Civic Orchestra of Tucson is celebrating its 50th year, which is a pretty remarkable milestone for any arts organization but especially amazing for one that relies on volunteers.
Music Director Keun Oh, who took over the ensemble in summer 2022, leads 70 musicians, only one of whom is paid, in concerts of challenging classical works and traditional pops.
The orchestra has been mostly volunteer — the conductor and concertmaster are paid — since George Schwartz put it together in 1975 as a way to play classical music with his friends. He incorporated the group the next year and secured its non-profit designation.
Schwartz was at the podium for Civic Orchestra of Tucson’s first concert on Feb. 22, 1976, a program that included works by Strauss, Offenbach, Schubert and Handel, along with more contemporary works by Aaron Copland and Morton Gould. That mix of challenging works from the core of the repertoire to lighter, more contemporary fare became the template that his successor Herschel Kreloff adopted when he was named music director in 1980, and the two music directors who followed him — Charles Bontrager, who was conductor from 2018-22, and Oh, who begins his fourth season in October.
Keun will lead the orchestra in two performances — Oct. 18 at Mountain View High School in Marana and Oct. 26 at Catalina Foothills High School — featuring two works from that very first concert: “ Strauss’s Emperor Waltzes and Offenbach’s “La Vie Parisienne” Overture, which this time around will be Antal Dorati’s arrangement of “La Vie Parisienne” and other themes.
Throughout the season, the orchestra will sprinkle in works it performed in its first season, bringing its history full circle. All performances are free and most include an instrument petting zoo for younger audience members.
The season includes the annual holiday pops concert Dec. 13-14, which will feature Philip Rhodes’ Suite for Bluegrass Quartet and Orchestra; an inclusive and child-friendly concert as part of its winter concert March 7-8, which will feature University of Arizona dancers; and the season finale pops concert April 25-6 and May 3 and with performances by the orchestra’s Young Artists’ Competition winners.
For detail, visit cotmusic.org and follow the orchestra’s social media at @civicorchestraoftucson.
