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Gainesville Swing Orchestra ( GSO ) has had Cooke County swinging for over four decades . From the annual Swingin ’ Christmas to Sights and Sounds , GSO has brought music and advocated for the arts in the north Texas area .
“ In 1980 , the Chamber of Commerce had former Governor Bill Clements coming to speak ,” said Dean Patterson , a musician who has led GSO since around 1990 . “ They wanted to do something special .”
This was also around the time that the Cooke County Arts Council ( CCAC ) was formed to bring together artists of all types in the county . This included Butterfield Stage theater and the North Central Texas Chorale . The plan was to have each part of the CCAC do part of the show , and organizers determined that needed to include a band .
“ They decided to put together a big band as part of the entertainment ,” said Patterson . “ They started calling around trying to find local people that could play instruments . Over half the band was local players .”
The parts that could not be covered by local Cooke County members were covered by musicians hired from the University of North Texas , then called North Texas State University .
The community was impressed with the 17-piece big band . GSO — then called the Cooke County Orchestra —
— Dean Patterson
Dr . Larry Sears playing with GSO at Denton Arts and Jazz Festival on Oct . 7 of this year .
was asked to perform for other events . “ A representative from Muenster was there , and they asked , ‘ Would y ’ all like to perform at Germanfest ?’ And we thought , ‘ We ’ re having fun ; let ’ s do it ,’” said Patterson . “ Then someone came up and said , ‘ There ’ s a dance at the country club ; would y ’ all like to play for it ?’ So we had two bookings from that show , and it was fun .”
Since that initial performance , GSO has played all over north Texas and Oklahoma .
“ We ’ ve played Dallas ; we played the State Fair one time ,” said Patterson . “ We ’ ve been as far east as Bonham , as far west as St . Jo , and we ’ ve played up in Ardmore .”
GSO has also played for Austin College ’ s Freshmen Orientation Casino Night and at Denton Arts and Jazz Festival for many years .
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HOLIDAY 2023 7 GAINESVILLE LIVING