During the 2019-2020 season, the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 80th anniversary. Now a modern orchestra with about 100 musicians, the RSO has grown light years from the 28 musicians who played in the inaugural concert in the spring of 1940 with the likewise fledgling Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Company.

It has been joyous musical journey through a vast repertoire of music, under the guidance of a long Line of skilled and devoted conductors.As good musicians proliferated after World War II, the number and quality of players increased. Many of the area’s public and private school music teachers assisted in this advance by joining the orchestra over the years.

From the start, the RSO was blessed with conductors who had friendly connections throughout the professional music world, resulting in the many guest appearances by excellent world-class soloists. Ridgewood andenvirons also proved to have a sterling collection of professional and student musicians.

A clear highlight in the orchestra’s history was its appearance in two of the legendary musical venues in New York City. The orchestra was invited to play at Avery Fisher Hall in 1992, and at Carnegie Hall in both 1992 and 1998.

At present, the orchestra’s home base is the recently remodeled and acoustically impressive West Side Presbyterian Church at South Monroe Avenue in Ridgewood. With new music director and conductor, Kyunghun Kim, the orchestra is looking forward in the latter part of its first century to continue to bring fine music to the appreciative communities in Ridgewood and beyond. Read Full History