Maple City Community Orchestra - MCCO

Check out this fascinating video on the featured piece in our next performance - this Sunday, April 23, at 4pm.

Quena Masterpiece: Concierto Sinfónico Machu Picchu by Jaime Díaz Orihuela _ 020723 Quena Masterpiece: Concierto Sinfónico Machu Picchu by Jaime Díaz OrihuelaEnglish:Documentary featuring professional Peruvian Quena player Nayo Ulloa sharing...

MCCO in The Goshen News:

Orchestra concert to benefit Ukraine

Orchestra concert to benefit Ukraine GOSHEN — Goshen College music professor Solomia Soroka will perform alongside the Maple City Community Orchestra’s special Ukrainian benefit at 4 p.m. Sunday at Sauder Hall.

— New MCCO staff in the 2022-2023 concert season —

Change is inevitable, and this concert season has brought changes in both staff positions for the Maple City Community Orchestra!


— New Music Director —

The first change took place during the summer of 2022, when long-time Music Director Brian Mast “passed the baton” to our new Music Director, Victoria “Tori” Petrak. The orchestra is immensely grateful for Brian’s years of dedication, and we all wish him the very best in his next adventure.

Tori has already conducted our first two concerts for this season and bravely leads us through new and challenging repertoire—all with patience and aplomb. Welcome Tori!

You can read more about Tori at https://www.mcco-online.org/our-music-director/ .


— New Executive Director —

Beginning in January 2023, the MCCO welcomed William Mateer as its new Executive Director.

Mr. Mateer is no stranger to this type of work, having recently retired from his position as Musical Director for the Goshen Community Chorale. He currently plays string bass in the orchestra.

“I appreciate the opportunity to play in an orchestral setting again, and I especially look forward to furthering the work of the MCCO in my new role as Executive Director,” he commented.

“I also want to thank the previous Executive Director, Greg Smucker, for the enormous amount of work he has put into the success of this orchestra over many years, and for patiently passing the torch and bringing me up to speed on the details of this work.” The entirety of the orchestra and its board share in this gratitude for Greg’s years of work on behalf of the MCCO.

You can read more about William at https://www.mcco-online.org/our-executive-director/ .

We are excited to perform our Christmas Concert with the ELCO Elkhart Community Chorus this Sunday evening!

If you can't join us in person, you can tune in at 7pm to https://gcmusiccenter.org/live/ and enjoy the concert wherever you are 🎧.

We're going LIVE this time... that's right, LiveStream! If you can't personally attend the concert this Saturday, you can still enjoy from home! Just follow this link...
https://gcmusiccenter.org/live/

Sauder Concert Hall Live Stream Watch Goshen College concerts and events online at the Sauder Concert Hall live stream page.

Enriching the Community through Music
by Katie Hurst

For many people in the Goshen area, Maple City Community Orchestra offers a valuable connection to the arts. This connection begins with the members of the orchestra themselves, extends to their families and friends, and includes any others who may
attend the concerts at Sauder Hall on Goshen College’s campus.

Anna Yoder Schlabach is a cellist in the orchestra. MCCO provides an outlet for the stay-at-home mother of twins to be involved in the community, get out of the house, and play quality music with others. “They see their mom when I’m playing on stage, but I’m totally
inaccessible to them up there in a different role,” she says. “I think it’s great for them to see me enjoying doing something that is totally separate from them.”
MCCO not only brings together families, but crosses generational lines to bring music to the community. David Cunningham is 63 years old and expresses his gratitude for continued involvement in an organization that prioritizes exceptional music and continued
artistic growth for all members. “MCCO affords the only opportunity for an amateur musician to be involved with a large ensemble,” he says. “To be without MCCO would leave a huge hole in my life.”

The same is true for the entire community. MCCO’s concerts are free and open to the public, providing an opportunity for anyone to experience quality music in a world-class performing arts hall. This is especially important for families with young children, including
Yoder Schlabach. She mentions how much she values the experience for her children, as they become exposed to quality music in a low-stakes setting.
Yoder Schlabach also notes how practicing at home, as well as listening to recordings in preparation for concerts has ended up being a positive experience for the whole family.

“Playing the music at home prepares them and me. They enjoy the concerts more when they recognize the music having heard it at home," she says.

MCCO features soloists of different instruments at concerts, and Yoder Schlabach says that this is when, for her, the music comes alive. The 2016 holiday season featured pianist and Goshen College professor Kathryn Schmidt, who also happens to be a
Sunday School teacher for Yoder Schlabach’s kids. Yoder Schlabach mentions how rewarding it is for her children to be able to see people in their life involved in the community in a variety of ways.

“And,” she adds, “you’re never too young to hear live music.”

About our soloists:

Hillary Harder is a violinist, vocalist, and elementary music teacher from Elkhart, IN. She graduated from Goshen College with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Spanish, and from Longy School of Music of Bard College with a Master of Arts in Teaching. Hillary has performed as a soloist with the Goshen College Symphony Orchestra, GC Chamber Choir, and Vox Femina Los Angeles, the premiere women’s choir of the Los Angeles, CA area. She also enjoys playing fiddle and mandolin with her family bluegrass band, Five Times Harder. Currently Hillary teaches music at Roosevelt STEAM Academy in Elkhart.

A young Josh Yoder took up the violin at home in Tucson, Arizona, and managed to get through a traumatic first recital unscathed when his bridge popped out mid-performance. Today, passion for his fiddle takes him between the Concert Halls and Contra Dance Halls of Northern Indiana. By day a purchaser-purveyor of quality comestibles at Goshen’s Maple City Market, he relishes the opportunity to retail, relax, and re-string. He finds enjoyment in life with the Maple City Community Orchestra, and occasionally travels South to perform with the Symphony of the Lakes (Warsaw, IN). He is ever grateful to Dr. Solomia Soroka at Goshen College, as well as the fine folks at Tucson Junior Strings and the Southwest String Quartet in Tucson, Arizona. Josh would like to thank you for supporting the Arts in Goshen. It is through Creation that our full cultural potential is realized.

Timeline Photos

Mennonite Piano Concerto - GAMEO

The orchestra will soon begin work on the Mennonite Piano Concerto by Victor Davies, the highlight of our upcoming December 10 concert!

gameo.org Mennonite Piano Concerto, Victor Davies, composer (born Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on 1 May 1939, BMus, Indiana). Scored for piano solo and orchestra in three movements: Sonata, Theme and Variations, and Rondo/Scherzo. Commissioned by the B. B. Fast Foundation to mark the 450th anniversary of the Me...

The annual family concert is just 2 weeks away! Sure to be a fun time!

Elgar - Cello Concerto - Jacqueline Du Pre (Cello)

Music for a Tuesday night in late summer...

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Maple City Community Orchestra