The Orchestra is preserving, developing, educating, & delivering high quality symphonic music & diverse genres of music to all ages, through tailored performing arts programming.

The Petersburg Symphony Orchestra is a 501c(3) organization, established in 1978 by Dr. F. Nathaniel Gaitlin. We are dedicated to preserving, developing, educating, and delivering quality and diverse music to all ages, through tailored performing arts programming. We are an important part of life in the central and southern regions of Virginia. Dr. Gatlin’s dream of a symphony orchestra for Petersburg has blossomed into one of Petersburg’s most treasured assets.

The inspiration for the PSO was the preeminent Dr. F. Nathaniel Gatlin, who began his work of founding the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra in 1978, after having retired from over two decades of service as Director of Bands and administrator at the institution now known as Virginia State University. With the support of the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, he founded the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra in 1978.