A grand crescendo for almost a century

Gladys Welge (1902-1976), founded the Symphony of Oak Park River Forest and conducted the orchestra for over 20 years. At one point, she was the assistant conductor of the Women’s Symphony Orchestra of Chicago, at a time when women were not allowed to play in symphony orchestras. (SUBMITTED) Since 1931, a lot has changed in Oak Park and River Forest.  Though always embracing their early roots, historic buildings and pioneering residents, the villages’ diversifying populations, modernized businesses and housing developments, and an ever-growing and vibrant network of community programs have transformed the towns into the places they are today. Eras come and go, but one exceptional group has survived — and thrived — through nearly a century of changes: the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest. One of the oldest community orchestras in the United States, the Symphony is a nonprofit civic group founded in October 1931 by Oak Park resident Gladys Welge. She was a former chil