The Orchestra's Mission
Our orchestra serves as a cost-free means to access a local summer orchestral program in the Chicago area. But what does that mean?
Beyond the average tuition price, the summer orchestral program experience is filled with several hidden costs. Food, housing, travel, and time away from work all contribute to making it a very unaffordable experience for many musicians. Our orchestra seeks to forge a solution for that issue. As a local ensemble, we have greatly reduced travel costs and time for Chicago musicians. We charge no tuition, facility fees, or any other hidden costs. We have decided to focus entirely on student-lead and student-made music and outreach into our community. In return, for any costs (such as rental fees for venues,) we reach out into our community with fundraisers. We have found great success in this system. It shows that an entirely community based orchestra is not only possible, but affordable.
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"In the Chicagoland area, we are so privileged to have such wonderful music programs in and out of our schools. [SOCA] is special in the sense that it is able to concentrate all of that talent and passion from those programs in the gap between other ensembles' seasons to create an artistic product to be enjoyed by the community. It was especially cool to see musicians of all different ensembles collaborate - CYSO, EYSO, NYSO, YSDP, various music schools, and so on were represented in this orchestra! Thank you [SOCA] for this wonderful opportunity, and I'm excited for next season!" - Melissa Parkinson, past member of SOCA and double bassist