History of the Southen Great Lakes Symphony
Southern Great Lakes Symphony (SGLS) was founded in 1954 by Arthur Stephan. Originally the Allen Park Symphony, it changed its name in 1995 to reflect the growing breadth of its audience base; the sources of its talent and membership; and its area of desired impact. In 2005 we celebrated our 50th Anniversary.
The decade, under the leadership of its charismatic and highly talented Music /Artistic Director, Charles Greenwell, have been a time of increasing professionalism. Mr. Greenwell has given strong direction to an increasing repertoire and is a master of artistic control. Performers benefit from his solid musical direction. Downriver audiences enjoy his engaging and educational comments about music being performed.
The orchestra performs its subscription concerts at Flat Rock Community Auditorium, which serves as the orchestra’s home venue. The orchestra’s outreach continues to evolve along with the community, having featured programs for the holidays, young people, in-school, the Nutcracker and others.
The orchestra continues to grow with an increase in volunteers, subscribers, contributors, musicians, soloists and performances. In an effort to attract more diversity in the age of our audience, the orchestra has begun several programs to introduce individuals to the orchestra. Most notably is Downriver Idol in which many musicians from the Downriver area try out for the opportunity to perform with the Southern Great Lakes Symphony.
The symphony is funded by grants, concert subscriptions, donations, and fund-raising events.
As Congressman John Dingell once said, “the SGLS is one of Downriver’s true treasures.”
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