Canton Symphony Orchestra delivers culture to community | Opinion
Chris Auman
Special to the Canton Repository
July 19, 2026, 6:05 a.m. ET
The strongest communities aren’t defined only by what they build. They’re also defined by what they’re willing to preserve.
When people talk about what makes Stark County a great place to live, the conversation usually revolves around jobs, schools, parks or new development. Those things all matter. But there’s another piece that often gets overlooked. Culture.
The communities we’re most drawn to have something beyond the essentials. They have places where people gather, traditions families pass down, opportunities for young people to discover new passions, and experiences that make us feel connected to something larger than ourselves. Organizations like the Canton Symphony Orchestra are part of that foundation.
For many people, a symphony orchestra can feel intimidating or unfamiliar. Maybe you’ve never attended a performance. Maybe classical music isn’t your thing. That’s perfectly OK. It’s not always my thing either. But the value of the symphony orchestra extends far beyond the music they create.
The orchestra performs throughout the year, bringing live music to audiences across Stark County. Along with its MasterWorks and Employers Health Pops Series concerts at The Zimmermann Symphony Center, it has expanded into new spaces and venues in our community. Collaborations through their Divergent Sounds series and Summer Serenade concerts are just a few examples of how they’re filling our local venues and parks with live music every year.
This approach reflects something bigger than programming. The orchestra isn’t simply making music. It’s working to inspire a lifelong appreciation for live music in all its forms. Whether someone falls in love with Beethoven, jazz, rock, folk, or a local band almost doesn’t matter. The goal is to create more people who value the experience of hearing music performed live and who continue supporting real working musicians throughout our community.
That same philosophy carries into its educational work. Every year, children throughout Stark County experience live music through programs like Lighthouse Strings, SymphonyLand, Kinder Concerts, Mindful Music Moments, and partnerships with local libraries. Many of these opportunities are completely free. Students and children can also attend MasterWorks concerts at no cost, making it possible for families to experience a professional orchestra regardless of their financial situation.
The orchestra’s vision is simple: music should be a right, not a privilege. The Canton Symphony Orchestra is also one of the region’s few fully professional union orchestras. It brings together 69 contract musicians, with the vast majority traveling here from outside Stark County. Maintaining that level of artistic excellence requires significant investment. Competitive wages make it possible to attract musicians whose talent enriches every concert, every educational program, and every child hearing a live orchestra for the first time.
The takeaway is that these performances and programs create benefits that ripple far beyond what you hear on stage. A child may discover a lifelong love of music. A teenager may decide to pursue the arts. A family may begin a tradition of attending concerts together. Someone who never imagined themselves enjoying an orchestra may leave inspired and with a completely different perspective. Those moments are difficult to measure, but over time they shape the character of a community.
The coming season represents an exciting milestone for the orchestra. Throughout the 2026-2027 season, five outstanding conductors will each lead performances as finalists in the search for the orchestra’s next music director. The person selected at the end of the season will help define the artistic vision of the Canton Symphony Orchestra as it approaches its 90th anniversary.
Organizations like this don’t survive by accident. They survive because people choose to support them before they’re in danger of disappearing. It’s easy to assume they’ll always be here. History has shown that isn’t always true. Across the country, arts organizations have struggled to survive rising costs and changing audiences. Once they’re gone, rebuilding them is far more difficult than sustaining them in the first place.
That’s why attending matters. Becoming a season subscriber matters. Bringing a friend or your children to a concert matters. Donations matter. Every ticket purchased and every contribution helps sustain not only performances but also the educational and community programs that impact thousands of people in our community each year.
Even if you don’t appreciate orchestral music, the Canton Symphony Orchestra still helps shape the place you call home. It attracts exceptional artists. It creates opportunities for young people. It brings people together. It reminds us that great communities invest in more than infrastructure. They invest in experiences that inspire, educate, and connect us.
The Canton Symphony Orchestra has been enriching this community for nearly 90 years. Supporting it isn’t simply about preserving an orchestra. It’s about preserving the kind of community we want Stark County to be for generations to come.
Chris Auman is president of Sanctuary, a digital marketing company in North Canton.
