The Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra (BCCO) is a passionate and diverse group of dedicated amateur and professional musicians who perform the great masterpieces of the orchestral repertoire, from Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky to contemporary works by living composers. Now in its 22nd year, BCCO’s members feel more keenly than ever the profound joys of playing and sharing some of the world’s most beautiful music. The 65-member ensemble is composed of players from all walks of life, from middle-school art teachers to law professors and local baristas. Open by audition to adult orchestral musicians who play at an advanced level, the BCCO presents four to six concerts for the community throughout the year, including a popular family concert at the Brooklyn Museum.

Rehearsals, Registration and Auditions

All rehearsals are on Tuesdays at St John’s Church, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, unless otherwise noted. Rehearsals begin on Tuesday, September 10th. St John’s is at 139 St John’s Place in Park Slope. For questions about the rehearsal schedule or auditions, contact Dorothy Savitch, Music Director, at dorothy.savitch@gmail.com

BCCO Registration Information (2024-2025):

• Full year starting in September: $405; Half year starting in January/February 2024; April start: $165
• Sliding scale available of $250, $195, $140 or $85. Please pay the amount that fits your budget.
• There is an additional $45 charge to process all registrations.

Auditions

Interested musicians are invited to audition during August and early September and throughout the year by appointment.

Auditioners will be asked to prepare two excerpts: one slow with legato bowing or tonguing, and one fast, more off-the-string or staccato. Can be a Bach partita movement, an etude, a sonata or concerto excerpt.  About two minutes of each, preferably from two different time periods. There will be no accompanist.

For further information contact the Music Director, Dorothy Savitch, at dorothy.savitch@gmail.com.

Upcoming Concerts

Sunday October 20, 2024 – Brooklyn Museum, 1pm and 3:30pm

Saturday December 7, 2024 – Brooklyn Museum, 3pm

• Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 5
• Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
• Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in A Minor RV461 with Alison Mari, oboe

Saturday March 15, 2025 at 7:30pm (St Saviour High School)

• Ruth Gipps: Chanticleer Overture
• Hindson: House Music, with Alice Jones, flute
• Mendelssohn: Symphony no. 3

Saturday June 7, 2025 at 7:30pm – St Ann and the Holy Trinity

• Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: Worship: A Concert Overture
• Winners of the Conservatory’s Young Musicians Competition
• Sibelius: Symphony no. 5

More About the Brooklyn Conservatory Community Orchestra