The House Without a Christmas Tree Holiday Opera

"What's a Chamber Orchestra?" We're glad you asked...The term "chamber orchestra" comes from baroque and classical time periods, referring to music designed to be played in the intimate setting of a room. As such, today's chamber orchestras are smaller music ensembles of 15-30 professional musicians playing the work of some of the most influential composers - Bach, Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi and Haydn - whose works were written specifically for those intimate settings.Today the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra (KCCO) specializes in baroque and classical music, and also includes works of contemporary composers written specifically for chamber orchestras or smaller ensembles.Founded by Maestro Bruce Sorrell in 1987, KCCO's founding mission remains the same today: “The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, composed of national caliber professional musicians who live in the Kansas City metropolitan area, seeks to enrich life in our community through the performance of classical music.”In addition to a five-performance regular concert season (August – June), KCCO also provides musical education programming to area schoolchildren (nearly 2,400 in 2013) from predominantly Title I schools associated with three concerts occurring during the schoolyear.Artistic excellence and the highest aesthetic standards are achieved by KCCO through the hire of professional orchestral musicians under the leadership of Maestro Sorrell as Music Director. Success in these areas is evidenced by critical acclaim in published reviews.Throughout its history, KCCO has exhibited creative and collaborative programming in pursuit of its mission. Collaborative arts partners have included Friends of Chamber Music, Paul Mesner Puppets, Owen/Cox Dance, UMKC’s Conservatory of Music and the Kansas City Chorale. Recent creative approaches have included Groupon promotions and flexible season scheduling in order to provide additional concerts and also to afford work opportunities to professional musicians during the summer off-season.