The Sequim Community Orchestra will conclude their 2018-19 season with their 8th annual spring concert at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 1 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Sequim.

The matinee performance, a first for the SCO, will include a performance of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” by the SCO Ensemble combined with String Kids Academy students. Music Director Phil Morgan-Ellis and Strings Coordinator and teacher Emma Mitchell have been working together to bring the two groups together, from choosing a piece of music to conducting a blended group of musicians ranging from junior high students to retirees.

“The students who began with our program in the 2014-15 school year are now helping to mentor the younger students, and joining the Ensemble to advance their skills. We all feel great pride in seeing our students advance and grow,” said Beth Pratt, the SCO’s past president. “Our music director and teacher have made the program what it is.”

Donations, grants, and contributions made to the SCO at their concerts and bake sales fund the SCO String Kids Academy, keeping instruction free for students of Sequim. The SCO even maintains a selection of loaner instruments, which are loaned to students at no cost to them. “Keeping music education free, and accessible, has always been our goal,” said Pratt.

Under the direction of Morgan-Ellis, the SCO Ensemble has advanced, too. In the SCO, rehearsals are part lesson, part rehearsal, and musicians are welcome at all levels of skill. Musicians who can read music and have their own instrument are invited to come and see a rehearsal, if they are interested in joining the group.

For this concert, music will include performances of “Music Box” by Eric Law, “Rhosymedre” by R. Vaughan Williams, and “Ashokan Farewell” by Jay Ungar.

After the concert, the parents of the String Academy students will host a bake sale, filled with homemade treats, to raise additional funds for the program.

SCO Concerts are always free and open to the public, though donations at the door are gratefully accepted. “The SCO Ensemble pays dues, and offsets the cost of administering the program for Sequim students, but classroom rental, the cost of materials and instruction, and our loaner instrument inventory are all funded through donations,” added Pratt.

For more information, contact Justin Knobel, SCO board president, at (360) 780-1061 or by email at president@sequimcommunityorchestra.org. The SCO can be found on Facebook and at their website, www.sequimcommunityorchestra.org.