Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra
Charlottesville's community string ensemble since 1988

The Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra is a classical string ensemble of roughly two dozen musicians who love playing and performing, and who seek the camaraderie of others who share this vocation. For two decades, the BRCO has provided this opportunity. Orchestra members include adult musicians of all ages from Charlottesville and surrounding central Virginia. Our membership includes local music teachers and semiprofessional performers, veterans of high school and college orchestras, and advanced/intermediate adult learners. We try to increase local interest in chamber and orchestral music through our concerts, normally free to the public. Our two or three programs each year have featured local musicians as soloists, and music by local composers. As a dynamic community organization, we are always open to adding new members, subject to balance in the sections. Please contact us if you are interested in joining. We rehearse on most Monday evenings during the academic year, currently at the Sojourners UCC church located at the corner of Monticello Ave. and Elliot St. in the Belmont neighborhood of Charlottesville. Next Concert: 3pm, Saturday May 12, 2012, at Meade Hall, Christ Episcopal Church, in downtown Charlottesville. Stay tuned for information about the program.

Contact us: Email: BRCO. Phone: (434)-295-1617. Join us:  If you think you might enjoy playing with the BRCO, please email Hank or use the above contact info. The spring 2010 season starts January, with rehearsals Monday evenings from 7:30-9:30.  Currently we rehearse at Sojourners United Church of Christ, 1017 Elliot Ave., Charlottesville.  Support us:  The expenses of the orchestra are primarily met through member's dues and the contributions of supporters. We have official nonprofit status, and contributions to the BRCO are tax deductible. If you are interested in supporting us financially, checks may be made payable to "Blue Ridge Chamber Orchestra" and sent to 1685 Union Mills Rd., Troy, VA 22974. Listen to us:  Vivaldi  -  Concerto for strings in G minor, first movement (Allegro molto). Recorded at the BRCO concert of October 8, 2000.  Ross  -  Sinfonietta Concertante, third movement. Recorded at the BRCO concert of December 8, 2007. Watch us on Youtube: BlueRidgeChamberOrch   -   John Rutter's Suite for Strings. Recorded at the spring 2010 BRCO concert.

Conductor Richard Baritaud During a professional orchestral career of more than two decades, Richard has worked with some of the world's leading conductors, including Eugene Ormandy, Bernard Haitink, Edo de Waart, and David Zinman. In the Netherlands, he was the violist with the Rotterdam String Quartet, and made numerous recording with Dutch National Radio. After receiving a masters degree in performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University, he taught at Salisbury State University, where he cofounded the Salisbury Youth Orchestra, and directed the orchestra of the Maryland Gifted and Talented program at Goucher College. For eleven years, he served on the music faculty at the University of Virginia, where he was principal violist of the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra, and member of the Rivanna String Quartet. Currently, he is director of string education at Henley Middle School, and maintains a private studio in Charlottesville. Concertmaster Hank Schutz Hank Schutz began his study of violin at age 7. He has studied at the Peabody Conservatory and with members of the LA Philharmonic. He is a member of the Madison Trio, the Piedmont Chamber Players, and plays with the Shenandoah Symphony. He has performed with more than 20 local musical theater productions, including those of the Heritage Repertory Theatre and the New Lyric Theatre.

History The BRCO was founded in 1988 by local violinist and teacher Alexandra McCracken, with the purpose of providing a setting in which adult musicians of varying musical backgrounds might experience the joy of making music in a collegial, non-competitive setting. When Ms. McCracken left the area in the early 1990's, the conductor's baton was passed to Richard Baritaud. In this period, the orchestra regularly played concerts at the new Senior Center: we still maintain a variant of this tradition by playing "dress rehearsal" concerts at various of the local area retirement communities. Philip Clark conducted the orchestra in the late 1990's. Under his direction, the orchestra's concerts took several new forms, including featuring vocal and instrumental soloists, and accompanying choral works and dramatic readings. A musical highlight was playing Concerto for Bassoon and Strings by Walter Ross, emeritus professor of music at U VA and long time bass player in the orchestra. Paul Kim, a graduate student of conducting at U VA, directed the orchestra in 2002. When he was called up for army reserve duties the next year, local musician and conductor Eric Stassen ably guided us through our next concert. Since fall of 2003, the BRCO has been reunited with Richard Baritaud. Our spring 2004 concert included the premiere of Paul Kim's Dave Matthews Band Concerto, guest conducted by the composer.  Various of our concerts have featured pieces by Walter Ross. We have played as part of both the Jefferson Thanksgiving Festival, and the downtown Bach's Lunch series of concerts. Hank Schutz has been concertmaster for most of the group's existence. His musical leadership and enthusiasm continues unabated. Elizabeth Wagner has served as the orchestra's able concertmistress for some recent concerts.

Recent Concerts Our 2011 fall concert was held on Saturday, December 10 at Meade Hall, Christ Episcopal Church, in downtown Charlottesville. The program included Concerto Grosso op.6 no.8 by Corelli, Theme and variations for string orchestra in G minor by Glazunov, Villa-Lobos' lovely Aria Cantilena, as well as Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams, Fiddler's Fury by Stafford, and Song to the Moon by Dvorak. The program was also played the Monday before, at the Our Lady of Peace retirement community. Our 2011 spring concert was held on Saturday, May 7 at Meade Hall. On the program were Concerto Grosso op.6 no.7 by Handel, Violin Concerto in B flat major by Vivaldi, Holberg Suite by Edvard Grieg, the waltz movement of Seranade for Strings by Tchaikovsky, and the Pizzicato Polka by Johann Stauss. Annie Kim was the violin concerto soloist. The program was also played the Monday before, at the Westminster-Canterbury retirement community. Our 2010 fall concert was held on Saturday, December 11 at Meade Hall. The program included Concerto Grosso op.6 no.10 by Corelli, Bach's Violin Concerto in A minor with concertmaster Hank Schutz as soloist, Mozart's Divertimento no. 3 in F, and A Moorside Suite by Holst. The program was also played the Monday before, at OLOP. Our 2010 spring concert was held on Saturday, May 15 at Meade Hall. The program included St. Paul Suite by Gustav Holst, Concerto in C major for mandolin and string orchestra by Vivaldi, Serenade in C major by Ernst Dohnanyi, Spider Dreams by David Balkrishnan, and Suite for Strings by John Rutter. Charles Winkler was our mandolin soloist. The program was also played the Monday before, at WC. Our 2009 fall concert was held on Saturday, December 12 at Meade Hall, Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Charlottesville.  The program included Sonata III A 5, Op. 2 by Albinoni, Idyll for String Orchestra by Janecek, Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 by Bach, and the aptly titled 12th of December by Silverman.  Our soloists for the Brandenburg Concerto were our own Elizabeth Wagner on violin, and high school students Chelsea Meynig and Jessica Kaisoum on flutes. The program was also played the Monday before, at the Our Lady of Peace retirement community. Our 2009 spring concert was held on Saturday, April 25, at St. Pauls Memorial Church, located across from the Rotunda at U VA.  The program included Sinfonie a cinque, Op.2, no.3 by Albinoni, Sonata no. 4 in D major, Op1, no.13 by Handel, music from Bizet's Carmen, the early 20th century work Meditation on Svaty Vaclave by Josef Suk, and Skylife by David Balakrishnan, founder of the Turtle Island Quartet. The program was also played a week later, at the Westminster-Canterbury retirement community. Our 2008 fall concert "Britten, Barber, and the Blues" was held on Saturday, November 22 at Meade Hall, Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Charlottesville.  The program included Sonata a cinque, Op. 2 No. 1 by Albinoni, Music for String Orchestra by Walter Leigh, Adagio for Strings by Barber, Simple Symphony by Britten, and Blues for Oaktown by Darol Anger. The program was also played the Monday before, at WC. Our 2008 spring concert "Odds and Ends: three hundred years of string music" was held on Sunday, May 4 at St. Paul's Memorial Church.  The program included Suite #2 from the Fairy Queen by Purcell,  Andante Cantabile by Tchaikovsky, Notturno in B by Dvorak, two piano preludes by Shostakovich arranged for string orchestra, Crisantemi by Puccini, and Sinfonia in F by Wilhelm Friedmann Bach, the eldest of J.S.Bach’s sons.  The program was also played the Monday before, at WC. Our 2007 fall concert was held on Saturday, December 8 at St. Paul's Memorial Church.  The program included Coronation Music by Handel, Ancient Airs and Dances by Respighi, Serenade for String Orchestra by Elgar, and Sinfonietta Concertante by our own Walter Ross. The program was also played the Monday evening before, at OLP. A very successful Mothers Day spring concert was held on May 13, 2007, at Temple Beth Israel in downtown Charlottesville. The program included Albinoni’s Concerto for Strings, Op. 7 No. 4, Arditi’s Il Bacio, Corelli’s Concerto Grosso No. 2, Svendsen’s Zwei Schwedische Volksmelodien, and Vivaldi’s Concerto in G minor, F XI no. 13.   The program was also played the Monday evening before, at OLP.

Other Cville musical links: Charlottesville Municipal Band Virginia Viola Society