Orchestral Music in the Hills
Based in Morehead, the smallest city in Kentucky with a community-supported symphony orchestra, the Cave Run Symphony was founded in 2013.
It is a 60-piece musical ensemble comprised of professional and semi-professional musicians, music professors and teachers, and highly qualified, auditioned student musicians.
The Orchestra is operated by the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra Society, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501 ©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Gifts to the CRSO are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
The CRSO is funded by gifts, grants, sponsorships, program book advertising, branded merchandise marketing and ticket sales. We welcome support at any time of the year.
Bringing Orchestral Music to the Hills
Based in Morehead, the smallest city in Kentucky with a community-supported symphony orchestra, the Cave Run Symphony was founded in 2013.
It is a 60-piece musical ensemble comprised of professional and semi-professional musicians, music professors and teachers, and highly qualified, auditioned student musicians.
The Orchestra is operated by the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra Society, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt organization under Section 501 ©(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Gifts to the CRSO are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
The CRSO is funded by gifts, grants, sponsorships, program book advertising, branded merchandise marketing and ticket sales. We welcome support at any time of the year.
The 2024-25 concert season was a big success, musically and financially. Here’s a recap of our four public performances.
Season 11 opened with salute to ‘Our Fragile Earth’
The beauty and majesty of live orchestral music returned to Morehead on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, when the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra opened its 11th full season with a concert entitled “Our Fragile Earth” in the Morehead Conference Center.
It was the first of four CRSO performances in the 2024-25 season and was be followed by “Hometown Holiday” on Saturday, Dec. 7, “Symphonic Stories” on Sunday, Feb. 23, and “Great Scot!” on Sunday, April 6.
“The Board of Directors is pleased to remind everyone that we are proudly maintaining our distinction as the smallest city in Kentucky with its own symphony orchestra,” said Dr. Craig Burrows, CRSO board chair.
He added that Dr. Terry Durbin was returning for his seventh season as resident conductor of the 60-piece musical ensemble comprised of professional and semi-professional musicians, music professors and teachers, and highly qualified student musicians.
Hometown Holiday attracted overflow audience
More than 730 persons jammed the Morehead Conference Center on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, for the magical sounds of the holiday season presented by the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra and three guest choral music ensembles.
It was the largest attendance at a CRSO concert in five years and the orchestra’s second performance of the 2024-25 season. It was the culminating event of two days of holiday festivities in the Morehead area.
Noel Weaver, visiting assistant professor of choral music at Morehead State University, was guest conductor for the concert featuring the Concert Choir and University Chorus from MSU and the Honor Choir from Montgomery County High School.
“We were pleased to celebrate this special time of the year with our musicians, audience members, area residents, and community sponsors who enjoy orchestral music,” said Dr. Craig Burrows, CRSO board chair. “And we greatly appreciated the efforts of Tony Pence and Downtown Morehead, Inc. in coordinating these holiday events.”
3rd concert was instruments and storytelling
The storytelling impact of live orchestral music was center stage on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, when the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra presented its third concert of the season, ‘Symphonic Stories,’ in the Morehead Conference Center.
The performance was preceded by a “Meet The Instruments” event to introduce Morehead area school children to the various music-making devices in the orchestra. Assisting were music education students from MSU.
The concert consisted of featured works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Gounod and de Meij.
“We are deeply appreciative of the leadership of Dr. Michele Paise, MSU’s music education coordinator, in the planning and execution of the pre-concert event for elementary students,” said Dr. Craig Burrows, CRSO board chair.
Cave Run Symphony was Scottish at April 6 concert
A salute to great music from and about Scotland was featured on Sunday, April 6, when the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra wrapped up its 11th full season with a concert entitled “Great Scot” at 3 p.m. in the Morehead Conference Center.
It was the CRSO’s fourth and final performance of the 2024-25 season and included compositions by Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Villiers Stanford, William Alwyn, Michael Korb, Ulrich Rover, and Leroy Anderson.
“We were pleased to present another great concert and to finish this wonderful season of entertaining local audiences with the beauty and power of orchestral music,” said Dr. Craig Burrows, CRSO board chair.
Mark your calendar for our 2025-26 season!
Themes will be announced this summer for each of the four concerts in our 2025-26 season opening
Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. in the Morehead Conference Center.
Other concert dates are Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. and
Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m., all at the Morehead Conference Center.
Season tickets will go on sale Sept. 4.
Cave Run Symphony annual meeting set for Sept. 4.
The governing body of the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra will hold its annual membership meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Morehead Conference Center at 6 p.m.
Dr. Craig Burrows, chair of the CRSO Board of Directors, said the event is open to those who financially supported the orchestra last season.
“This has become a very important event for those who enjoy and appreciate orchestral music,” he added. “It gets us ready for the start of another great season of concerts.”
Dinner will be provided, and a musical ensemble will perform. Those planning to attend are asked to make a reservation by calling
784-9894 by Sept. 1.
He noted that specific agenda items include election of officers for 2025-26, appointment of new and/or returning board members, ticket pricing discounts, and announcement of a guest conductor for the Oct. 26 opening concert.
Those eligible to attend and vote at the annual meeting are the individuals, organizations and businesses providing direct financial support to the Orchestra, including personal and corporate gifts, sponsorships, program advertising, and public and private grants.
The first concert of the 2025-26 season will be Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. at the Morehead Conference Center. Other concerts will be Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m. Concert themes will be announced later.
Season tickets are $40 and individual concert tickets are $15. Both will be available for online purchase at caverunsymphony.org or in person at the Morehead Visitor Center. However, those who buy season tickets on or before Oct. 26 receive a 40 percent discount, dropping the price to $25.
Students of all ages and pre-school children are admitted free of charge to all CRSO performances.
Gifts and sponsorships for the orchestra also can be submitted online at caverunsymphony.org.
The governing body of the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra will hold its annual membership meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Morehead Conference Center at 6 p.m.
Dr. Craig Burrows, chair of the CRSO Board of Directors, said the event is open to those who financially supported the orchestra last season.
“This has become a very important event for those who enjoy and appreciate orchestral music,” he added. “It gets us ready for the start of another great season of concerts.”
Dinner will be provided, and a musical ensemble will perform. Those planning to attend are asked to make a reservation by calling 784-9894 by Sept. 1.
He noted that specific agenda items include election of officers for 2025-26, appointment of new and/or returning board members, ticket pricing discounts, and announcement of a guest conductor for the Oct. 26 opening concert.
Those eligible to attend and vote at the annual meeting are the individuals, organizations and businesses providing direct financial support to the Orchestra, including personal and corporate gifts, sponsorships, program advertising, and public and private grants.
The first concert of the 2025-26 season will be Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. at the Morehead Conference Center. Other concerts will be Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m. Concert themes will be announced later.
Season tickets are $40 and individual concert tickets are $15. Both will be available for online purchase at caverunsymphony.org or in person at the Morehead Visitor Center. However, those who buy season tickets on or before Oct. 26 receive a 40 percent discount, dropping the price to $25.
Students of all ages and pre-school children are admitted free of charge to all CRSO performances.
Gifts and sponsorships for the orchestra also can be submitted online at caverunsymphony.org.
Here’s how to Communicate with the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra
In the absence of full-time staff, we invite you to discover how we utilize technology to communicate on behalf of the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra.
You can learn all about us on the Internet at caverunsymphony.org. There you’ll discover a wealth of information about our incredible orchestra, a talented mix of 60 professional and semi-professional musicians, music professors and teachers and highly qualified, auditioned student musicians.
If you want to send us a check, ask a question or make a suggestion, or conduct any other business, our U.S. Mail address is PO Box 441, Morehead, KY 40351. Or you can e-mail us at
caverunsymphony@gmail.com.
If you prefer the telephone, our message line is 606-784-9894. Your name, phone number and message can be recorded, and a live human being will return your call, often within a few hours.
With your permission, we will keep you informed periodically about the Orchestra through our e-mail messaging. That signup invitation appears in red on the opening page of this website.
For the 2024-25 season, about 400 private citizens, organizations and businesses supported the Cave Run Symphony financially with gifts, grants, sponsorships, printed program advertising, and season ticket purchases.
As music lovers, we of the CRSO family are proud to make these hills come alive with the incredible sounds of orchestral music.
We invite you to join us!
In the absence of full-time staff, we invite you to discover how we utilize technology to communicate on behalf of the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra.
You can learn all about us on the Internet at <a style=”color: #0f8f96;” href=”https://caverunsymphony.org/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>caverunsymphony.org</a>. There you’ll discover a wealth of information about our incredible orchestra, a talented mix of 60 professional and semi-professional musicians, music professors and teachers and highly qualified, auditioned student musicians.
If you want to send us a check, ask a question or make a suggestion, or conduct any other business, our U.S. Mail address is <b>PO Box 441, Morehead, KY 40351</b>. Or you can e-mail us at <a style=”color: #c14545;” href=”mailto:caverunsymphony@gmail.com”><b>caverunsymphony@gmail.com</b></a>.
If you prefer the telephone, our message line is <b>606-784-9894</b>. Your name, phone number and message can be recorded, and a live human being will return your call, often within a few hours.
With your permission, we will keep you informed periodically about the Orchestra through our e-mail messaging. That signup invitation appears in red on the opening page of this website.
For the 2024-25 season, about 400 private citizens, organizations and businesses supported the Cave Run Symphony financially with gifts, grants, sponsorships, printed program advertising, and season ticket purchases.
As music lovers, we of the CRSO family are proud to make these hills come alive with the incredible sounds of orchestral music.
We invite you to join us!