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Madison Symphony Orchestra: Historical Images
In most cases, these are images from the MSO Archives, or from my personal collection. These may be used freely, though please let me know. In other cases, I may ask that you seek permission from the owners. Note that, in nearly every case, these images and the events noted are discussed at greater length in A Century of the Madison Symphony Orchestra.


The Madison Civic Symphony at its first performance, on December 14, 1926, in the Central High School Auditorium. Music director Sigfrid Prager and vocal soloist Esther Dale are standing at center. [MSO Archives]

 

The Madison Civic Chorus, with members of the Madison Maennerchor, at an early performance, in December 1930 at Christ Presbyterian Church.  Sigfrid Prager, and Maennerchor director Alexius Baas are standing at left. [MSO Archives]



Sigfrid Prager, music director, 1926-1948, in ca.1931. [Allsen Collection]



Madison Civic Music Festival May 3, 1932 in the UW Stock Pavilion.  [MSO Archives]



Scene from the Madison Civic Music production of Faust, in December 1932 in the Parkway Theater,  [MSO Archives]



Cover from a program for the WPA Symphony Orchestra (Milwaukee, May 5, 1940). The silhouette is of Sigfrid Prager [MSO Archives]



Madison Civic Symphony rehearsal, 1946.[MSO Archives]



Madison Civic Chorus rehearsal, 1946.[MSO Archives]



Music director Sigfid Prager, ca. 1948. [Allsen Collection]



Sigfrid Prager's farewell concert (Beethoven, Missa Solemnis), Mat 23, 1948 in the UW Stock Pavilion [MSO Archives]



Walter Heermann, music director 1948-1961, ca.1948. [MSO Archives]



Madison Civic Symphony and Chorus, with vocal soloist Nan Merriman, May 8, 1949 in the Masonic Temple Auditorium [MSO Archives]



Walter Heermann and the Madison Civic Symphony in rehearsal in the Vocational School, 1953. [MSO Archives]



Roland Johnson, music director 1961-1994, in 1962. [MSO Archives]



Madison Civic Symphony with Roland Johnson on May 6, 1962 (pops concert) in the Dane County Youth Building. [MSO Archives]



Arline Johnson (bottom left) rehearsing members of the  Madison Civic Opera Workshop in 1962 [MSO Archives]



Madison Civic Chorus, filling the stage of the Central High School Auditorium in December 1962. The orchestra, not seen in this photo, was seated on the floor. [MSO Archives]



Madison Symphony Orchestra with Roland Johnson in the UW Stock Pavilion, ca. 1972. [MSO Archives]



Outdoor "Brown Bag" concert on the Capitol Square, August 21, 1974 [MSO Archives]



Live broadcast on WHA-TV, September 1974 [MSO Archives]



Madison Symphony. Orchestra with Roland Johnson in the Oscar Mayer Theatre, 1982 [MSO Archives]



Scene from Act I of Hagen, Shining Brow, in the premier production by the Madison Opera, April 1993. [MSO Archives]



John DeMain, music director 1994-2026, at a February 1994 press conference following the announcement of his appointment [MSO Archives]



Roland Johnson's farewell program, in the front page of the Wisconsin State Journal, May 15, 1994. [by permission, Capital Newspapers]



Roland Johnson and John DeMain, 1994 [MSO Archives/Katrin Talbot]



Madison Symphony Chorus, with chorus director Alan Rieck and Chorus Manager/Accompanist Ann Stanke, in First Congregational Church, 1994



Roland Johnson, 2000. Publicity photo for Johnson's return to the podium to conduct Jubilare!, a work by John Stevens written to celebrate the orchestra's 75th anniversary. It opened the 2000-2001 season. [MSO Archives/Katrin Talbot]



Demolition of the 200 block of State Street, seen from Fairchild Street in 2001. The structure on the far end of the block is the shell of the Oscar Mayer Theatre, which is the only large part of the 1980 Madison Civic Center that was not razed, It continued to serve as the venue for the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Opera, and others until the opening of Overture Hall in 2004. [MSO Archives]



Madison Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the Oscar Mayer Theatre, 2003. [MSO Archives]



JohnDeMain, 2001 [MSO Archives]



The Overture Concert Organ under construction, April 2004.



The Madison Symphony Orchestra and John DeMain in Overture Hall, 2023.



John DeMain, 2023