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The History of the KCCO...
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Maestro Bruce Sorrell founded the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra in 1987 and under his direction, the Chamber Orchestra has garnered considerable critical acclaim and continues to attract a growing and enthusiastic audience.
The Chamber Orchestra is incorporated in the state of Kansas, although performances are held throughout the season at venues across the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, both in Kansas and Missouri. Featured concerts have been held at Yardley Hall in Johnson county Kansas, at the Folly Theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri and at numerous church venues across the area.
Throughout the history of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, Sorrell has utilized professional orchestral musicians who are committed to the high standards of the Chamber Orchestra and who live in the area, adding to the vibrancy of our community as a whole. Some are members of the Kansas City Symphony, some are free-lance professional musicians, and some are teachers at universities in the area, including the University of Missouri at Kansas City and the University of Kansas, among others.
The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra is comprised of 16 to 32 players depending on the music being performed. The term "chamber orchestra" refers to music designed to be played in the intimate setting of a room (from the French word "chambre"). Today it implies the size of orchestra, which would have been available to such composers as Bach, Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi and Haydn. A modern symphony orchestra will have 80-100 players and thus, this size difference means the music performed by the Chamber Orchestra is different and the choices made for performance repertoire reflect the intimacy and detail possible with this relatively small group of musically sensitive musicians.
The Kansas City Chamber Orchestra has been very successful playing music from all periods, but especially the music of the baroque and classical eras. Our Baroque by Candlelight series has been wonderfully successful, as audiences have come to expect only the finest of performances of the music by great baroque masters in warmly candle-lit churches.
The repertoire is not limited to one period of music history however. Works by Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Stravinsky, Britten, Belmont and other more modern composers have also been performed by the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra to critical and audience acclaim.
Whether a dedicated season subscriber, a follower of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra through its many nationally broadcast performances on National Public Radio's Performance Today, or a newcomer to the music of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, we invite you to enjoy the experience of one of our concerts for yourself.