Dundee Symphony Orchestra is the performing name of Dundee Orchestral Society.

The Society was founded in 1893 by a group of enthusiastic amateur performers. There has been a continuous thread of concert giving since then.

The only period in the Orchestra's history when it did not perform or rehearse was during the Second World War. The orchestra is funded through private and charitable donations, subscriptions from members and by grants from Making Music and the Scottish Arts Council. The orchestra has a core membership of some 75, mostly amateur, players. Extra players are brought in when necessary.

Our patron is Nicola Benedetti (view press release here) and the society is affiliated to 'Making Music (Scotland)'.

The Orchestra usually performs three concerts per season, the first in November and the second in March and the third in June. Look at the Archive page to see the wide and interesting range of pieces we have played over the years, including some first performances of works commissioned by the orchestra. We have had a number of excellent soloists performing favourite concertos, including Allan Neave on guitar, Murray MacLachlan, Christopher Gough – French Horn, Anna Liisa Bezrodny – violin, Clare Shearer – mezzo, Caroline Taylor – soprano and Naomi Boole Masterson – cello. We like to support young local artists when we can. Look at our Next Concerts page for further information.

Start in September and are held on Monday evenings at The Music Centre, Bell Street, Dundee from 7:30pm to 9:45pm. Our Annual General Meeting is held on about the third Monday of September, in our rehearsal premises. If you are interested in joining the orchestra as a player, look in our Contacts page for how to get in touch. We are always looking for new members in every section, and particularly string players and percussionists, who are good enough to be able to contribute to the success of our concerts, approx grade 6 level, and to benefit from playing regularly in our orchestra.