The Seattle Mandolin Orchestra exists to preserve, promote and extend America’s mandolin ensemble tradition. Featuring the entire mandolin family of instruments, including mandolin, mandola, mandocello and mandobass, the orchestra offers an opportunity for musicians of any skill level to serve the Puget Sound community through performance, recordings, outreach, musical instruction, and publishing.

Since 1968, the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra has been dedicated to revitalizing the mandolin ensemble and expanding its repertoire through commissions and arrangements. The orchestra's repertoire encompasses baroque, classical, jazz, and folk traditions.

It has been our pleasure to host and present to Northwest audiences many of the finest mandolin soloists and ensembles, including Mike Marshall, Duo Capriccioso (Gertrud and Michael Troester), Richard Walz and Mari Tomizuka, Andre St. Clivier, Joan Martin Woodward, the Helsinki Mandoliners from Finland, and the Bavarian and Hessian state mandolin orchestras from Germany.

Although the present group was founded in 1968, there were earlier mandolin orchestras in Seattle, during the golden age of the mandolin (1880–1925).