Founded by Kathy McKienzie, the Dade City Symphony was a concept born in the mind of its creator in 2007 and brought to life three years later in December of 2010.  The group began as a small ensemble with the support of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Dade City for rehearsal and performance space.

First billed as the Dade City Ensemble, as the group grew in number, a board of directors was created and paperwork filed to become The Dade City Symphony, Inc., a non-profit community orchestra.  501 (c)(3) status was obtained and in September of 2011 the DCS hosted its first free community concert. For 9 seasons DCS  hosted 3 free concerts a year until March of 2022 when COVID put the orchestra on hiatus.

DCS returned on April 30, 2022 with its much delayed 9th Season Spring Concert. Now in its  11th season, the DCS continues to evolve.   As time marches on the faces may change but one thing remains the same in the DCS….our love of music.  Season after season our audience has grown and the community support for this special project has continued to be amazing.  Through the community support, the DCS has continued its mission to bring free orchestral concerts to the Dade City and surrounding community.