For more than four decades, the Hershey Symphony Orchestra has entertained music lovers throughout Central Pennsylvania. The Hershey Symphony is an orchestra of accomplished musicians, voluntarily giving of their time and talents for the purpose of creating a cultural experience both for community/personal enrichment and enjoyment. The orchestra is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and its 80 members come from a wide area of Eastern and Central Pennsylvania. They rehearse weekly and perform throughout the year in a season that includes four subscription concerts and an annual POPS feature at the Hershey Theatre, an Annual "Shall We Dance" Benefit Gala and many special performances at community locations. In addition,  the orchestra's  popular spinoff, the Hershey Symphony Big Band continues to entertain audiences across Pennsylvania.

 

Concert programs include music from all periods and styles – classical to romantic, baroque to contemporary, symphonic to Broadway – exposing both the musicians and audiences to a wide variety of musical literature. Making a special effort to honor local talent, the orchestra has featured many local musicians and musical organizations as guest soloists.

 

The Hershey Symphony currently sponsors two annual programs for youth music education. The Orchestra's Festival Strings Program provides an opportunity for middle-school children from Central Pennsylvania to meet and form a temporary youth string orchestra, and then to give a formal concert for the public. This program is designed for beginning musicians who are not yet sufficiently skilled to be a part of a formal area youth orchestra. This program fills a void for musicians at this level. The Young Artist Competition strives to foster young artists with superior musical abilities who reside in South Central Pennsylvania.