ENID, Okla. -- Enid residents are used to waking up to the sounds of U.S. Air Force planes overhead or thunder rumbling at night -- but for the past century, the sounds of Enid's symphony orchestra have also been a part of the city.

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Enid Symphony Celebrates Century Of Music

During KOCO's 5 On The Road Tour, Eyewitness News 5's Kevin Sims recently sat in on a rehearsal and learned about the history of the orchestra. The symphony was founded before statehood, and its roots are still important to those who want to keep high culture on the Great Plains.

Today, the Enid Symphony is made up of about 55 musicians. Orchestra director Doug Newell said the symphony of today is a far cry from its humble beginnings.

"The original group started with 21 players," Newell said. "They had all sorts of instruments -- strings, brass and woodwinds."

The original group called itself the Enid Players. Its first concert was on the Garfield County Courthouse lawn. But the green grass has since been traded in for the golden walls of Enid's Symphony Center, which includes a concert hall, a ballroom theater, a banquet facility and an art gallery.

Renovations are coming one room at a time. But Newell said he's never been more excited.

"I wish everybody could stand in front of a symphony orchestra one time," he said.

As director of the Enid Symphony Orchestra for the past 23 years, Newell has conducted the orchestra thousands of times. The artists following his fingertips audition for a seat in the symphony and compete against the best in the area. But Newell said most make their livelihood a different way.

"Teaching privately, teaching in the public schools, playing with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic or teaching with one of the universities ..." he said.

Together, the orchestra keeps the century-old tradition alive and helps keep the cultural heartbeat of the self-professed "Wheat Capital" going strong.

"(The orchestra) found its way really out of the concert hall and into the community," Newell said. "And it certainly makes the city a more attractive place to reside when you have wonderful quality of life ... amenities like a symphony orchestra."