Oregon Mozart Players is a professional chamber orchestra based in Eugene,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, United States. The orchestra presents five concert sets in a typical season, in addition to numerous small ensemble performances and recitals by guest artists. Orchestral repertoire ranges from the Baroque period to world premieres of 21st century works. Soloists with the group include internationally acclaimed artists as well as members of the orchestra. The current conductor and artistic director is Kelly Kuo.

History

The organization was founded in 1983 in Eugene by a group of professional musicians, many from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

, who wanted to play the wealth of music written for small orchestras and intimate venues and who recognized that they could do so and could bring this music to the Eugene- Springfield community by forming their own orchestra. Today, many of OMP's performances take place at Beall Concert Hall at the

. At first, the organization functioned as a sort of musicians'

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

, but after a few years it established a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

with a board of directors and modest staff. In keeping with the group's roots, the corporation bylaws specify that as many as six musicians, elected by the players, may sit on the board of directors, and the board's vice president must be a player. The orchestra's conductors and music directors have included Robert Hurwitz, Apo Hsu, Andrew Massey and Glen Cortese. A number of other distinguished musicians have served as guest conductors. The Mozart Players encourage an appreciation of classical music among young people, as both listeners and performers. OMP musicians, including the conductor and guest artists, are also available to visit schools, meet with students, and share their enthusiasm for the music performed in concerts.

External links

Official website

Hult Center for the Performing Arts
web site

Recent concert reviews

Reviews from the 2019-2020 SeasonReviews from the 2018-2019 SeasonReviews from the 2017-2018 Season
Musical groups from Eugene, Oregon Mozart music ensembles 1983 establishments in Oregon Musical groups established in 1983 Orchestras based in Oregon {{US-orchestra-stub