Orchestra Iowa began as the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra . Its first concert was held on April 23 , 1923 in the Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College . By 1928 the orchestra was playing its concerts at Veterans Memorial Coliseum . They continued playing during the Great Depression and World War II . It was not until the 1950s that the orchestra had a paid music director and began to pay the musicians . A string quartet was established in the 1970s . By 1980 the orchestra moved to its current location at the Paramount Theatre . The orchestra has an outreach program to area students and the Orchestra Iowa School was begun in 1988 to teach string instrumentalists . An endowment program was begun in 1990 . In 2004 the administrative offices and the school moved to the new Symphony Center . It includes music studios and the Rockwell Collins Recital Hall . Orchestra Iowa has partnered with nationally syndicated '' From the Top '' radio program , Iowa Public Television , and Iowa Public Radio to bring symphonic music and music education programs to more people . The Symphony Center was extensively damaged in 2008 by the flooded Cedar River that submerged downtown Cedar Rapids . The orchestra had to perform in a variety of venues as a result . They will return to the Paramount Theatre for the 2012 – 2013 season . Orchestra Iowa became the orchestra for the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre in 2009 . The Opus Concert Café , which opened in 2011 , provides a space for chamber concerts and other performances . With the 2012 – 2013 season they began a collaboration with Ballet Quad Cities . They perform with the ballet at both the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids , and at the ballet 's main performance venue the Adler Theatre in Davenport , Iowa
flooded Cedar River
Iowa flood of 2008
Orchestra Iowa