A 'special relationship' with La Crosse

[gentle orchestral music]

Eva Marie Restel: The La Crosse Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1898, had its very first concert on March 4 of 1898. It started as a community symphony. Somebody said, “Hey, you know, I can conduct.” And they grabbed the musicians in town. And then, back in 1970s, 1980s, then we started paying our musicians, and that’s when you become a regional, professional symphony. And the big change came with when Alexander came in 2010. He really attracted a lot of musicians at a higher level, and it elevated what we were able to do.

Eva Marie Restel: So my job is everything outside of what happens on that stage. Alexander is amazing and does his art. So, all I have to do is make people aware of that and then create the experience around it. And we have completely changed how it is to experience the symphony. The evening is now a very full evening. It starts at 6:30. You’ve got live music in the lobby with cabaret tables and little lights. And the bars are open and the background music and there’s all these things going on. So it makes for a fun, full night.

Eva Marie Restel: It’s extremely unusual to find a professional regional symphony in a town the size of La Crosse, Wisconsin, because it’s expensive to do. And the only way to do it is through all of our partnerships that we have with community members and companies. And because of all those partnerships, we are able to exist.

[gentle orchestral music]

Eva Marie Restel: This community embraces the symphony as a critical part of our overall community. I would say that’s true about the arts in general, that our community is just really appreciative of the arts that are provided. It creates a culture that they enjoy living in, and they take it upon themselves to be sure that that continues. There’s something special about this community, and you can feel that when you go to the Symphony.