ORCO History

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The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra made its debut in the summer of 1993 as a group formed in support of the Music Arts Scholarship Fund Drive. Its first conductor, Philip Hansen, was a Music Arts faculty member and a conducting student of Kirk Trevor as well as principal cellist of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.

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Coming together the two following summers without the sponsorship of Music Arts, the group maintained a steady membership and performed one or two concerts per summer.

At the beginning of the 1995 summer season, Stacy Taylor took up musical leadership of the orchestra. At that time Taylor was finishing requirements for a Master's degree in physics at the University of Tennessee while continuing her studies in music. A conducting student of Trevor's, as well as a member of the Knoxville Symphony violin section, Taylor has continued toward completing requirements for her Master's degree in conducting. She has attended conducting workshops in the United States as well as in Europe.

Taylor's inspirational leadership was instrumental in the decision of orchestra members to become a full-time organization. At the end of the summer season of 1996, the members took a giant step when they voted to become a year-round orchestra, making the group Oak Ridge's only all year orchestra.

A long term goal was fulfilled in 1997 when the group was granted full membership in the Oak Ridge Arts Council. A second goal was reached in 1998 when the orchestra gained nonprofit status, finishing the framework for ORCO's current operations.

A new chapter in the life of the orchestra began in 2006 with the arrival of its current conductor, John Pippen. �John studied conducting at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville under Dan Allcott, and in Paris with Mark Shapiro. He graduated from Tennessee Tech University in May 2006 with a degree in Music Education. Currently he is a Graduate Teaching Assistant in music at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

John has conducted numerous small ensembles and was a guest conductor with the Cookeville Community Band in August of 2006. �He is an advocate for new music and has performed and conducted several world premiers. �John is deeply committed to growing and strengthening the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra. �We welcome his musical skills and enthusiasm.