Sequim Community Orchestra to present Spring Concert Saturday, May 9

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 6, 2026

The Sequim Community Orchestra (SCO) will present its Spring Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 9, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim. After the concert, a reception will be held for outgoing Artistic Director Phil Morgan-Ellis.

Morgan-Ellis has directed the Sequim Community Orchestra since its founding in 2012. He and his wife Deborah have been an integral part of the musical community on the Olympic Peninsula since the 1970s. Phil taught at Stevens Middle School in Port Angeles until 2006, and Deborah has had a full studio of private lesson students for decades, with a few years spent traveling after Phil’s retirement from the school district. The two founded and ran North Olympic Youth Symphonies between 1980 and 2006. Collectively, their musical influence on the Peninsula has touched thousands of students and adults over their many decades of service.

When asked to share a memory, many members of the Sequim Community Orchestra become emotional with gratitude.

“Phil and Deborah gave us a musical home in this area, a place to feel welcome and to find belonging,” said Shawne Johnson, who has two students who studied with the Morgan-Ellises for more than a decade.

Beth McDaniels, who plays cello with the SCO, said the two are “always so patient and kind.”

“Phil prepared us to perform well without pressure, and in a pleasant way,” said Mark Wick, who plays french horn.

Nathan Rødahl, Port Angeles High School director of orchestras, weighed in with this statement: “Thanks to Phil, many of us, students and teachers alike, know we belong on this stage or any stage, because of his example of inclusivity, acceptance, generosity, and an authentic love for music — without boundaries.”

Trinity UMC is located at 100 N. Blake Ave. in Sequim.