Vision
We are a catalyst for a music-infused West Michigan: leading, facilitating, connecting and collaborating with the community to stimulate cultural vibrancy, inclusivity and pride of place.
Mission
West Michigan Symphony connects and enriches our diverse community through the transformative power of music. We fulfill this primarily through three core offerings:
- Professional, live symphonic performances in a welcoming environment
- Inspired small ensemble performances in an immersive live listening room
- Learning activities that enrich the lives of children and adults through exploration, participation and performance
An anchor cultural organization headquartered in Muskegon, WMS is a resident performing group at the Frauenthal Center, where its eight-concert season is the most visible part of a larger artistic enterprise of far-reaching community benefit. At its live listening room The Block, just down the street, it mounts 15 performance events annually featuring jazz, classical and other offerings. WMS concerts and Community Music Encounters learning events bring 16,500 people—more than 30% of whom are children and students—downtown annually, making it the largest performing arts organization on the West Shore. Audiences come from throughout Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent, Oceana and surrounding counties.
Made in Muskegon. 85 years strong. Here's a part of our journey.
When Palmer Quackenbush raised his baton at 8:15 on the night of November 28, 1939, he started a musical legacy that has endured 85 seasons.
Scott Speck was appointed music director. He is the ninth and longest tenured music director of the WMS, and rightly so. Under his direction the artistic quality of the ensemble has reached new heights, his warm, welcoming presence has built community.
The need for live music during wartime spurred the orchestra’s growth. Despite musician loss to military service, the roster grew by recruiting high school students and females
Since opening in 2013, The Block has enhanced downtown Muskegon’s vibrancy, offering a unique live music venue that complements the WMS’s mainstage performances.
The orchestra originally performed at Muskegon High School Auditorium. In 1979 the performances moved to the Frauenthal Theater.
The pandemic emphasized the need for music and community, testing the organization’s adaptability. By July 2020, WMS became the first Michigan orchestra to present a full-length virtual concert.
Music Director Murray Gross’s tenure (1982-2001) helped shape the orchestra you know today. Under his leadership, the orchestra expanded concert offerings, education programs, and distributed its first CD recordings.
In fall 2022, WMS launched Tune Up, an after-school instrumental program based on the El Sistema model. In partnership with Muskegon Public Schools, students in grades 3-8 receive free violin or viola lessons from qualified instructors.
Violinist Joshua Bell joined the orchestra to perform the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Just 19 years old, The Chronicle noted Bell was “a wonder, and an astonishment.” We’re proud to say we knew him when...
WMS has roared back to life since the pandemic. During 23/24, WMS played to its largest audience in more than a decade, celebrated 20 years of Link UP serving 4,000 students and six counties, and expanded the Tune UP afterschool partnership with Muskegon Public Schools.
Your WMS honors and recognizes our most loyal patrons – our subscribers.
You’ve seen the many faces of the orchestra through time, seen us through financial successes and challenges, artistic triumphs and disappointments. But always with unwavering commitment, encouragement and support. You are our greatest fans. Thank you!
