The Dallas Symphony Orchestra's beginnings can be traced to May 22, 1900, when a 40-member ensemble performed under the direction of German-born conductor Hans Kreissig. Kreissig led the Orchestra for five seasons and helped to finance the organization.

In the ensuing years, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra began to grow into a major American orchestra under the leadership of such eminent conductors as Walter J. Fried, Carl Venth, Paul Van Katwiik and Jacques Singer. In 1945, the Dallas Symphony took great strides under the direction of Conductor Antal Dorati. Dorati transformed the ensemble into a fully professional, first-rate orchestra that won national attention through a series of RCA recordings, expanded repertoire, more concerts and several national network radio broadcasts. Dorati had a worthy and vigorous successor in American Walter Hendl, music director from 1949 to 1958. Hendl's successors included such major musical figures as Paul Kletzki, Sir Georg Solti, Donald Johanos, Anshel Brusilow, Max Rudolf and Louis Lane.

In 1977, Mexican-born Eduardo Mata was appointed music director and conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Under his guidance, the Orchestra enjoyed many successes, including recording contracts with RCA and Dorian, two Carnegie Hall performances, a performance at the Kennedy Center, a 15-concert European tour, three concerts in Mexico City and three concerts in Singapore. When Mata retired in June of 1993, he had the longest tenure as music director in the Orchestra's history and was named conductor emeritus of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

During Mata's tenure, in addition to excelling creatively, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra saw the dedication of its permanent home, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. You can read the full history of the Meyerson here.

In December of 1992, the Dallas Symphony Association named a young American, Andrew Litton, to succeed Mata as music director and conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Litton embarked on an ambitious program to significantly raise the Orchestra's international standing. He launched the Dallas Symphony's first television venture, the Amazing Music family concert series, made numerous recordings with the DSO including Mahler's Symphony No. 5 and Gramophone magazine's Editor's Choice Award-winning Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos, had several performances at Carnegie Hall, three European tours and a summer residency at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

Following Litton's departure, the DSO named Jaap van Zweden as its new music director. The 2008-2009 season marks van Zweden's first, which includes two world premiers, works by modern and classic composers and the complete Madama Butterfly in concert.

Musicians

• Harold Nogle, Jr.: clarinet
• Christopher Runk: bass clarinet, clarinet
• Jean Weger Larson: flute
• Haley Hoops: french horn
• Nicole Cash: french horn
• Kevin Finamore: trumpet
• Phillip Graham: trombone
• Kalman Cherry: timpani
• Douglas Howard: percussion
• Ronald Snider: percussion
• Daniel Florio: percussion
• Delmar Pettys: violin
• Ellen Rose: viola
• Gary Levinson: violin
• Alexandra Adkins: violin
• Barbara Hustis: viola
• Jan Mark Sloman: violin
• Motoi Takeda: violin
• Sho-mei Pelletier: violin
• Anne Marie Hudson: viola
• Diane Kitzman: violin
• Bing Wang: violin
• Kay Gardner: viola
• Bruce Patti: violin
• Mitta Angell: viola
• Maria Schleuning: violin
• Kay Buchbinder: violin
• Pamela Askew: viola
• Susan Ager: violin
• Lauren Charbonneau: violin
• Caroline Clayton: viola
• Joan Davis: violin
• Janet Cherry: violin
• Thomas Demer: viola
• Arkady Fomin: violin
• Valerie Dimond: viola
• Sarah Hardesty: violin
• Heidi Itashiki: violin
• John Geisel: viola
• Kristin Jutras: violin
• Andrzej Kapica: violin
• Jaap van Zweden: conductor, music director
• David Schultz: viola
• Mary Reynolds: violin
• Shu Lee: violin
• Andrew Schast: violin
• William Scobie: violin
• Daphne Volle: violin
• Dawn Stahler: violin
• Brice Wittrig: violin
• Nicolas Tsolainos: double bass
• Tom Lederer: double bass
• Yuri Anshelevish: cello
• Jolyon Pegis: cello
• Michael Coren: cello
• Daniel Levine: cello
• Mildred McShane: cello
• Christopher Adkins: cello
• Clifford Spohr: double bass
• Alan Yanofsky: double bass
• David Sywak: viola
• Susan Dederich-Pejovic: harp
• Roger Fratena: double bass
• Ronald Hudson: violin
• Paula Holmes Fleming: double bass
• Elizabeth Patterson: double bass
• Dwight Shambley: double bass
• John Myers: cello
• Kari Nostbakken: cello
• David Heyde: french horn
• Thomas Booth: trumpet
• James Nickel: french horn
• Paul Capehart: french horn
• Darren McHenry: bass trombone, trombone
• Peter Steffens: cello
• Gregory Raden: clarinet
• Paul Garner: clarinet
• Deborah Baron: flute
• Kara Kirkendoll: flute
• Willa Henigman: oboe
• Eric Barr: oboe
• Erin Hannigan: oboe
• David Matthews: english horn, oboe
• Wilfred Roberts: bassoon
• Scott Walzel: bassoon
• Peter Grenier : bassoon, contra bassoon
• Gregory Hustis: french horn
• John Kitzman: trombone
• Matthew Good: tuba
• L. Russell Campbell: trumpet
• Christopher Still: trumpet
• Emanuel Borok: concertmaster, violin

Former members

• Andrew Litton: conductor, music director

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