I am thrilled, and humbled, to have been the Director of the PSO since the fall of 2010!  I often say to our audiences that the PSO is "your symphony orchestra" in North County San Diego. What does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, the Palomar Symphony orchestra is the oldest performing ensemble in North County San Diego. Its first concerts were given at the end of the very first semester that Palomar College was open, in the year 1946-1947. At the time, the College had a population of less than 250 - including students, faculty and staff. The emphasis of the College was on agriculture, so you could say that the PSO's "roots" started in 1946.

We are an orchestra comprised of members of our District communities of San Marcos, Vista, Valley Center, Escondido, Poway, Fallbrook, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo and sections of Oceanside. Our programs are designed to inspire members of our local communities, presenting diverse selections from the entire history of orchestral music - from Handel's "Messiah" to Madelyn Byrne's "Decorah Bald Eagle Violin Concerto." We collaborate with other performing arts organizations, including Mira Costa College's chorale, Palomar Contemporary Dance Ensemble, Axxiom Dance Collective, and the Fortissimo Youth Orchestra program supported by College for Kids. I have also had the pleasure to direct the Palomar Chamber Singers, Palomar Chorale and guest choirs in many masterworks collaborations, including Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Hanson's Sea Symphony, Handel's Messiah, and Mozart's Requiem. 

As a community college orchestra, our primary mission is to train the professional musicians of tomorrow, and secondarily to instill the love of music - a basic human attribute - in students of all ages, and to our community at large. We offer the opportunity to personally engage with the great masterworks of our time and the past through performance, volunteering, and generous donations that support student scholarships and performances.

Dr. Ellen Weller