The fifty musicians who presented the premiere concert of the Pioneer Valley Symphony in the Greenfield High School auditorium on December 10, 1939, became an organization that has enhanced the cultural life of thousands of music lovers here in Western Massachusetts for more than 65 years. When Alexander Leslie, the first conductor, led that group of dedicated and devoted amateur musicians through those early seasons and provided a wide ranging community with the opportunity to listen to and participate in music making of the highest quality, he established a tradition — a tradition of imaginative, creative, challenging programs that offered listeners the finest works from the symphonic repertoire. The enthusiasm and commitment of those "pioneer symphonists" prompted the NY Herald Tribune music critic, Virgil Thomson, to write: "The program was distinguished, the playing admirable. Rarely have I heard an amateur orchestral concert so glowing with musical life."

That observation and praise is certainly applicable to today’s Pioneer Valley Symphony & Chorus. The musical forces assembled throughout the seasons past have presented programs that exemplify the raison d’ętre for PVS — the love of making music. This season, which continues our tradition of providing exciting and challenging programs for an appreciative audience, promises much more of the same.