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The Mission of the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra is to entertain, inspire and engage our community through musical excellence and affordable concerts.


Robert Nathan,
PTSO Board President

The PTSO board would like to thank our former Conductor/Director Tigran Arakelyan for his devoted 9-year service to our organization. We wish him all the best as he explores new musical opportunities and adventures.

The upcoming 2026/2027 season will feature an exciting group of four finalists for the position of PTSO conductor/director. Their names will be announced soon!

The response to this position opening was outstanding. The selection committee interviewed many highly qualified candidates so it was a difficult task to choose only four finalists from such a strong field. This season we will feature each finalist in a full concert that is planned, rehearsed and conducted by them. We hope audience members are as excited as the orchestra members are to meet these talented conductors and to enjoy their unique musical offerings in concert. See dates below.


Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra 2026/2027 Concert Dates

Oct 25, 2026
Dec 6, 2026
Feb 28, 2027
April 25, 2027

Symphony concerts are Sunday afternoons at 2 pm at the Chimacum School Auditorium, 91 W. Valley Road, Chimacum.

Open dress rehearsals are held at 7 pm on the Friday evening before each Sunday afternoon concert.

PTSO concerts are FREE to attend, but not free to produce. Donations are always gratefully accepted at the door, through the mail or with Paypal.


UPCOMING CONCERT
Sun., October 25, 2026

Details coming soon!

Details here


Port Townsend Chamber Music Series

Join us for a chamber music concert scheduled for:

Sat., May 23, 2026 at 3 pm
First Baptist Church
1202 Lawrence St, Port Townsend

This FREE concert series features local award-winning soloists, recitalists, chamber musicians and PTSO members. Donations are always gratefully accepted at the door. Seating is limited and no tickets or reservations are required. We invite you to join us for a short reception after each concert.

Details here

Chamber music audience at the Port Ludlow Beach Club.


PTSO Young Artist Competition

This poster is from last year, but you can read it and click on the link below to learn more about this annual event. We will be scheduling another Young Artist Competition in spring 2027 and all the details will be posted here. Musicians ages 4-22 may participate.

Click here for details.

Click here for details.


How to Support PTSO

The best way to stay up-to-date about PTSO concerts and activities is to:

Subscribe to the PTSO newsletter

Follow us on Facebook

Your gift helps us play on.

You can support PTSO via PAYPAL


About the Symphony

The Mission of the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra is to entertain, inspire and engage our community through musical excellence and affordable concerts.


Artistic Leadership



Conductor & Artistic Director

The PTSO board looks forward to featuring here the biographies and photos of our four finalists for the position of Conductor/Director.

Each finalist will conduct a full concert during the 2026/2027 season.

Names will soon be announced!

The Mission of the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra is to entertain, inspire and engage our community through musical excellence and affordable concerts.

Fiona Skidmore and Lisa Minnihan show off their fun scroll toppers knitted by fellow violist Amelia Breithaupt.

Joining PTSO

The Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1987. Orchestra members are your friends, neighbors, and co-workers — the people you see and work with every day in the community. PTSO is an all-volunteer orchestra. We welcome accomplished musicians of all ages and backgrounds. Auditions are held on an as-needed basis. To learn more about joining the Orchestra, please drop us a note.

Email PTSymphony

Rehearsal Schedule

  • Rehearsals are typically held Tuesday nights from 7-9 pm. Please contact PTSO for rehearsal location.
  • Rehearsals run through the months of September, October, November, January, February, March and April.
  • Often, but not always, the second rehearsal is a strings sectional.

Concert Dates

Dates can change, but this is the standard formula:
Last Sunday in October
First Sunday in December
Last Sunday in February
Last Sunday in April

Dress Rehearsals

Dress rehearsals are on the Friday evenings before each performance from 7:00 to 9:00 at the concert hall at Chimacum School Auditorium, 91 W Valley Rd, Chimacum, 98325.  Dress rehearsals are casual.

Concert dress

Ladies, all black (slacks, dresses, or skirts), including hosiery and shoes: no bare legs or feet. Dresses and skirts at least knee-length when seated. Long or 3/4 length sleeves: no bare arms. Gentlemen, black suits with jacket, white shirt and black bow tie, black socks and shoes.

Performance call time is 30 minutes before the concert begins.

Latest Press!

PTSO Press – check it out!

Guitarist Mark Hilliard and conductor Tigran Arakelyan celebrate after another successful PTSO program.

News articles about PTSO concerts and activities are archived here.

Our full orchestra photo portrait can be accessed by clicking here!

Get Involved!

You Can Get Involved!


We invite your active involvement with the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra! Below are links to information related to being a Donor, Sponsor or Volunteer. Click on “Learn More” for details and if you have any questions feel free to contact us. We would love to have you on our team!

Be a Donor

Every dollar you can give helps us continue to perform great music and supports our special programs to promote music learning and engagement in the Port Townsend community.

Be a Sponsor

We work with many types of sponsors and grants, including matching grants, sponsorships for licensing music for recording and broadcasting, and sponsorships for special programs.

Be a Volunteer

Our volunteers run the donations and refreshments tables at our performances, help guests find seating, take photos for our social media and marketing endeavors, and man the lighting and sound booth.