Continuing our celebration of Heart and Soul of Golden month, this is the fourteenth in a series of articles describing the histories of Golden Cultural Alliance members. Today we're focusing on the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra.
The Jefferson Symphony is another example of Golden’s amazing volunteer base. The group formed in 1953 as the Golden Chamber Ensemble. Their first concert took place in the old Methodist church building, at 14th and Washington.
They quickly found that many talented musicians wanted to join, and before long they were big enough to change their name from “Golden Ensemble” to “Golden Symphony Orchestra.” Many of the musicians came from outside of Golden, so in 1972 they became the “Jefferson Symphony Orchestra.”
The group has been fortunate in the long-term commitment of its leaders. T. Gordon Parks served as their Music Director and Conductor from 1962-1994. Jack Galland was their business manager for more than 50 years. Dr. Antonia Joy Wilson was their conductor from 1994-1999, and Dr. William Morse led the group from 1999-2022.
The Symphony performed in the auditorium at the Central School (later Mitchell Elementary) until the “new” Golden High School was built in the mid-1950s. They used the high school’s auditorium until the Green Center was built on the School of Mines Campus in 1972. The 1400-seat Bunker Auditorium in the Green Center has been their home for the past 53 years.
For many years, they gave a free summer concert in Parfet Park. Finally, the cost of renting the stage and risers became too much for the organization. They played their last Parfet Concert in 2019.
The Jefferson Symphony Orchestra is celebrating their 72nd season–an amazing accomplishment for an all-volunteer organization!
