By Dirk Langeveld

NORWALK — Two organizations that have been supporting orchestral music performances and education in the community for decades have been honored with new signage at the Norwalk City Hall.

The signage, at the corner of East Avenue and Sunset Hill, recognizes that the Norwalk Concert Hall — located within Norwalk City Hall — is home to the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and the Norwalk Youth Symphony. 

“The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Symphony are true jewels in the crown of our city,” said Mayor Harry Rilling of Norwalk. “We are so fortunate to have them here as we have for many years embraced the performing arts. These organizations provide the highest quality performances, and those attending for the first time return over and over again.”

Both organizations predate the performance space they now call home. The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1939, and seeks to “share the beauty and power of orchestral music for audiences of all ages through live performances and music education programs.” Norwalk Youth Symphony was established in 1955 to provide training, practice, and performance opportunities for young musicians, and currently offers five leveled orchestras, a brass ensemble, chamber groups, and classes for students in grades 4-12.

Norwalk City Hall was originally constructed as a high school in 1938. After the school moved to a new building in 1971, Norwalk’s municipal offices relocated to the site from a South Norwalk location. The auditorium was renovated into a performance space in 1988, with South Norwalk firm Jaffe Holden improving the acoustics, and the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra debuted its 50th season there.

“The Norwalk Concert Hall is an absolute masterpiece. The acoustics are perfect, and it’s stunning visually; we’ve had some very prominent guest artists work with both the Norwalk Symphony and Norwalk Youth Symphony over the years, and they’ve  all commented on what a dream the hall is,” said Jonathan Yates, music director for both organizations. “We’re so grateful to the City of Norwalk for calling Norwalk Concert Hall our home– and we feel so lucky to have such a gorgeous home to welcome the people of Norwalk into.”

Norwalk Concert Hall has been upgraded in recent years to further improve its sound and lighting, and to allow flexible use of the space. It is regularly used by a number of other groups as well, including the Fairfield County Chorale and the Norwalk Community Chorale.

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra’s next performance at the hall will be Guys and Dolls on Feb. 7th. The Norwalk Youth Symphony will perform its Winter Concert there on March 1.

For more information on the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, visit norwalksymphony.org. For more information on the Norwalk Youth Symphony, visit norwalkyouthsymphony.org. 

Expanded coverage of Fairfield County cultural events is made possible with support from the Fairfield University Quick Center for the Arts.