The history of the Amarillo Symphony goes back to the roaring '20s when an independent, spirited pianist arrived. Miss Grace Hamilton conducted 12 talented musicians and planted the seed for today's successful symphony.

The Amarillo Symphony today, under Maestro James Setapen, performs a broad repertoire that attracts internationally acclaimed guest artists, has been the subject of a nationally televised documentary and actively involves itself with the community.

The story of ballet in Amarillo goes back some 30 years. Artistic director and founder of what is now the Lone Star Ballet, Neil Hess, took dance lessons from Mieczyslaw Pianowski during off-duty hours with the U.S. Air Force in Amarillo. Pianowski was a master of the Warsaw Grand Opera Ballet brought to Amarillo by the Musical Arts Conservatory in 1952.

Amarillo's current Lone Star Ballet grew out of a need to have dancers for the "Nutcracker," "TEXAS" and other local performances with the Amarillo Opera and Symphony. The Lone Star Ballet is listed on the Texas Commission on the Arts' touring roster and has performed by invitation of the governor's office and the Texas Department of Commerce. The dancers have traveled as far away as London to perform.

Amarillo Opera, founded by Amarillo College music professor Mila Gibson, has emerged triumphantly from its struggling infancy. Gibson is the opera's loving and dedicated mother who carried, delivered and continues to nurture the latest addition to Amarillo's culturally artistic family.

Gibson rented the Amarillo Little Theater, following several successful Amarillo College productions that combined the talents of adult singers and young students. She then underwrote the cost of the production, solicited volunteers and support, and served as stage director, publicist, costumer, chorus director, makeup artist, scenery assistant and leading lady for the opera's inaugural production of "Madame Butterfly."

Culturally famished lovers of voice swarmed in droves to both performances. Despite free admission for the company's first production, crowds of eager patrons were offering to pay premium prices for entry before being turned away, because of the Amarillo Little Theater's 500-seat capacity. The dedicated cast members paid for their own costumes and ''passed the hat'' to complete the sets. More than 200 people participated in the cast, crew and production staff of that first 1988-89 season.

Meanwhile, for more than a decade, Civic Amarillo's Broadway Spotlight Series continues to offer top quality entertainment in Amarillo. Civic Amarillo supports local arts organizations and presents concerts and shows that other communities the size of Amarillo do not have the opportunity to see. This season audiences can look forward to: "Anything Goes," "Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber," "Jekyll and Hyde" and "Chicago."

Also on tap is the award-winning West Texas A&M University Theater and Forensics teams, performing at the Branding Iron Theater. Among other shows this season are "The Birthday Party" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

At the same time, the Amarillo Little Theater continues to showcase inspiring performances. This playhouse's schedule is worth checking, because it offers talent and entertainment comparable to any market.

Amarillo's close proximity to the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon makes it a natural home for many artists to gather inspiration. When artists close their eyes and listen to the music of the prairie, when they hear the restless native winds, a raging thunderstorm or gentle spring rain, or the clicking of ice during a bitter winter storm and the thick silence of gentle snow, inspiration comes for creating riveting symphonies, beautiful ballets and heart-wrenching, dramatic scenes on a theater's stage.