$21,172 raised by 12 donors
60% complete
$35,000 Goal
Many years ago, Monroe DeJarnette, a local musician, dreamed of a home-town symphony orchestra in Auburn. Scoffers said, “Impossible!” Monroe’s vision never wavered. He was determined to create a community symphony where musicians and audiences together could enjoy orchestral music.
DeJarnette met with Bruce Cosgrove, director of the Auburn Chamber, to discuss a plan to form a community orchestra. Others caught his vision. In July 1987, the Auburn Chamber of Commerce approved the formation of the Auburn Civic Symphony. By December, Clyde Quick, a Placer High School music teacher, was selected as conductor. Betty DeJarnette was Concertmaster. On May 20, 1988, an enthusiastic audience filled the Placer High auditorium to hear thirty orchestra members perform the premiere, entitled The Birth of an Orchestra. With the final strains of the concert, the audience jumped to their feet clapping and calling, “Bravo!” The Auburn Symphony was launched. The Symphony performed three concerts the following year. In 1989, the Messiah-Sing-Along was established followed by the Symphony on the Green (1990) held at the Library Garden.
In 1990, the first Auburn Symphony Board of Directors was elected. The Symphony Guild, now the Symphony League, was formed to support the Auburn Symphony.
Michael Goodwin was appointed Artistic Director and Conductor in 1995. Under his leadership, the orchestra thrived and grew to nearly 70 musicians. In 1999, Goodwin initiated the KinderKonzert (now the Family Concert) and the Young Artist Competition followed in 2002. In 2005, he led the orchestra’s first historic performance at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis, now a tradition. Our educational outreach programs, Symphony Goes to School and Symphony Goes to Preschool, were launched at the same time as the KinderKonzert and have helped us reach over 100,000 students in Placer County.
Michael Goodwin tragically died on February 7, 2012, a result of an auto accident while driving to rehearsal.
The orchestra and community reeled at his death. The KinderKonzert was just days away and the Masterworks concerts were still to be performed. Conductors from the area stepped forward and led the Auburn Symphony through the final concerts. A special Memorial Concert honoring Maestro Goodwin was presented. Pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski, a favorite guest artist, introduced to Auburn by Maestro Goodwin, flew from New York to perform as a tribute to Michael and our friend Pete Nowlen conducted.
Peter Jaffe, who had just wowed audiences as a guest conductor for the Auburn Symphony, was selected as the new Music Director. He ushered in the 25th anniversary of the Auburn Symphony. Under his leadership, the orchestra soared to new artistic heights. Musicians traveled from Sacramento, Davis, Folsom, Grass Valley/Nevada City and elsewhere to perform under his direction. Maestro Jaffe introduced a Halloween “pops” concert which drew a very large appreciative audience of all ages. Never to be forgotten by musicians and audiences alike, the Auburn Symphony performed The Alpine Symphony, a very difficult and extravagant presentation requiring over 100 performers, at the Mondavi Center on Mother’s Day, 2017. A documentary titled Auburn Symphony: Scaling the Heights was released in December 2020. Visit our website at auburnsymphony.com or our YouTube channel to watch this wonderful hour-long film.
At the end of the 2020-2021 season, Maestro Jaffe stepped down as Music Director. An extensive search was conducted, and Maestro Ryan Murray was appointed Music Director and Conductor in April of 2022. We are now completing our second season with Ryan Murray and are thrilled with the new programming; pre-concert talks and fresh energy and perspective he brings to our orchestra and venues.
Can a small town have a symphony? Absolutely. The Auburn Symphony has been hailed as one of the nation’s finest community orchestras, thrilling audiences of all ages. We are indebted to Monroe DeJarnette. His dream of an Auburn Symphony in which everyone can take pride and enjoy is a dream fulfilled and a gift for all.
- by Audrey Mueller, longstanding Board Member
To enrich and engage our community, across all generations, through the gift of music.
The Auburn Symphony began its 36th season in September 2023. Maestro Ryan Murray embarked on his second season as Music Director & Conductor. He is continuing to charm audiences with his grace and style and fulfilling patrons with beautiful music as he leads our orchestra toward new heights. Younger and more diverse orchestra members are finding a home with the Auburn Symphony and enjoying the unique qualities our community orchestra brings to our town! Exciting solo artists, a taste of opera and a thrilling season finale experience deliver top-level entertainment right here in the foothills of the Sierras.
Music builds community, and we are excited to continue to find significant ways to partner with other arts organizations, highlighting the professional levels of art experiences that surround us. We continue working with Placer Artists Tour artists to choose local artwork for our marketing materials all season. The second annual “Symphony & Art in the Park” brought the largest crowd ever to this beloved outdoor event, with 1,500 attendees enjoying art in nature. Combining the visual and performing arts is a natural enhancement to our collective senses. This year, we will be adding a new outdoor experience in spring 2023, partnering with land conservationists to bring the arts right out into the fields and amongst the trees!
Our Youth Education and Community Outreach programs are thriving and in action, with lots happening in 2024. We bring our orchestra of 20 musicians and a youth conductor straight to students in the classroom, exposing them to unparalleled musical education. An interactive and relevant assembly excites the imagination of children, culminating with a special invitation to our Family Concert in February featuring guest narrator Omari Tau, who joined us for The Conductor's Spellbook, by Paul Dooley. The 2023 Grand Prize winner of our Young Artists Competition, Benjamin Jiang, shone brightly in a cello concerto by Samuel Barber. Our 2024 Young Artists Competition in February brought us a new grand prize winner, Jenna Son, who will enjoy the opportunity of performing with a full orchestra at our Family concert in February 2025. This year, we have returned to local senior housing facilities to provide music and stimulation to this significant population.
Our donors sustain us and support us in moving our mission forward: “To enrich and engage our community, across all generations, through the gift of music." Unrestricted donations help us achieve all of our organizational goals. With a lean but mighty staff and a dedicated group of working board members and volunteers, we work together in a fiscally responsible manner with our mission central to every decision we make. Through our concerts, our partnerships with local arts & non-profit organizations, and our outreach programs, we continue to champion the cause of bringing beautiful live classical music to our patrons, school children, seniors, talented musical youth, and our community-at-large.
The Auburn Symphony is committed to a deeper exploration of the principals of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within our community. We acknowledge that everyone we serve is inherently unique, and we strive to recognize our differences and our commonalities. As an organization, we are committed to providing an environment that is inclusive, respectful, fair, and transparent for our musicians, patrons, staff, and volunteers. We pledge to work towards consensus-building through collaboration with other arts organizations, seeking interactions and conversations that will lead to learning opportunities.
As such, we will:
• Examine the make-up of our staff and board, with a goal of hiring and recruiting practices that will represent a wider representation of our community.
• Review our music and educational outreach programming with a focus on inclusion.
• Partner with other arts organizations who share a DEI learning journey and support their work and engage in collaborative projects.
View our current participation opportunities.
In-Person Event
A Celebration of the Arts!
Central Square Art Park
May 2, 2024 - May 3, 2024
Organization name
Auburn Symphony
other names
Auburn Civic Symphony
1988
Tax id (EIN)
93-1039723
Mission Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Operating Budget
$250,001-$500,000
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted
Demographics Served
General population
Local Counties Served
Placer
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
985 Lincoln Wy. #102Other
P.O. Box 74Placer, CA, US
Nevada, CA, US
Sacramento, CA, US
El Dorado, CA, US
Yuba, CA, US