TEXARKANA MONTHLY
Many times an idea is birthed from a casual conversation. Such
is the case with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra. Remica Gray and Mary Scott Smith, two friends dedicated to promoting music in the Texarkana area, talked about offering live orchestral music locally. Unsure if there was an interest, they inquired about the amount of funding needed for such a venture and formed a committee. The duo asked area music patrons to be founding members by donating a thousand dollars each. Much to their surprise, the response was overwhelming, and they received more money than needed to sponsor the program. They were thrilled! The concept was the beginning of the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra (TSO), a non-profit performing arts initiative organized in 2006 under the leadership of Maestro Marc-André Bougie. It has grown and is now a major part of Texarkana’s music scene, bringing great symphonic music to the four states area. The TSO raises over $500,000 annually and is of vital importance to the economic growth of Texarkana. Sixty plus professional musicians perform during the September to May season and come from Houston, central and northwest Arkansas, Memphis, Tennessee, Shreveport, Louisiana, and Dallas, Texas. The economic impact can be felt locally as orchestra participants and their families spend the concert weekends in our town, bringing income to local hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls. A community that embraces the arts is a major attraction of new businesses to our area and enables the Chamber of Commerce to use it as a selling point for corporations seeking to locate in Texarkana. On more than one
T E X A R K A N A SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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