June 22, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Augustana University.

Augustana University’s School of Music announced today that it has formed an official partnership with the largest arts organization in the state: the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra.

“I think the main thing is that we want to support Augustana’s new School of Music. It’s a significant step forward for the university and its commitment to the arts in general and music in particular,” said Delta David Gier, SDSO’s music director of 17 years. “And the orchestra, the South Dakota Symphony, is much bigger, much better than you would expect to find in a city the size of Sioux Falls. It’s a huge asset, culturally, to the city.”

The artistic partnership is “a drum” that Dr. Peter Folliard “has been beating for a long time.”

Folliard was well aware of what a partnership with the SDSO would mean for AU, even when first arriving at the university as the conductor of the Augustana Orchestra in 2007. When he was announced as the dean of the School of Music in May of last year, Folliard said it was time to push on the gas and put pen to paper.

“A major symphony orchestra and a school of music typically have synergies, intersections, partnerships. You have the New York Philharmonic and (The) Juilliard (School); you have the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Curtis Institute; now, you have the South Dakota Symphony and the Augustana School of Music,” Folliard said.

A rich history

It’s not that the two organizations haven’t had any intersections in the past; in fact, they have a rich history together.

The SDSO was formed in 1922 in conjunction with Augustana College as the Augustana Symphony Orchestra, with students and community members playing side by side, and changed to Augustana Town and Gown Symphony Orchestra in 1952.

The SDSO was incorporated in 1965 as the Sioux Falls Symphony and declared the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra in 1977. 

Throughout the years, many Augustana faculty members have been a part of the SDSO, but the collaborations have lived through individual efforts.

“Pete (Folliard) has a lot of passion for the long-term sustainability of this deeper collaborative relationship with the South Dakota Symphony,” said Jennifer Teisinger, SDSO executive director. “He recognizes that the long-term stability needs a foundation in a formal agreement, not just a handshake and a conversation between colleagues.

“By codifying this signing of agreement, really putting attention on the words that we’re using, we’re saying that we’re serious and this collaborative relationship outlasts any of the people.”

Now that Augustana has launched its School of Music, or SoM, the conversation has shifted to “how can these two groups enrich one another and deepen the musical impact in Sioux Falls and the region,” Folliard added.

The impact of partnership

The formalized partnership between the SDSO and AU SoM lifts up the idea of artist teaching and experiential learning. As part of the agreement between the two, SDSO musicians have the opportunity to be an integral part of the instrumental faculty at the Augustana SoM. Whenever there is a vacancy, the two will work together to not only recruit talented musicians but also great teachers.

“Just like in a school of medicine, you would have a doctor who teaches and also practices as a health care provider. We have that same thing in music: a professional musician of the South Dakota Symphony who also teaches at Augustana. That’s the model that we’re  creating here,” Folliard said.

The SDSO already shares equipment with the SoM, but the partnership creates even greater opportunities for Augustana to become an artistic hub for creativity. SDSO groups can choose whether to rehearse and perform on campus. In turn, Augustana students will “be surrounded by the sound of professional musicians” and get to “rub elbows with the concertmaster or even conductor of the SDSO.”

Sharing space with the South Dakota Symphony Youth Orchestra also means that members of the SDSYO can rub elbows with Augustana students, creating a better understanding of the pathway to becoming a musician. 

“It’s important that a student in our region, our community, can see what it looks like, how they go from just starting the violin at school to wanting to be the concertmaster of their local symphony,” Folliard said. “This partnership helps outline that the student would benefit from education in their school, private instruction and joining the youth programs that the symphony offers. Then, attending the Augustana School of Music can help them in the progression towards the symphony. So, again, students can really see the path from where they are and where they want to be.”

Lighting the path not only creates another pipeline for the SDSO but also broadens its audience. 

Students at Augustana will have a greater awareness and access to the symphony by the very nature of the SDSO’s presence on campus. This creates an academic and artistic environment that encourages young people to engage more deeply in the arts. 

“It’s really good for us to be able to demonstrate that (connection) for young people as they’re getting out of college and assuming leadership roles in the community,” Gier said.

And, thanks to the leadership of Gier, the SDSO has long been intentional about engaging the community — praised for its innovative programming, such as the Lakota Music Project and Music as Medicine Program. This, too, would provide more learning opportunities as guest composers and artists of the SDSO will be integrated into SoM programming.

After more than 50 years, the two are closer than ever and, together, will enhance the overall impact of the arts.

“It makes a lot of sense that we would deepen our relationship now — now that Augustana has elevated its music department to the School of Music and we’re celebrating our centennial season next year. So here we are, with this deepened relationship with Augustana, where we started, as the South Dakota Symphony is turning 100 years old,” Teisinger said, smiling, “It’s really, really quite serendipitously beautiful.”

For information on Augustana’s School of Music, visit augie.edu/music.

For information on the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, visit sdsymphony.org.