The Winona Symphony Orchestra was originally founded in 1907 by noted composer Carl Ruggles, who was its driving force during its first decade.  The group was periodically disbanded during the Depression and the war years.  The WSO was revived in 1965 and has performed every season since then.  It is currently housed in the Performing Arts Center at Winona State University.

The mission of the Winona Symphony Orchestra is three-fold:

1.  To enrich the Winona area with live performances of high quality symphonic music.
2.  To provide performing opportunities for talented area musicians.
3.  To provide qualified students the opportunity to play in an orchestra with experienced musicians.

Under the direction of Dr. Paul Vance during the past seven years, the membership of the orchestra has grown, and it is now a cohesive musical organization of nearly 70 musicians.   This increase includes both students and community members.  We currently have over 30 community members from the extended Winona area.  Some of these musicians commute considerable distances every week to play with the WSO, in part because they enjoy the opportunity to perform a mixture of contemporary pieces as well as works by well-known composers.

In the past few years, the Winona Symphony Orchestra has premiered four works, three by James Hoch and one by Dan Maske, composers who live in the Minnesota and Wisconsin region.