Walla Walla Symphony Records, 1897-2012

The Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra claims to be the oldest continuously operating symphony west of the Mississippi. Its Board of Directors was formed July 1, 1907. In a second meeting on September 6 of that year, it appointed Edgar Fischer as conductor. Fischer had just resigned as director of the Whitman College Conservatory of Music. The first concert on December 12, 1907, began with Mozart's "Magic Flute." The orchestra's early performances took place in the Keylor Grand Theatre. With a seating capacity of 1,300, it was considered one of the largest and finest theatres in the Northwest. The orchestra performed in other auditoriums through the years before making their home in Whitman's Cordiner Hall in 1967, where they continue to perform regularly.