Testimonials
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We moved to Manitowoc 5 years ago and started attending the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra shortly thereafter. We were impressed by the variety, quality and excellence of their musical performances and of the sensational venue of the Capitol Civic Center theater. We quickly became season ticket holders and passed along our enthusiasm to our friends and family who have also now joined us in this rewarding adventure. To anyone who is considering joining these great performances, please run, don’t walk to the box office now to become members of this great organization.
— James Day & Josef Cibulka
I attended the MSO on April 13th, 2024, and was very impressed with the performance. I am a huge fan of Rachmaninoff and totally loved the performance.
The Beethoven Egmont Overture was a new experience for me and Dylan’s explanation of the music was very informative. The Brahms’ Symphony was also delightful. I am a season ticket holder at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and support the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra whenever possible. Wisconsin is very blessed to have 2 great Orchestras to choose from and enjoy!
— Jane Mendelblatt, Glendale, WI
A breathtaking performance. Thank you for all the hard work to bring classical music to our community. The MSO is a jewel!!
— Laurie R.
I have had nothing but good experiences with the Manitowoc Symphony orchestra. I enjoy their song choices, as there is typically true classical classics mixed in with more modern/contemporary works. I am also a fan of the instrumentation, and I like watching the sections each in relation to each other throughout the songs. The concept of having themed concerts is also cool, because it gets you into the “immersion” of it all, like the time there was Japanese ephemera in the foyer combined with the pieces performed by a Japanese composer.
— Teak Prigge, age 19
I began performing with the Manitowoc Symphony as a high school sophomore over 50 years ago! I feel honored to have had the experience of performing with our symphony under the direction of its founder, Karl Miller, Wayne Wildman, and now Dylan Chmura-Moore! An orchestra cannot flourish without good conductors … and we’ve had the best! I’m fortunate to live in a community that offers this type of experience for its local musicians. I must add that it’s extremely rewarding for me, a retired MPSD orchestra teacher, to be able to perform side by side with former students! There’s nothing like it!
— Joan Geraldson
Violinist
The MSO is a tremendous gift to the Manitowoc/Two Rivers Lakeshore area. Local musicians collaborate with other professionals to make beautiful music under the direction of Dylan Chmura-Moore.
— Sr. Carol Ann Gambsky
MSO Board Member
I love how the MSO adds a different experience to my daily life. The arts are so important to being well-rounded. It is also a great experience hearing all the talent Manitowoc offers.
— Keegan Bartow
MSO Board Member
The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra is an absolute gem. To find this much talent in such a small community is rare and wonderful.
— Kelly Dvorak
MSO Board Member
MSO concerts provide a vacation in music and an escape to the middle of one’s soul.
— Paul “Biff” Hansen
MSO Board Member
The MSO restores my love for symphonic music and gives me two hours to forget about life and work, and just enjoy!
— Betsy Maliborski
MSO Board Member
What a fabulous concert last night…Who needs to ever go to Chicago for symphony! It’s all right here. We loved it.
— John & Bernie Zimmer
I like to listen to sad music when I am down. I do not want some upbeat music to cheer me up; I want sad music because it gives me permission to be sad.
Music is like that; it allows us to experience our thoughts and feelings without words. While any musical genre can communicate, I find that symphonic music stands alone in its power, breadth and depth. Without words, it tells the human story.
The fact that we have live symphonic music in Manitowoc is our unique opportunity. Take advantage of these skilled musicians and listen to their story. In fact, consider this thought: invite a friend to accompany you to a concert. See if you can get seats up front. From this location, you can feel the power of the kettle drums. You can watch the violinists as they set their strings in motion. Sometimes, in the beam of the stage spotlights, you can see the rosin fly off the bow as the vibrating strings create a note.
In a very short time, the music gets inside of you; it reaches into your heart and brain. As you listen and appreciate the talent of these musicians, you and your guest may realize that the story they are telling might be your own.
— John M Jagemann
MSO Board Member
I love being 3rd Horn in our Manitowoc Symphony because of the warmth and camaraderie of all our musical family. The warmth and love of making beautiful music together is always an inspiration to me. I love making music in our newly renovated home which is always a joy and pleasure to make music in.
I have played in the MSO for ten to twelve years now and subbed here in the 1980s under Manuel Prestimo. It has been a pleasure working under Wayne Wildman and I am looking forward to I hope many inspirational years under our new music director Dylan Thomas Chumura-Moore. I count my membership in our MSO a true blessing.
— Erwin E. Lackner/3rd Horn
The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra
The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra is a unique cultural opportunity that many do not get to We have been supporters of the MSO for many years, going back to the late 1980’s when Karl Miller was the conductor. Our high school daughter was a violinist with the orchestra. The orchestra was a treasure then and continuing through the years with Wayne at the helm and now with Dylan. There’s nothing quite as moving as hearing a symphony in person—the swell of the strings as they move into a phrase and the sounds of the horns and brass as they take the music to its crescendo. Our community is truly blessed to have such a wonderful cultural opportunity.
— Jim and Janet Garrett
Janet is a former MSO Board Member
The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra is a unique cultural opportunity that many do not get to experience in smaller communities like ours. I’ve had the great fortune of being able to engage with Manitowoc’s musical history and support the orchestra we are so lucky to have. The concerts, events, music and performers are one of a kind!
— Amy Townsend
MSO Board Member
They refer to the Capitol Civic Centre as the “Jewel on the Lakeshore”. That is certainly true, but equally true is that that is primarily thanks to the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra. Ever since we moved to the Manitowoc area we have loved the MSO and became members within the year. We continue to look forward to the MSO performances each season. Every show turns out to be a special event. Upon entering the building one is greeted by Tom Drill, the most popular and utmost friendly person in Manitowoc. His warm and personal greeting is usually followed by a very interesting and educational talk by Jim Miller, providing you with special details and general knowledge of the night’s program. The performance itself turns out to be a highlight: the Maestro, as well as the musicians, are all excellent and extremely professional.
You expect this type of accomplishment in Chicago or New York and begin to realize what a special treat you are experiencing to have this available in Manitowoc.
After the performance, the audience is invited to come to the Mertens Lounge for refreshments and to mingle with the Maestro, performers and friends. A genuinely nice end to a fabulously special and social evening.
— Mary and Rein Elias
December 2020
The MSO brings elegance and dignity to downtown Manitowoc. For 70 years they have been a draw to those that want to experience the charm of our community while capping their evening with a world-class show in the Jewel of the Lakeshore. While humbly performing musical perfection, they are aiding the city not only with their outreach but with the financial gains to local businesses from their superb patrons. I, for one, could not be more grateful and honored to be a small part of their significance.
— Brock Weyer
Co-owner, Courthouse Pub
“I relocated… from Los Angeles specifically because of the richness and variety of performing arts offerings here, and for the beautiful venue which anchors live performance on the Lakeshore. This is not a typical community; we have treasures far beyond what is normal for our size. The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra is very much one of these treasures— enriching all those who partake, as well as elevating this community’s quality of life.”
— Matthew Schliesman
Former Executive Director,
Capitol Civic Centre
Coming up to Manitowoc from the “big city” I was very surprised to find a symphony of the quality and depth of the MSO. Watching Wayne “Wild”man with his flying hair as he conducted the orchestra was hypnotic. As the years passed, my admiration only grew. Now that the “baton” has been passed to Dylan, I’m sure we will have many wonderful years filled with music and events. What a jewel on the lakeshore.
— Karen Steingraber
MSO Former Board Member
Committee Member and Supporter
“When I was growing up in small towns across the South, we always had music in our house—everything from jazz to Broadway to big band, and more. Stacks and stacks of records that my parents listened to almost every night. I loved singing with the singable ones… but my favorites were the classical music albums. I’d lie on the sofa, close my eyes, and let the music take me to places I’d only read about or seen in movies. Every piece would conjure a different vista, and I’d move through it however the music took me. But those were only records. Imagine, then, the total wonder I felt upon hearing a live symphony orchestra for the very first time! The richness and warmth of sound in that auditorium flowed through my very soul and penetrated clear through to my spine. That was many years ago, in a city eight times the size of Manitowoc, but whose orchestra was smaller and less talented than our own MSO.
The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra is an incredible gift we give—not only to our community, for its pure entertainment and educational value—but also to ourselves, in an art form that enriches all of our lives with its ability to take us beyond ourselves. So… sit back and enjoy the music!”
— D.J. Lucas
My dad, Karl Miller, brought my mom and me to Manitowoc shortly after I was born to fulfill his dream of starting a civic symphony orchestra. My earliest recollections are how big everything and everyone was. In high school I was a member of the orchestra playing the cello. As an adult working in Arizona, I was a long-distance admirer. Now that I am back in Manitowoc, I am involved again as a patron.
The MSO is a community gem. Please through attending concerts, volunteering, participating in its fundraisers, and making donations to the MSO choose to help support this wonderful organization as It approaches its 70th birthday.
— Mark Barkley Miller
We have been season ticket holders for the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra for the past 10 years. Attending the concerts has increased our understanding and appreciation for classical music and the musicianship necessary to create the beautiful concerts. We are so proud of our symphony that we often ask out of town friends to attend with us. These guests can’t believe that we have this level of quality music in our community. The MSO is another reason to be proud to live in Manitowoc.
— Carole and Charles Starck
I’ve attended a few hundred symphony concerts since college, with many performed by over a dozen different major professional European and American orchestras. Even with that background, I am continually astounded that this city of only 35,000 can produce performances with this degree of quality and enthusiasm. Each concert is an “event night” for Laurale and myself- including dinner downtown, socializing with friends, and enjoying the concert in the beautiful, newly renovated Capitol Civic Centre. We are happy to support the MSO financially as well, to help keep this great local cultural asset thriving.
— John & Laurale Stern
Thank you for the many years of enjoyment you have provided to my family. My wife and I were pleased that our children gained an additional level of appreciation for music via the MSO. We’d like to thank the numerous volunteers along with the orchestra, for their effort and time given to the community.
— Jay Orvis
We feel fortunate to be able to attend concerts given by The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra right here in our own community. The quality of performances is excellent with content varied. Their programs include pieces that appeal to a wide variety of audiences. We look forward to each new season.
— E. Jane Lohmeyer
We look forward to our date nights in Manitowoc. A great dinner at one of the city’s many restaurants, a little shopping, and of course, the always-entertaining symphony concert at your beautiful CCC.
— The Paces
Our support for the Manitowoc Symphony is fueled by the creative, fresh and interesting music selections brought to each and every performance. We totally enjoy every concert we attend. The talent in the orchestra is outstanding. We are looking forward to this season.
— Linda Justema & Jim Konitzer
MSO supporters and and concert goers
Playing in the MSO is something I really enjoy because it gives me the chance to do what I love—playing music. Not only that, but I am happy that I am able to help represent Manitowoc as a high school student with a Symphony Orchestra filled with many talented musicians I have created great relationships with.
— Alyssa Barker, Lincoln High School Student
and member of the Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra
We enjoy all kinds of music particularly in live performance. The Manitowoc Symphony Orchestra has consistently delighted us with variety and versatility. Every season we are amazed at the musical talent of individual artists and the ensemble available in our little community. The M.S.O. is a treasure. As always, we look forward to another hugely entertaining season.
— Phil and Susan Murtaugh