New London Community Orchestra rehearsal

The newly formed New London Community Orchestra is seeking violinists, violists, cellists and bass players for its initial membership meeting and rehearsal  7 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the Fox Room in Mitchell Hall, 469 Pequot Ave.

 The Community Orchestra will hold free and benefit classical music concerts. The orchestra offers musicians in the region an opportunity to develop and hone their skills in a high-quality community orchestra, while providing accessible classical music in an informal setting.  Rehearsals will be held twice monthly on Tuesday evenings at Mitchell College, which is a sponsor for the orchestra. Prospective members should be able to perform Brandenburg Concerto No 3.

 Conductor and Music Director Joan Winters is Director of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Youth Orchestra, Orchestra Director for Waterford High School and Middle School, and principle second violinist for the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.  She was selected as the 2010 Connecticut Music Educators Association Middle School Teacher of the Year and awarded the 2008 Heifetz International Music Institute Pedagogy Fellowship.

 The orchestra will be comprised of string instruments initially, but will expand into a full orchestra in the near future. The orchestra will also establish a local scholarship program for string instrument instruction.

 For more information contact Tom Clark at 860-608-1780 or Joan Winters at 860-691-0849. To join the e-mail list for updates, send an e-mail to:  newlondonorchestra@gmail.com.