Welcome to the SDSO 2026-27 season! We've been working long and hard to craft each and every program represented here, so fur us it seems like a long time coming! These concerts have been carefully put together to reflect our community, the city of Sioux Falls,, and the state of South Dakota. You'll find here representations of the work our musicians are doing all year long, deep engagement with schools - kindergarten through university-and partnerships with many, many communities within our city and state.
I am personally invested in these programs, all are near and dear. There is new territory which I am particularly excited about, such as Beethoven's grand Missa solemnis (performed during this 200th anniversary of his death). This is a monumental work, written at the end of his life, during the same period as his 9th symphony. You might ask why it is rarely performed? Because it requires a chorus with the caliber of our superb South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Chorus! We have been working towards this particular piece for many years. We will be joined by the SDSU Concert Choir for our performance in Sioux Falls, which will then be repeated in Brookings.
Susie Ibarra won the Pulitzer Prize in 2025, a Filipinx-American composer originally from Houston, now living in Berlin. Susie and I met last summer and devised a plan for a new work, which will connect with our own Filipino community. Susie will perform also as percussionist, along with flutist Claire Chase, and pianist Alex Peh, with the SDSO. This concert will be a wonderfully musically immersive experience.
There is so much music to be heard and loved during this season. Come - and bring your friends so that they too may discover your wonderful SDSO!
Musically yours,
Delta David Gier
Welcome to the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra's 2026-27 season, and thank you for being part of our musical family. Each new season brings both excitement for the music ahead and deep gratitude for the support that makes it possible. Every concert is more than a performance - it is a reminder of how essential music is to our lives and our community.
Live orchestral music offers a rare experience. It ties us to a living tradition while giving voice to the most innovative musicians of today. In a world saturated with distractions, a concert is a chance to slow down and share something genuinely beautiful together. That shared experience - hundreds of people experience the concert together in the same room - lifts us in ways few other art forms can. I believe communities come to understand themselves more fully through the music they make together. And the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra exemplifies this through their community-focused programming.
Our orchestra is as much a community resource and it is a performing ensemble. For example, the nine full-time musicians who make up the Dakota String Quartet and Dakota Wind Quintet will perform 150 times in hospitals, schools, libraries, and social-service organizations this season. This season, the award-winning Lakota Music Project returns to the mainstage in November after an impactful 6-town statewide tour last year, the orchestra premieres a new work by South Dakota composer Paul Lombardi, and our chorus joins forces with the South Dakota State University concert choir for Beethoven's Missa solemnis. These programs are great examples of how our orchestra is serving our community.
Investing in the next generation of audiences is central to our mission. The SDSO is deeply committed to fostering a lifelong love of music in children and adults alike. Our annual Young People's Concerts are reaching over 4,000 elementary school students annually. The South Dakota Symphony Youth Orchestra has welcomed a dedicated beginning string ensemble director, and we are delighted to introduce our new assistant conductor Sasha Kandybin, who will lead our top ensemble on a trip to Los Angeles in June 2027 to perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Through the SDSO's Music Composition Academy, Native students learn to compose original music, which is then performed by the Dakota String Quartet and Dakota Wind Quintet. This hands-on approach to music education builds concentration, confidence, and pride in these students. For young people, music offers a powerful way to know themselves, express themselves, manage anxiety, and find a sense of belonging in a collaborative, creative environment. It is a life-long gift that helps shape not only skilled musicians but also engaged, creative and successful citizens.
None of this is possible without you. Whether you join us in the concert hall, volunteer your time, or support us philanthropically, your generosity sustains this work. We hope you'll continue to be part of it this season - by attending a concert, making a gift, or simply bringing a friend to experience live music for the first time.
Thank you for celebrating the enduring power of music with us.
With sincere gratitude,
José-Marie Griffiths
President, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors
Chancellor, Dakota State University
Back in 2022, the New Yorker proclaimed the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra as 'one of America's boldest orchestras.' Since then, the SDSO's work has appeared in the New York Times on four occasions, and in other national media like Musical America, the Arts Journal, Opera News, BBC Music Magazine, and even the Chronicle of Philanthropy. We're humbled by the attention, but also asking the important question - what is sparking the attention?
The SDSO ethos is that an orchestra is a vital, essential force for serving, strengthening, and celebrating community. The entire organization is designed for this purpose. Nine full-time musicians who make up the Dakota String Quartet and Dakota Wind Quintet are connecting audiences through music in 150 outreach events every year. These musicians are collaborating with Lakota and Dakota artists for the Lakota Music Project. Delta David Gier intentionally creates concert programs to connect to specific cultural and educational institutions in our region. There is a symbiosis between art and community that isn't just lip service at the SDSO. It's put into practice every day, and it's part of the fabric that makes the SDSO special. The SDSO has been doing this kid of work for a long time, and now, the nation is paying attention.
How does this play on the 2026-27 season?
Scholar in Residence Joseph Horowitz is back in November for "From the New World" which illuminates Native American influence on western orchestra music. This concert features the Lakota Music Project - the Creekside Singers combined with the SDSO-performing in the Mary W. Sommvervold concert hall. To connect studenets to the music, Joseph Horowitz created a Native American inspired program with the Dakota String Quartet who will perform for students at South Dakota State University, Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, and Augustana University prior to their attendance at the November 20 concert. It's a prime example of our Concert Connections program which takes a mainstage program out into the community, to inspire new audiences to come into the concert hall.
You-audiences, donors, and volunteers-you bring the music to life. When you are in the concert hall, the musicians feel your energy and their performance thrives on it! Thank you for brining your enthusiasm and adoration for this great orchestra to every concert. This will be a fantastic year of making music together!
Jennifer Teisinger
Executive Director