Dear Friends,

As we come to a close of one our most successful seasons ever, I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who have made it possible. The board, staff and musicians of the Southwest Symphony have worked tirelessly to produce concerts which inspire, educate and entertain- all with you, our patrons, in mind. They have repeatedly found creative solutions to difficult challenges and have worked to provide concert experiences you love.

We feel deeply indebted to those who have given their time and resources including donors, sponsors and volunteers. We recognize what we do requires a team effort with many involved and that includes you, our patron. We hope you will enthusiastically continue to support the Southwest Symphony. Thank you for being part of this extraordinary cause and for making it all worth the effort. Truly, music matters.

Now in his sixth year with the Southwest Symphony, Maestro Darger is honored to continue to work with this amazing group of musicians and be part of this community. Under his leadership the symphony has continued to take on even more difficult repertoire each year and has risen to the challenge. The orchestra performs very diverse repertoire, from the masterworks of Beethoven to the hits of Billy Joel, and in April 2021 the orchestra recorded a special for national TV with Marie Osmond.

Darger is a passionate conductor and musician and strives to achieve expressive performances that captivate and energize audiences. He began his journey with conducting when he was sixteen years old after being asked to assist with the All City Children’s Orchestra. He continued to study conducting while pursuing a degree in Violin Performance, studying with Dr. Robert Baldwin and conducting the Lincoln Youth Symphony. He went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Iowa. There he studied with William LaRue Jones and conducted both the Philharmonic Orchestra and the UI String Orchestra while performing with Orchestra Iowa and the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. He completed further studies with Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors before moving to Texas, where he joined the Valley Symphony Orchestra and conducted the South Texas Youth Symphony.  

Violinist Caroline Campbell has appeared as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, Boston Pops and many other symphony orchestras.  She has soloed in prestigious venues from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center and Madison Square Garden, and in exotic locations including Kuala Lumpur, the Sydney Opera House and Versailles.  In high demand both in the classical and popular scene, she has been nicknamed "violinist to the stars" and hand-picked to play duets with world-renowned artists including Sting, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Steven Tyler, Adam Levine, Rod Stewart, and Michael Buble.  

"She is a fair-haired angel with a bow, who, when on stage, has such grit and musicality as to leave you breathless. On the four chords of her violin, Caroline Campbell knows how to be an acrobat without a safety net, she knows how to move people and make them dance. It is always a great joy to share the stage with such a brilliant and charismatic artist." — ANDREA BOCELLI