About CCO
Our Mission
CCO's mission is to provide challenging and rewarding performance opportunities for accomplished local musicians and adding to the cultural enrichment of the community by presenting quality orchestral performances for local audiences regardless of means.
CCO Programming
Repertoire for the season is chosen by a Music Committee to include works from a variety of genres from baroque to contemporary, including works less often chosen by large symphony ensembles. From time to time CCO will insert selections from POPs repertoire into its concert programming to lighten and add variety to its concerts. Our December concerts have a Holiday theme and all ages will enjoy the programs.
Concert solo artists are drawn from the local professional ranks as well as promising students and accomplished community members.
Awards & Testimonials
CCO has received awards from The American Prize - a National Nonprofit Competition in the Performing Arts. CCO was the Second Place WINNER in the community orchestras category for 2018-2019 and tied for 3rd Place WINNER in 2022-23.
Our Conductor
Conductor Alan Yost is a percussionist with a music degree from the University of Northern Colorado, a Master of Software engineering from Brandeis University, a research aircraft pilot and IT specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Volpe Center in Cambridge, a former air traffic controller, and a former professor of Aerospace Studies a Metropolitan State College, Denver, CO.
Alan has been principal timpanist of the Colorado Mahlerfest Orchestra for 30 years. With a true passion for conducting, Alan has conducted many concerts of chamber music with small local ensembles. He has been engaged as guest conductor for the Evergreen, Jefferson, and Longmont Symphony Orchestras in Colorado. He is also the music director of the American Prize winning Opera51 in Concord, Ma under which he has produced a number of light and fully staged operas.
Our Concertmaster
Subaiou Zhang Carter, born in Tianjin, China, took up violin at age 3. Winning a national competition for youth in China at 7, she studied violin until age 12 and after a long hiatus, resumed study at Boston University School of Music earning Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance degrees. Subaiou won the Grand Prize of the Bach Competition at BU in 2015, and has performed with the Wellesley and Brookline symphonies in addition to her current appointment as Concertmaster of the Carlisle Chamber Orchestra. In 2022 she performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with CCO. Subaiou also performs with the Frost String Quartet and is co-founder of the non-profit arts organization Spectacle Collective.
Management Struture
As with most orchestras the overall responsibility for managing CCO rests with a governing board. Since CCO is a principally volunteer ensemble, its governing board is composed entirely of performing members who fully understand the wishes and concerns of the membership at large.
Musical Direction
Rather than a single Music Director, CCO has a Music Committee composed of seven playing members including the conductor and concertmaster which reviews and approves all concert programming. Having the selection of programming shared in this way strengthens the membership bond throughout the orchestra and helps to insure performances with wide audience appeal.
