Thalia Symphony Orchestra

The Thalia Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1948, making it one of the oldest community orchestras in Seattle.

The name Thalia comes from the muses of ancient Greece. The muse Thalia presided over comedy and lyric poetry. With this inspiration in mind, Thalia Allied Artists was founded in 1949, primarily to produce opera. The name was significant to them as it refers to the great variety of art involved in opera and shows loyalty to the Greco-Roman ideals of artistic excellence. The organization included an orchestra needed to support operatic productions, which they named Thalia Symphony.

Thalia’s first season included Madame Butterfly and Englebert Humperdinck’s short opera Hansel and Gretel. After that season its leaders [...]

The Thalia Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1948, making it one of the oldest community orchestras in Seattle.

The name Thalia comes from the muses of ancient Greece. The muse Thalia presided over comedy and lyric poetry. With this inspiration in mind, Thalia Allied Artists was founded in 1949, primarily to produce opera. The name was significant to them as it refers to the great variety of art involved in opera and shows loyalty to the Greco-Roman ideals of artistic excellence. The organization included an orchestra needed to support operatic productions, which they named Thalia Symphony.

Thalia’s first season included Madame Butterfly and Englebert Humperdinck’s short opera Hansel and Gretel. After that season its leaders recognized that full opera productions exceeded their long-term capability, and they reduced their scope to production of the smaller musical theater pieces. Their other offerings ranged from chamber music, choral presentations, and symphonic music to youth and adult education. Their community workshops covered dramatics, poetry writing, music appreciation, singing, and even folk dancing and puppetry. In time, the orchestra became the centerpiece of TAA’s operations.

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