Oral Histories: Wyoming Symphony Orchestra

The Casper Symphony Orchestra, spring 1974, on the stage of the Natrona County High School auditorium in Casper shortly after Curtis Peacock, center, took over as music director. WSO archives. Click to enlarge.

The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra (WSO), based in Casper, began as the Casper Philharmonic Orchestra in 1925. It is likely the oldest independent cultural organization in Wyoming. This all-amateur ensemble of local musicians performed its first concert in November 1927, attracting an audience of 1,600 people. The orchestra performed under various names and directors through the 1930s and early 1940s until World War II temporarily halted its activities. In 1947, it was revived as the Casper Civic Symphony.

From the 1970s onward, the orchestra's board, conductors, and musical directors increasingly focused on artistic quality. This created ongoing tensions between providing high-quality classical music and maintaining community involvement through local musicians. The organization was renamed the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in 1993.

These oral histories document the orchestra’s evolution from an all-amateur ensemble to a professional organization that now operates with a half-million dollar budget, maintains an endowment fund, and brings in more than half of its musicians from out of state to perform difficult repertoire.

Time Period Covered: 1970s–2020s

Project Partners:

The American Heritage Center contracted from 2022 through 2023 with WyoHistory.org to conduct this oral history project. Interviews were conducted by retired WyoHistory.org Assistant Editor Rebecca Hein, who played cello in the symphony in the 1970s and 1990s, ending her time there as first chair.

For more information about Wyoming oral histories, visit the Wyoming Oral History Project.

Quality vs. Community: The First Century of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra

The Casper-based Wyoming Symphony Orchestra’s roots reach back to an all-amateur, no-budget ensemble of local musicians in the 1920s. Now, with a half-million dollar budget, an endowment fund and planned giving, the symphony performs difficult repertoire on few rehearsals—with a substantial number of its musicians from Colorado.

Jenna Baumgart

In the 1990s, Jenna Baumgart served the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra as principal viola, personnel manager and music librarian. She was responsible for locating and hiring import musicians, and making sure they got paid.

Dale Bohren

Dale Bohren played in the Civic Symphony bass section while in high school and later, during the Casper Symphony years, played in the orchestra including sometimes as principal bass. During the Wyoming Symphony’s first years he was executive director, pulling the orchestra out of a major financial slump.

Deborah Bovie

Deborah Bovie played cello in the symphony starting in about 1974 and was still in the orchestra as of the end of the 2023 season. This totals 49 years, making her the person who has served in the symphony the longest. She was usually assistant principal cello, but did pinch-hit occasionally as principal.

Amy Cowell

Amy Cowell played cello in the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in the 1990s when in high school. She now plays regularly as an import musician, commuting from Laramie, Wyoming.

Carolyn Deuel

Carolyn Deuel played every percussion instrument except tympani, in the Casper and Wyoming Symphony Orchestras, from 1976 through the present. Her specialty is mallet percussion.

Andrea DiGregorio

Andrea (Reynolds) DiGregorio, cello, joined the Casper Youth Symphony sometime during her junior high school years, younger than most students. She won the Civic Symphony Young Artist Competition when in high school.

Rebecca Hein

Rebecca Hein began playing cello in the Casper Civic Symphony as a high school sophomore, in September 1971. She played all through high school, and as an import from the University of Wyoming through May 1977. From 1992 through 1999, she served as principal cello in the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra.

Virginia Himes

Virginia Himes began playing violin in the Casper Civic Symphony in 1974 and retired from what had become the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in 2019, totaling 45 years.

John Kirk

John Kirk was principal cello of the Casper Symphony Orchestra from 1981 to 1983. His position was the first of conductor Curtis Peacock’s project to supply the orchestra with key “core musicians:” professional-caliber performers whose job was to provide leadership for their section.

Dino Madsen

Dino Madsen played cello in the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra while a student at Casper College, in the 1990s.

Richard Rognstad

Rick Rognstad, cello and bass, played cello in the Casper Civic Symphony while in high school and also as an import during the years he attended college in Colorado. He won the Young Artist Competition on bass as a high school junior.

Susan Stanton

Susan Stanton joined the orchestra in 1994, and still played violin in the symphony as of the end of the 2023-2024 season.

John Stovall

John Stovall played bass in the Casper Civic Symphony while in high school. Traveling further, geographically and professionally, than any other Casper classical musician, he ended up in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he still plays in the bass section.

Delores Thornton

Delores Thornton played second flute in the Casper Civic Symphony starting in 1976 for about four years, and then became principal flute. She continued as principal through the Casper Symphony years, and also well into the Wyoming Symphony years, retiring in 2021.

Holly Turner

Holly Turner, a fund-raising fireball, was executive director in the 1990s. She implemented the Dream Home project, which involved a substantial proportion of Casper’s business community. Dream Home netted the symphony about $130,000, a new precedent in fundraising.

Richard Turner

Richard Turner was principal bassoon with the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra starting in 1996, and is still in the orchestra. The symphony featured him as a local soloist in spring 1999, when he performed the Mozart Bassoon Concerto.

Belinda Waldron

Belinda Waldron, cello, played in the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in the 1990s.