About Metrowest Symphony Orchestra

The MSO performs a variety of classical and pops concerts in pursuit of its mission to provide musical enjoyment and opportunity for people in the Boston Metrowest community. Since 2021, our music director is Max Hobart.

Mission Statement

The Metrowest Symphony Orchestra’s mission is to provide high quality programs of established symphonic repertoire, enriched by contemporary works and other artistic disciplines for the enjoyment and education of both its members and the Metrowest community.

This talented blend of professional and volunteer musicians is dedicated to entertaining, educating and encouraging the audiences of today and tomorrow.

History of the MSO

The Metrowest Symphony Orchestra (MSO) roots began in Framingham in 1973.  The group then rehearsed and presented concerts in the auditorium of the Framingham Civic League.  In 1979, Dr. Peter Cokkinias became the Music Director. He brought and brings a lifetime of professional conducting, musical performance, and teaching to the orchestra and to the audience.

In 1980, the musicians were invited to Marlborough. By then, Mayor Joseph Ferrecchia and the Office of Cultural Affairs, started to support the MSO. The following year, the orchestra became incorporated. Then, for 22 years, the group became known as the Greater Marlborough Symphony Orchestra.

In 2002 the organization changed its name to the Metrowest Symphony Orchestra, to better reflect the population it serves. The orchestra’s musicians are residents of the Boston Metrowest community from all walks of life, from professional players to dedicated amateurs, who play for their love of music, and for the enjoyment of people of all ages in local towns.

In 2018 the MSO began a relationship with Natick High School (NHS). The orchestra is ready to provide many symphony performance opportunities for all capable Metrowest region high school students and to provide special support for string students, including the summer non-perfomance string playing sessions begun in 2023.

After the interruption of COVID-19, the MSO regrouped in 2021 under the leadership and direction of Max Hobart. 

Seeking a new home, in the summer of 2024 the MSO began talks with President Nancy Niemi of Framingham State University about making the school our home base. President Niemi was very enthusiastic, coming from a musical family herself, and realizing the potential of having an orchestra on the campus for the university community, the wider Framingham community, and the orchestra. We began rehearsing at the acoustically excellent and beautifully designed Dwight Performing Arts Center on the FSU campus in September 2024, and look forward to a fruitful collaboration with FSU in the future.

MSO support is highly varied and welcomed. Supporters include the audience at the performances, direct contributions by businesses and institutions, advertisements in our ad-book, fundraisers, donations, grants from the local cultural councils of Natick, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Wayland, Southborough, Ashland, and the Massachusetts Cultural County. By far, it is the supporters and the volunteers behind the scenes that make all of this happen.