The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra
Steven McDonald, Music Director

Welcome to the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra! Vibrant concerts in intimate concert settings have made the LCO a cultural jewel in Northeast Kansas since 1972. Our 2008-2009 season offered innovative programming, renowned guest artists, talented young musicians, and the outstanding musical ensemble of the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra. We invite you to browse our website by clicking on the link, above, and listen to our live concert audio selections. If you were in the audience this season, you experienced the beauty of Lawrence's own professional orchestra.

The current economic climate is affecting arts organizations across the nation. Regrettably, the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra is not immune to this downturn, and therefore it is presently impossible to determine the feasibility of a full concert season for 2009-2010. As concert plans come to fruition, we will announce them here and on our website.

Mission Statement

The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra is dedicated to performing the finest classical chamber orchestra repertoire for Lawrence and surrounding communities, and providing educational opportunities in music for young people.

Past and Present

The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra can trace its roots to Mrs. Jessie Branson, whose husband, Dr. Vernon Branson, built a harpsichord for her after they were inspired by a chamber music concert they attended in 1970 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, in London. Desiring to play her new harpsichord in an ensemble, she invited a small group of interested string and wind players into her home for rehearsals. Eventually the group became known as the Lawrence Chamber Players and gave its first public performance April 30, 1972. From then on, the Chamber Players were performing regular season concerts throughout Lawrence.

Over the years the group has evolved, performing in a variety of venues under the direction of dedicated conductors, and collaborating with several area groups, including the Lawrence Civic Choir, the Lawrence Children’s Choir, choirs from Lawrence High School and Free State High School, the Lawrence Women’s Chorus, the Lawrence Arts Center Dance Studio, the University of Kansas School of Fine Arts, Ottawa Suzuki Strings, and the St. Joseph (Missouri) Community Chorus.

In 1998, as part of its evolving and expanding vision, the Lawrence Chamber Players began using the name the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra, and that name was officially documented in 2002, as a non-profit Lawrence-based organization performing for the city of Lawrence and surrounding area. The LCO currently employs an orchestra of from 16 to 35 members, depending on the selected repertoire for each concert.

Steven McDonald has conducted the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra since April 2007. Past conductors have included John Williams, Karel Blaas, Charles Hoag, George Boberg, Howard Boyajian, Daniel Politoske, Leon Burke III, Juan Francisco La Manna, Eric Williams, and Steven Elisha.

Providing performing opportunities for rising young music professionals, as well as talented high school students, is part of the LCO’s mission. Each spring, the orchestra features audition winners of the annual Stephen Paul Wunsch Young Artist Competition. The top winner and the runner-up winner are invited to perform with the orchestra in the final concert of the season.

As a non-profit group, the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra regularly receives operational funds from the Kansas Arts Commission, and the LCO is on the commission’s “Kansas Arts on Tour Roster.” Funding also comes from corporate and individual contributions, foundation grants, ticket sales, and benefit events. The LCO Board of Directors meets the second Tuesday of each month. Volunteers, our “Friends of the LCO,” are essential for the orchestra’s operations. We invite interested persons to learn more about us at
www.lawrencechamberorchestr....

The Lawrence Chamber Orchestra is funded in part by the Kansas Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.