This orchestra began in Minnesota as the Duluth Civic Orchestra in the house of the music teacher Alphin Flaaten in 1931 and performed its first concert under the conductorship of Walter Lange in 1932. It was met with such support that it took on Paul Lemay as a full time conductor who was previously Assistant Conductor and Principal Violist with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra.
In December 1932 they held their first concert under the leadership of Pau Lemay and soon after the Duluth Symphony Association was founded. At first the concerts were held at the Duluth Armory before moving to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center Auditorium in 1966.
The orchestra’s name was changed in the 1970s when it officially became known as the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra during the 1974-5 season. Since then the orchestra comprises up to 100 musicians and has often been joined by several top soloists in their symphonic concerts. It is also often joined by the DSSO Symphony Chorus for performances of choral music.
Over the years it has been led by 9 music directors that have included Tauno Hannikainenm from 1942 to 1947, Joseph Wagner from 1947 to 1950, Hermann Herz from 1950 to 1967, Joseph Hawthorne from 1967 to 1977, Taavo Virkhaus from 1977 to 1994, Yong-yan Hu from 1995 to 2000, Markand Thakar from 2001 to 2013 and Dirk O. Meyer has continued to lad them since 2013.
Sources:
- https://dsso.com/about/
- https://dsso.com/symphony-chorus/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duluth_Superior_Symphony_Orchestra
- https://www.exploreminnesota.com/profile/duluth-superior-symphony-orchestra/1772
- https://decc.org/venue/symphony-hall/