Making Music Together

Ensembles at COCC Provide Connection, Expression and the Thrill of Performance

Performance groups are a vibrant, longstanding tradition at COCC, with orchestras and choral ensembles staging concerts throughout the year. Community members and COCC students audition for spots and selected musicians and singers meet for rehearsals that lead to a performance.

The Central Oregon Symphony, for instance, has been a flagship ensemble of COCC’s Fine Arts department since 1967. Typically comprised of 80 or so community musicians — from high schoolers to retirees — the symphony holds concerts in the fall and spring with coordination by the Central Oregon Symphony Association.

The College’s other primary ensembles include the Cascade Chorale, Cascade Winds Symphonic Band, Jazz Central Vocal Choir and Big Band Jazz.

Each musician is enrolled in a one-credit performance class at COCC, with that tuition offsetting the costs of rehearsal space at the College, auditorium rental fees, equipment and the time of the musical director.

"Our ensembles are the heart and strength of our program. Filled with exceptional musicians from across the region, the COCC choral, symphonic, jazz and concert band ensembles provide an opportunity for musicians of all ages to participate in high-level music-making."

“It’s one of the things that tethers me to happiness and fulfillment,” shares Leslie Knight, a trained musician who has played viola with the Central Oregon Symphony since 1979. Knight, a retired human resources director for the Sunriver Homeowners Association, has only missed a scattering of performances over the years. “The Central Oregon Symphony has been my musical center.”