Millennial Choirs and Orchestras
| Millennial Choirs and Orchestras | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Origin | Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Founding | 2007 (8 years ago) |
| Genre | Worship, classical, gospel |
| Members | 2500 |
| Website |
Millennial |
Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (formerly "Mormon Choral Organizations of America") is a choral and orchestral organization which consists of four groups: Orange County Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (OCMCO), East Valley Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (EVMCO), Dallas Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (DMCO) and Utah Valley Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (UVMCO).[1] Each locale contains six choral ensembles and a symphony orchestra.
Participants
Participants are made up of volunteers that range from age four through adults, in six groups:
- Symphony Orchestra: Accomplished instrumentalists (auditioned)
- Grand Chorus: Accomplished adult singers (auditioned)
- Millennial Chorus: Advanced youth singers
- Concert Choir: High school-aged (9th-12th grade)
- Youth Chorus: Youth 6th-8th grades
- Children’s Chorus: Children 2nd-5th grades
- Young Singers Chorus: Children age 4 to first grade
Any participant 18 or older must audition to join the Grand Chorus, but those 17 and younger do not audition.
The Dallas branch performs at the Meyerson Symphony Center. The conductors, Brett Stewart, Brandon Stewart, Corry Mendenhall and Cherilyn Worthen, alternate conducting rehearsals for the four branches, flying from state to state each week.
Brett Stewart is the primary director of the Orange County, California division of Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (OCMCO).
Brandon Stewart is the current director of the East Valley branch of Millennial Choirs and Orchestras (EVMCO).
About
In 2007, Brett and Brandon Stewart founded Millennial Choirs & Orchestras, which operates under the parent organization Millennial Music. It's stated purpose has been “teaching and encouraging excellence in quality sacred and classical music.” [2]
The organization is made up of hundreds of volunteers from four states.
History
The Orange County Mormon Choral Organization of Newport Beach, Orange County, California was founded in 2007. The East Valley Mormon Choral Organization in Mesa, Arizona was added in 2009, and the two locales became the "Mormon Choral Organizations of America." In March 2013, after a performance in March at the American Choral Directors Association's national conference, the organization announced a new chapter in Dallas, Texas under the name "Dallas Millennial Choirs and Orchestras".
In April 2013, MCO officially changed their name to "Millennial Choirs and Orchestras" in congruence with their parent organization, "Millennial Music". All existing locales received the new name, becoming "Orange County Millennial Choirs and Orchestras", "East Valley Millennial Choirs and Orchestras", and "Dallas Millennial Choirs and Orchestras." (This branch is abbreviated as DMCO, in the style of UV, OC, and EVMCO)
In July 2013, MCO announced the opening of an additional locale in Utah Valley, Utah (UVMCO).[3]
OCMCO released its debut album, That Easter Morn, in 2009.
Millennial Choirs and Orchestras released its sophomore album, the oratorio Messiah in America, in December 2011, which opened as the number one album on Billboard's Traditional Classical chart.[4] This album told the story of Christ’s ministry in the Americas after His Ressurrection.
In November 2012, MCO released a combined Christmas album, O Holy Night.
On July 1, 2014, MCO released the album "To Be American" (originally performed at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas) which is a compilation of original arrangements of traditional American music and original compositions, including Brett Stewart’s arrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner," two songs which were popular during the Civil War, MCO’s arrangement of "How Great Thou Art," and many others.
Discography
| Year | Album Name | Peak Chart Position | # of Tracks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | That Easter Morn | 13 | Album predates EVMCO | |
| 2011 | Messiah in America | Traditional Classical No. 1[4] | 22 | Album was released on 2 discs |
| 2012 | O Holy Night | Traditional Classical No. 3[5] | 15 | |
| 2014 | To Be American | 14 | ||
Notes
- ↑ Mormon Choral Organizations Announces Dallas Expansion and Name Change, Gilbert, Arizona: PR Newswire, April 19, 2013
- ↑ http://www.millennial.org/about-mco/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf0oHBLUPq4
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Toone, Trent (2012-01-10), "Mormon Choral release debuts No. 1 on Billboard Classical Traditional chart", Deseret News
- ↑ "Mormon Choral Organizations on Billboard Again With 'O Holy Night'". PR Newswire. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
References
- Choral arrangement depicts Christ's visit to the American continent, KSL-TV, 2011-06-04
- Bowler, Hillary (2011-06-02), "Mormon choir's shows sell out", Deseret News
- Newton, Catherine Reese (2011-06-02), "And another grand-sized Mormon chorus", The Salt Lake Tribune
- Zint, Bradley (2011-05-02), "Classically Trained: Singing on a high note at the Segerstrom Center", Daily Pilot
- Perera, Srianthi (2010-05-15), "Ecumenical singers, musicians share passion for music", The Arizona Republic
- Swegles, Fred (2009-03-24), "Family, orchestra find unity in music", The Orange County Register
- "That Easter morn", Church News, 2008-03-29
- Gillum, Gary, Messiah in America, BYU Studies (web only review)
External links
- Official website of Millennial Choirs and Orchestras
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