The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is a regional orchestra in Hampton Roas, Virginia, founded in 1920. The orchestra has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading regional symphony orchestras. Originally the only orchestra between Baltimore and Atlanta, the Virginia Symphony assumed its present form in 1979 with the merger of the Norfolk Symphony, Peninsula Symphony Orchestra, and the Virginia Beach Pops Symphony. The Virginia Symphony has been led by many notable music directors, most notably Alfred North Whitehead, Edgar Schenckman and Russell Stanger and, in May, 1991 nationally acclaimed conductor JoAnn Falletta was appointed the orchestra’s eleventh music director.