According to Linda Coates, Executive Director of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, a community the size of Fargo Moorhead is very blessed in having such a high quality orchestra. Very few communities comparable in size are fortunate to have three established and recognized institutions of higher education in their back yards. Coates believes the 20-year collaboration with the Tri-College partnering institutions has elevated the role and impact of the local symphony.

Coates believes the arts play an integral role in contributing to the quality of life to Fargo-Moorhead and helps in the attraction and retention of new community members. There is a large number of our regional population that seeks out the arts, with Fargo Moorhead being the closest venue around.

“Partnering with Tri-College allows us to achieve an artistic quality that is mostly seen in larger metropolitan cities,” states Coates. World-class guest artists are often engaged to present Master Classes on the college campuses, where they work with students one-on-one, while other students and the general public are in attendance to observe. Since the symphony is a non-profit organization, with limited funds, the contribution from the Tri-College institutions is invaluable. The monetary contributions that support general operations, the use of the campus performance venues, and the professional performance contributions of college music faculty are significant in the success of the F-M Symphony’s programs.

The Symphony Executive Director shares that the total muscisan roster of 81 muscians includes: CONCORDIA FACULTY: 11 (plus one retired CC faculty)

CONCORDIA STUDENTS: 4

NDSU FACULTY: 2  

NDSU STUDENTS: 2

MSUM FACULTY: 6 (plus one retired MSUM faculty)     

MSUM STUDENTS: 2          

MSUM STAFF: 2 

This all comes out to a little over a third of the orchestra.

Many other roster musicians are music teachers in area public and private schools, from Fergus Falls to West Fargo. The roster also includes players from the music faculties of UND, Valley City State, and Jamestown College.

Coates states the benefit is reciprocal. For example, the Young Artist Solo Competition, now in its 26th year, brings 20-40 high school soloists from a 75-mile radius to compete. The Grand Prize winner then performs with the F-M Symphony as a soloist. This contest familiarizes students and their families with the Fargo-Moorhead community and the Tri-College University campuses, thus helping in the recruitment of students. In addition, a handful of college students are admitted into the F-M Symphony each year as paid roster musicians through competitive auditions.

Coates believes there are many more ways the collaboration with campuses would be mutually beneficial besides bringing in world-class artists and Master class instructors. Programs currently under consideration include incorporating the F-M Symphony into academic performance ensemble requirements for string-playing doctoral candidates.

Fargo Moorhead is truly blessed with this unique collaboration crossing municipal and state, private and public, education and entertainment, and generational lines.