SHARON COMMUNITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA HISTORY and MISSION
The Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra (SCCO) was founded in 2003 by enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers who had a vision of a chamber orchestra that would serve the community while fulfilling the musical aspirations of its members. In 2004, the First Congregational Church of Sharon offered the orchestra a beautiful, permanent rehearsal space and a venue for performances. Over the years, the SCCO has performed many concerts which are now held at a variety of venues including Sharon Middle School and area houses of worship. The orchestra continues to fulfill its mission of connecting with the community through smaller community events such as the Beech Tree Park Dedication, Sharon Interfaith Services, a photography exhibit honoring Sharon’s diversity, and at Musical World Cafe evenings at the Sharon Public Library.
Michael Korn, Music Director since 2008, has led the SCCO to award-winning performances. Under his leadership, many Boston-area professional soloists have performed with the orchestra, including Victor Romanul and Alexei Shabalin (violin), Emmanuel Feldman (cello), Kenneth Stalberg (viola), Philip Lima (baritone), Linda Toote (flute), Mark McEwen (oboe), and Jérôme Mouffe (classical guitar). The SCCO performed the U.S. Premiere of the four-movement completion of Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, The Unfinished, by Dr. Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs. Dr. Cohrs, a German composer and musicologist, worked closely with the orchestra and Mr. Korn. The SCCO, in furtherance of our mission to provide of providing educational as well as performance experiences is joined on a regular basis by the talented young high school students from Easton, Massachusetts’ Oliver Ames High School 's all-string Chamber Orchestra, giving the students an opportunity to perform with a full chamber orchestra.
Michael Korn
Maestro Korn has appeared extensively in Boston and the Greater Boston area and has led orchestras in works ranging from Lully to contemporary orchestral music. An avid American-music advocate, Michael Korn has premiered works by contemporary composers and conducted performances of Gaelic Symphony by Amy Beach, À Montevideo Symphony by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, and Romantic Symphony by Howard Hanson.
As an accompanist, Michael Korn has collaborated with many outstanding Boston musicians and young talented performers. He regularly teaches students in orchestral settings and conducts the Oliver Ames High School chamber orchestra. In 2014 he directed the 2014 senior S.E.M.S.B.A. Festival Orchestra in Massachusetts. Mt. Korn conducted the US premiere of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony in a completed edition by German composer/scholar Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs. Michael Korn was named the winner of the orchestral programming Community Division of The American Prize in Orchestral Performance, a national non-profit competition in the performing arts.
Michael Korn is also Music Director of the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra.