The makeup of the orchestra reflects the community, with university faculty members, farmers, police officers, medical providers, students and a host of others contributing their talents.

“It’s such a great collaboration,” said Ellen Fenner, executive director for the Minot Symphony Association. “It’s all walks of life but they all love the music.”

The symphony traces its roots to a traveling orchestra in 1914. Blaine Allen formed a small group of around a dozen musicians, drawn from the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the group traveled to Minot by train to put on concerts with some of the musically-inclined local citizens, according to a symphony history.

In 1915, Allen met an immigrant Italian violinist named Arturo Petrucci, who was living in Mohall. Allen was an influence prompting Petrucci to move to Minot and lead the orchestra, later becoming an instructor at Minot State Teachers College in 1926 as well as orchestra conductor. The college, now Minot State University, and the symphony have been joined at the hip ever since. Every conductor has been employed by MSU.

File Photo The Blaine Allen Orchestra that performed at the Jacobson Opera House in Minot in 1914 and 1915 provided the spark that flamed to become the Minot Symphony Orchestra

That close association is a big reason for the symphony’s longevity and success, said long-time symphony member David Herzig.

“The relationship between the university and the community with this symphony is truly unique,” he said. “I have never run into another relationship like this any place I have lived, nor have I heard of it happen. We would not have a symphony orchestra like we have without the cooperation of the community and the university.”

In his 35 years with MSU, Petrucci was known as a colorful conductor.

“He was an absolute character, funny, and he could play,” Herzig said. “He was a superb violinist. There’s no question about it.”

A number of conductors followed, and each brought their own personality and sense of musicianship to the role. During the time under Ira Schwartz from 1963 to 1966, the focus was on creating a strong financial base for the orchestra. It was during this time the Minot Symphony Association was formed.

File Photo Nine members of the Minot Symphony Orchestra shown in 1977 are from left: back, Bert Skakoon, Edith Colton, Kennth Starr, Kenneth Amstutz, Judy Spitzer and Joseph Alme; front, Anne Schneider, May Kay Hirsch and Karen Martin.

The legacy of conductor Jerold Sundet, who served for most of the period from 1966 to 1981, was the creation of a “Pops” concert tradition with more popular as well as classical music. At the 1980 pops concert, North Dakota Gov. Arthur Link and his violin joined the orchestra.

“The Messiah” has been performed annually since 1929 – first by the symphony orchestra for many years and later by the Heritage Singers and Voices of Note, although the orchestra still provides instrumental accompaniment.

Under conductor Robert Quebbeman, the first “Scandinavian” concert was performed in 1982. It became the forerunner to the annual Norsk Høstfest concert that now is a tradition.

John Jermiason said a highlight of his years with the symphony occurred about 10 years ago with the organ concerto performance at First Lutheran Church. The church has the largest organ between Seattle and Minneapolis.

Jermiason, who has performed on the viola with the orchestra continuously since 1983, originally had played with the group in the mid-70s as a sophomore in high school.

Herzig joined while in high school in 1969 but left the community for about 20 years before returning and rejoining. All told, he has a 50-year relationship with the orchestra.

Some of Herzig’s favorite moments have come with concerts performed on April 1 – April Fools Day. He remembers the trick played on conductor Daniel Hornstein, conductor from 1986 to 2008.

“Daniel Hornstein gave a tremendous downbeat for the symphony, and there was nothing. Not a sound. He was flummoxed,” Herzig recalled.

This year, conductor Efrain Amaya heard members of his orchestra break into an unexpected bit of music near the start of one of their pieces during the April 1 concert.

Audiences love the gaiety of such moments, just as they love the personalities of the various conductors, Jermiason and Herzig said. Scott Seaton, who was conductor from 2012 until Amaya took the helm last season, was a favorite of audiences.

People enjoyed Seaton’s showmanship, and it was reflected in concert attendance, Fenner said.

“He was a very animated conductor. That’s when you can see the ticket numbers increase,” she said.

Amaya, on the other hand, entertains with attire, wearing a collection of different hats, from a sorcerer’s apprentice to bull fighter, depending on the music.

Louise Zuern, a harpist from Bismarck, said the conductors are the biggest influence on the musicians’ experiences. Zuern played on occasion with the Minot orchestra for 50 years. Because the harp is a specialty instrument that few play, she often was invited to provide the harp part on selected music.

Playing with Minot’s musicians was always enjoyable, she said, but added, “You need to adjust to the different styles of conductors.”

Joe and Joyce Alme, who retired after 46 and 44 years respectively, played under eight conductors.

“Dennis Simons was the most fun,” Joe Alme said. “Every concert was not only fun for the people who went but for the musicians to play.”

The Almes enjoyed performing under all their conductors, though. They were all knowledgeable, fine conductors who set high standards, Joyce Alme said.

“You wanted to go to every rehearsal prepared. They were good at pulling the best out of the musicians,” she said.

Joe Alme said the orchestral music was more challenging than any other music he’s performed because it was the same high-quality material performed by major orchestras. Yet it never was a burden to practice and perform.

“There was never a moment it wasn’t fun,” Alme said. “It was always a joy.”

Joe was principal for the trombone section and Joyce principal for the flute section. As such, they were in charge of selecting their players. Developing a strong instrumental section was important because having a section that could hold its own with the other instruments was a matter of sectional pride.

Amaya finds the orchestra he leads to be an interesting mix of people. It requires a conductor’s full guidance to take a group ranging from talented teenagers to seasoned musicians – all with varying levels of training – and blend this diverse group into one homogeneous-sounding orchestra.

Minot’s orchestra is uncommon in that sense, because many small towns that offer an orchestra bring in professional musicians as the focus of a limited number of concerts, Amaya said. The Minot orchestra has invited guest artists at times but often it is putting its own performance on the line. That requires a dedication to daily private practice and as much as a three-hour commitment to a group practice each week.

The payoff for the hard work happens before audiences during their seven concerts a year. The orchestra’s next concert, themed “Storytellers,” will be April 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall.