Through the dedicated support of our entire community, we are able to do what we do:
Make Great Falls a better place through music.
The Symphony’s mission is to infuse cultural vibrancy into the Great Falls community through transformative music events and education programs. We are a cultural asset in northcentral Montana that raises the quality of life for its citizens through outstanding performing arts programs.
Our collective pursuit of artistic excellence in collaboration with cultural and civic partners demonstrates how much our community can achieve when we work together with local organizations and businesses.
There are many ways for individuals, families, and local businesses to support great music in our region.
Explore the support links on this page or contact us to learn more!
MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT
Dusty Molyneaux
On playing trumpet, his Top Gun dreams, and getting kids excited about music.
Billings native Dusty Molyneaux first played with the Great Falls Symphony in 1993 when he was student teaching. He joined the Great Falls Public Schools (GFPS) in 1997 as Great Falls High’s band director. Since 2012, he’s been the GFPS Music and Art Supervisor, a position unique in Montana to Great Falls.
Executive Director Hillary Shepherd sat down with Dusty to talk about his passion for music, music education, and the role of the Great Falls Symphony as the “education symphony” of Montana.
PAM LEMELIN
Dusty and John Gemberling played from the balcony for the April 2022 performance of Handel’s Messiah.
Dusty fell in love with music performance in church choir.
Tell us about your childhood and why you chose to play the trumpet.
Well, I didn’t start with trumpet. As a kid I was musical. My mom played a little piano, and my dad played the radio. Music was always playing in our house. I was listening to the record collection all the time. My love for music really took off in church. My brother and I sang in the choir. There was the thrill of performing for people and hearing all the notes combining and washing over you.
In fourth grade you could start playing in the string program. I wanted to play cello, but when the string teacher called to talk to my dad, my family couldn’t afford it, so I didn’t join the orchestra. The next year I wanted to play tenor sax in band. It was another expensive instrument, so when I told my dad I really wanted to be in band, he told me that our neighbor would loan us a trumpet ... so if I wanted to be in band, that was what I was going to play. Even though it wasn’t my choice, it’s what we could afford … and after a year, I loved it! At the end of the school year, we went down to the pawn shop and bought my first trumpet.
Additional programs under the umbrella of the Great Falls Symphony Association include Youth Orchestra, Sinfonia, the Chamber Music Series, the Youth Matinee Educational Concert Series, and our rural Outreach Tours.
These programs simply could not happen without the additional support of our generous donors.
Ticket sales cover only one-third of our annual expenses.
Monthly giving ... the easy way!
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Become a Sustaining Supporter
The Sustaining Supporter program gives you a convenient contribution option that provides stable support all year long.
Every contribution—no matter how small or large—helps us make Great Falls a better place to live through music.
Make your monthly donation by having your gift automatically charged from your debit or credit card. As a Sustaining Supporter, your gift is automatic– no checks to write, no payments to mail. You'll be supporting the many great Symphony programs and our talented musicians.
You have ultimate control and flexibility over your monthly gift because you can change or cancel your monthly donation at any time.
