Operating since 1976, the Kamloops Symphony is a fully professional orchestra with an annual operating budget of over $1 million, a significant achievement for an orchestral music organization in a region of just over 100,000 residents.
The primary purpose of the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra (KSO) is to engage and enrich the citizens of Kamloops and the Thompson Valley Region of Interior British Columbia through music. Considered a cornerstone of the cultural fabric of Kamloops, the Symphony’s primary activity is the presentation of high quality professional orchestral concerts. Historically, this has been accomplished through the presentation of nine to ten annual programs, and up to eighteen performances in Kamloops and the neighbouring city of Salmon Arm.
An important part of the Symphony’s mandate is to provide educational opportunities for the citizens of Kamloops. The Symphony also presents concerts for school children, and educational presentations in public and private district schools. Since 2002, the Kamloops Symphony Music School, a division under the Kamloops Symphony, has provided opportunities for music education to citizens of the region, and given further employment opportunities to local musicians. The school has extended our community connections and helped attract professional musicians to live and work in Kamloops.