The Sequim Community Orchestra will begin rehearsals for the 2018-19 season from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, at the James Center in Carrie Blake Community Park, 202 N. Blake Ave.
Rehearsals are every Tuesday throughout the season, with a week off after each of three concerts.
Orchestra members pay dues of $120 per year, and there are no auditions to join the group. Requirements for musicians are a familiarity with their orchestral instrument and an ability to read music.
Music Director Phil Morgan-Ellis can be reached at 360-775-9984 for information about joining the orchestra.
This year, the Sequim Community Orchestra is performing a Christmas Concert in December, a family-themed concert on Feb. 9, and a final concert involving students in the SCO String Kids program on June 1.
Both the February and June concerts will be matinees performed at 2 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
All concerts are free to the public.
“For our first six seasons we performed on Friday nights, but in the winter, driving at night can be a challenge for some of our regular attendees,” Beth Pratt, past president for the SCO, said. “Moving to matinee performances, we hope, will make attending the concerts easier for all of our audience members.”
The SCO String Kids program, a free string-instrument education program for Sequim students, begins enrollment on Aug. 25. Strings coordinator Emma Mitchell and Pratt will kick off recruitment at the Back to School Fair, set for 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 W. Fir St., on Wednesday, Aug. 25.
SCO String Kids classes begin in September for returning students and in October for beginners.
Orchestra dues fund the SCO Ensemble but the SCO Strings Kids program is kept free to families in Sequim through grants and donations as well as contributions made during orchestra concerts and for bake sales run by the String Kid students and parents.
For more information or to contribute to the SCO String Kids program, contact Pratt at 360-460-7368 or president@sequimcommunityorchestra.org, or through Facebook.
