The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra has announced a donation of $2 million from philanthropists Rosemarie and Dean Buntrock.

The donation marks the largest gift that the organization has ever received. The gift will support increased fundraising and marketing capacity for the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and will also fund two initiatives highly relevant to South Dakota: new concerts for the acclaimed Lakota Music Project, and a production of Douglas Moore’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera “Giants in the Earth,” based on the Ole Rølvaag novel about Norwegian immigration to South Dakota.

In a statement, Buntrock said, “The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra is a tremendous asset for the State of South Dakota and has been doing great work with a small budget. It is my hope that the initiatives funded by this donation will advance the work of this wonderful orchestra and its adventurous programming, making it available to many more people in the state.”

Meanwhile, Music Director Delta David Gier added, “This donation is as much about building momentum at the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra as it is the phenomenal recognition of the achievements here. We do the right things for the right reasons in the right way. Dean Buntrock saw that in us and has become a great champion of the momentum and the possibilities here at the SDSO.”