05/14/2026
Through the Decades with the RSO: The 1960s 🎻
It takes vision to say, “This city needs an orchestra.”
But it takes hard work, community support, and years of dedication to make that vision a reality.
The Richardson Symphony Orchestra was founded in the 1960s, a period of enormous growth and change for Richardson itself—and the beginning of a musical legacy that continues to this day.
The RSO was founded by violist and conductor Chris Xeros, who had gathered a remarkable group of local musicians. After rehearsing together, they quickly realized they had built something special.
On October 30, 1962, the Richardson Symphony Orchestra made its concert debut to critical acclaim.
That first performance balanced Beethoven and Mendelssohn with selections from The King and I, Leroy Anderson’s The Typewriter, and Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld — a mix of masterworks and accessible favorites that still reflects the RSO’s programming today.
One especially memorable story from those early years came during a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. After failed attempts to recreate cannon fire using oil drums and a shotgun, the orchestra settled on a bass drum instead. But just as the climactic moment arrived, a neighboring freight train blasted its horns outside the venue — sending the audience to its feet in applause.
The orchestra’s growth was fueled not only by it's talented musicians, but by a community that believed Richardson deserved great music. Organizations like the Symphony Debs and Symphony League were formed in those early years to help raise funds, grow audiences, and support the arts in Richardson.
More than sixty years later, that same spirit still guides us.
The RSO exists today because of all the people who believed in the power of music to bring a community together — and this is only the beginning of our story.
Want to continue that story with us? You can subscribe to our 65th RSO Concert Season at the link in bio or 🔗 www.eisemanncenter.com/subscriptions/package?i=531
