St. Louis Civic Orchestra

The St. Louis Civic Orchestra is a true civic orchestra of 65 amateur and professional musicians devoted to their musical avocation, the performance of traditional, holiday and pops orchestral music. Its mission is to promote and preserve the world's greatest musical creations through live performances by exceptional musicians in the community.

The Orchestra, founded in 1949, performs at venues in the Saint Louis area such as the Purser Center at Logan University and the Ritenour Auditorium on the campus of Ritenour High School.

For over 70 years, the St. Louis Civic Orchestra has been an important part of the St. Louis metro arts community. Founded in a living room as a string trio, the orchestra gave its first performance on April 20, 1949. The 'Kirkwood Symphony Orchestra' was formally founded days later and grew quickly.

From 2002-2006, the orchestra became known as the Clayton Symphony Orchestra, with an affiliation with the School District of Clayton. The concerts were held at the Clayton High School Auditorium. The group adopted the name "St. Louis Civic Orchestra" for the start of the 2008 - 2009 concert season.

Now, the Civic is over 65 members strong and considers its home the Greater St. Louis Metro Area. The Civic looks forward to being an ongoing and active partner in the cultural and educational St. Louis arts community for many more years.