Founded August 1, 1991, the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra is the largest arts group in Irving. The LCSO presents a season of eight subscription concerts annually at the Irving Arts Center under the baton of Music Director Robert Carter Austin. The ensemble's ninety-three professional musicians are chosen by competitive auditions from over four hundred applicants each year. The LCSO's inaugural season, titled "Symphonic Fantasies", opened with a gala Pops concert featuring famed guitarist Chet Atkins. Over six hundred area concertgoers were in attendance, giving the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra the largest 1991 opening night audience of any Irving Arts group. Subsequent seasons have seen a steady increase in the number of season subscribers to, and single tickets sales for, the LCSO's concerts, which culminated in the highest attendance level for any Irving Arts group during the 1999-2000 season. The Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble dedicated to excellence in the performance of symphonic music and to the cultural enrichment of the dynamically growing Las Colinas corporate and residential communities, as well as to patrons throughout Irving and adjacent cities.