PRESENTING SPONSOR

HISTORY

Coachella Valley Symphony was originally founded in 1964 as Desert Symphony by the late Thomas Mancini, as a joint project with College of the Desert.

Following the death of his wife Mary in 1971, Tom retreated from the desert community, and the orchestra continued sporadically under a variety of names and guest conductors. Tom returned in 1980 and re-established the orchestra under his own name. In 1993, through the tireless efforts of Jeannette Banoczi, the orchestra was re-founded yet again, this time as Coachella Valley Symphony, to reflect a broader representation of the area. In 1995, Tom Mancini passed the baton to current music director and conductor, Christian Chalifour, now in his thirteenth season with the orchestra.

Made up almost entirely of desert community residents, the 70-piece orchestra offers a wide variety of classical and pops music, performing six main concert events each season, a subscription series of four concerts at Sun City Palm Desert, and two special benefit events.

The Coachella Valley Symphony Educational Outreach Program began in 1995, when Jeannette Banoczi founded the Buddy Rogers Youth Syphony as a full orchestra experience for the young musicians of our valley. The program expanded in 1997 with the initiation of the Beginning String Conservatory to offer beginning stringed-instrument instruction to elementary school students, completely free of charge. Coachella Valley Symphony also awards scholarships each season to assist student musicians with private study.

MISSION STATEMENT

It is the mission of Coachella Valley Symphony to perpetuate live symphonic music, and to enhance the cultural texture of our desert community. We remain dedicated to musical excellence by maintaining public performance venues for both local accomplished musicians with Coachella Valley Symphony, and also young emerging musicians with the Buddy Rogers Youth Symphony.

String instrument group instruction is also provided through our Beginning Strings Conservatory at no charge. In addition, Coachella Valley Symphony awards scholarships to promising students for continued private instrumental instruction. Thus, we enrich our children's lives by promoting creativity, aesthetic awareness, and cultural growth.