The Hopkins Symphony Orchestra (HSO) was established in its present form in 1981 by Peabody Conservatory graduate student Catherine Overhauser, who served as Music Director, Conductor, and General Manager until 1987.

The HSO is open to Johns Hopkins University (JHU) students not majoring in music, as well as to JHU faculty, staff, alumni, and community musicians. The only community orchestra in Baltimore City, HSO is dedicated to performing and promoting orchestral andchamber music from the standard and contemporary repertoires at a high artistic level.

HSO consists of two ensembles: the Symphonic Orchestra and the Concert Orchestra. Each fall, orchestra musicians are accepted into the ensembles through a competitive audition process. Both orchestras offer a rigorous, artistically challenging orchestral experience, presenting an annual series of innovatively programmed, high-quality, low-cost or free orchestral concerts and a free children's concert. The winner's of the biennial JHU student concerto competition performs with the orchestra in April.

HSO reaches out to a diverse audience through affordable concerts and educational programs like public school instrumental mentoring, lecture-demonstrations, and free pre-concert talks. Performances feature young Maryland soloists and composers as they develop their careers in addition to nationally and internationally known soloists. Among HSOs prominent soloists have been Sara Davis Buechner, Allison Charney, Brian Ganz, Hilary Hahn, Awadagin Pratt, Eugenia Zukerman, and Stefan Jackiw.