Juneau Symphony Juneau Symphony The Juneau Symphony is a semi-professional symphony orchestra located in Juneau, Alaska. The Juneau Symphony was founded in 1962 by high school music teacher Cliff Berge and his wife Gladys to give local musicians in Alaska’s capital city a platform to perform classical music. First called the Juneau Symphonette, they played their first concert featuring Wagner’s Tannhauser overture, at the Juneau’s downtown 20th Century Theater. Later called the Juneau Little Symphony and eventually just the Juneau Symphony, the orchestra has performed concerts to Juneau and other Southeast community audiences ever since. In 1976 the Juneau Symphony created its
Joe Juneau (prospector) exploring much of the area later named for Juneau. Harris and Juneau were sent with Kowee by George Pilz, an entrepreneur and mining engineer from Sitka. After trading much of their grubstake for hoochinoo, or home brew, they returned to Pilz empty-handed, but were promptly sent back to the Juneau area. There, Kowee took them beyond Gold Creek (near what is now the site of the city's Federal Building) to Silver Bow Basin. Today, a creek on Douglas Island is named Kowee Creek. After the discovery of gold in the area, Harris and Juneau carried approximately 1,000 pounds of gold