The London Community Orchestra offers the public a concert season of high-quality symphonic music, provides a congenial and challenging orchestral experience for local musicians of all ages and from all walks of life, and supports the development of young musicians from London and area.
Established in 1974, the orchestra was originally sponsored by Fanshawe College, but later became an independent charitable organization run by an elected Board of Directors drawn from the orchestra itself. A volunteer manager handles the multitude of daily tasks associated with rehearsals and public performances, and we are grateful to additional volunteers who assist with publicity, ticket sales, ushering, and a host of other activities.
Len Ingrao has been our conductor of the orchestra since 1998, and should be credited with urging the group onward to ever more interesting and ambitious programming. We are also pleased to welcome back our concert master since 2005, Carolyn Martinelli.
The orchestra rehearses and performs at Dundas St. Centre United Church, at the corner of Dundas and Maitland Streets. The church provides ample rehearsal space and a most attractive, beautiful and comfortable concert venue in the sanctuary. We also appreciate the strong support of members of the congregation.
A special feature of each season is our December concert, which stars as soloists several local young musicians chosen by audition. Some of these young people have gone on to careers in music, and others have come back to play later on as a regular members of the community orchestra.
Members of the orchestra are frequently in demand to play at weddings, in schools, for musical theatre, and at other events, and over the years a number of additional concerts have been arranged in other venues and other towns, sometimes in collaboration with local choirs or musicians.