region because of its incredibly talented orchestra members, renowned guest artists and inspired leadership from the podium.”