The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra was created in 1981 through the merger of two smaller community music organizations: the Brazos Symphony Orchestra, and the Bryan-College Station Chamber Orchestra. This merger additionally created the Brazos Valley Symphony Society, a non-profit organization incorporated in the state of Texas to develop, establish and maintain the symphony as an organization of high artistic standards. Each season, the orchestra performs seven subscription concerts, two children’s concerts, and a chamber music series. The Brazos Valley area is a unique community centered on Texas A&M University and the cities of Bryan and College Station. In recent years, the area has experienced considerable economic and population growth, along with increased cultural offerings and a more sophisticated audience relocating to the area.

The Symphony Society serves as the administrative body for the Orchestra and is governed by an elected Board of Directors. Members of the Society are those patrons and businesses who make particular annual financial contributions to the organization. The Society is an affiliate of the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, a member of the Texas Association of Symphony Orchestras, and of the League of American Orchestras. An auxiliary organization, The Friends Association of the Symphony Orchestra (FASO), was formed in 1984.

The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra was founded as a community orchestra comprised of volunteer musicians from Bryan-College Station and throughout the Brazos Valley, as well as Texas A&M students, faculty, and staff. In September 2005, a two-year plan was initiated to pay all musicians and become a per-service orchestra.

The orchestra is classified as a group seven orchestra with an annual budget of approximately $800,000. The size of the budget has increased progressively over the years and the society has maintained fiscally responsible budget practices. At its 2006 annual meeting, the American Symphony Orchestra League awarded the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra a Volunteer Council Fund-Raising Gold Award for its “Derby Day, Run for the Roses”, held on the day of the Kentucky Derby. This has become a major social event in the community as well as a large discretionary funding source for the organization. In 2010, the Symphony received recognition from the Texas Association of Symphony Orchestras with an Education Grand Winner award for our Annual Children’s Concerts.

Dr. Marcelo Bussiki has been the Music Director since 1996. He began studying music at an early age in his native Brazil. He studied conducting under Maestro Roberto Duarte at the Rio de Janeiro University. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the Moores School of Music, University of Houston.

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