Kathleen Berger, Conductor
William Shipley, Assistant Conductor
The Chamber Orchestra at the Community Music Center of Boston is made up of approximately 40 string, woodwind, brass, and percussion musicians.
Did You Know?
Financial Aid is available for students of all ages! Learn more at https://cmcb.org/how-to-register/
Rehearsals
Saturdays, 3:15-5:30 PM
Community
- A home away from home.
- A safe, inclusive space.
- A supportive, welcoming environment.
- An accepting and nurturing world class faculty devoted to the individual needs of all of its members, including a wind and string coach available for sectionals and support at every rehearsal in addition to the conduct.
- An integrative approach that allows students to get the best music education at the highest level for their specific needs and range of abilities.
Collaboration
- With the incredible resources, classes, seminars, masterclasses, private instruction, and more that CMCB has to offer.
- Specific collaborations with other CMCB ensembles, such as Una Voce.
- With local schools.
- With many of the best teachers and musicians in the Boston and larger New England community.
- With parents and friends to help, support, encourage, and celebrate each student’s individual needs and successes.
- With students to be active participants in programming through leadership committees, within the rehearsal environment, and through one-on-one feedback.
Cultural and Neuro- Diversity
- Dedicated to performing, showcasing, and advocating historically overlooked and underrepresented BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and female composers, alongside pulling from the classics, such as Beethoven, Mozart, and Gershwin.
- Inclusive, welcoming, appreciative, and encouraging of the unique perspectives and experiences of our multicultural, LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse students
Creativity
- Provide an often neglected opportunity for programming student arrangements and compositions specifically created by Chamber Orchestra members for Chamber Orchestra
- Audition for our Concerto Competition and have the chance to perform solo with the Chamber Orchestra
- Experiment with new approaches to music making with interdisciplinary collaborations and unique, less typical and/or collaborative performance styles
What makes us different from other youth orchestras?
Size: Chamber orchestra tends to be about a quarter of the size of a symphony orchestra. This allows for:
- More individual attention
- More leadership opportunities
- More voice in creative and artistic decisions
Time: A smaller time commitment without sacrificing the quality of the instruction.
Inclusivity: From students with hopes of becoming a professional musician to students that simply love music, Chamber Orchestra provides enriching opportunities for students with a wide range of experience and goals. With over twenty years of experience teaching multi-level ensembles, including over 15 years with the Colleges of the Fenway Orchestra, CMCB’s conductor has a unique way of challenging and engaging high-level musicians while keeping it a safe, relaxed space for students that may find some aspects of music more vulnerable.
Orchestral fundamentals are addressed at the beginning of each rehearsal (rhythmic concepts, intonation, balance, basic conducting, and how to practice ensemble skills at home).
*Dates subject to change