Millennial Choirs & Orchestras
Choir
OriginOrange County, California, U.S.
Founded2007
FounderBrett Stewart and Brandon Stewart
GenreWorship, classical, gospel
Members4,000+
Music directorBrett Stewart, Brandon Stewart, Cory Mendenhall, Joni Jensen, Jodi Reed, Emily Cook, Christina Bishop
Websitemillennial.org

Millennial Choirs & Orchestras (MCO) is an American musical organization that was founded in 2007 for the purpose of teaching sacred and classical music, especially to its youth.[1] The organization prioritizes in offering music performance education, with a focus on the works and styles of classical composers.

Organization

MCO was founded in 2007 by brothers and musicians Dr. Brett Stewart and Brandon Stewart. The organization's artistic staff also includes the following musical directors: Dr. Joni Jensen, Dr. Jodi Reed, Emily Cook, and Christina Bishop.[2] MCO operates under the parent organization Millennial Music, which is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Annually, more than 4,000 individuals participate in MCO.[3] MCO has seven locations: California (Orange County), Arizona (East Valley), Texas (Dallas), Texas (Austin), Utah (Utah Valley), Idaho (Boise), and Missouri (Kansas City).[4] Each location comprises four youth choirs, an adult choir, and a symphony orchestra.[5]

MCO performing in historic Carnegie Hall in NYC, NY, on July 13, 2019
MCO performing in The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, on June 24, 2016
Arizona MCO performing at the Mesa Arts Center in April 2019

The choirs of MCO consist of singers ranging from age four through adult. The ensembles are constructed as follows:[6]

  • Symphony Orchestra: Advanced instrumentalists (auditioned)
  • Grand Chorus: Advanced adult men and women singers (18+, auditioned)
  • Concert Choir: High school-aged (9th–12th grade)
  • Youth Chorus: Middle school–aged (6th–8th grade)
  • Children’s Chorus: Elementary school–aged (2nd–5th grade)
  • Young Singers Chorus: Young children (age 4–1st grade)

History

  • California MCO, formerly Orange County Millennial Choirs & Orchestras (OCMCO), is founded in Orange County, California in the fall of 2007.[7]
  • MCO expands to East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area) in the fall of 2009.[8]
  • MCO releases its debut album That Easter Morn on December 1, 2009.[1]
  • MCO releases its second album Messiah in America on December 13, 2011.[1]
  • MCO releases its third album O Holy Night, also their first Christmas album, on November 6, 2012.
  • In March 2013, MCO was invited to perform at the National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) in the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas.[1]
  • MCO expands to Dallas, Texas[9] and Salt Lake County/Utah County, Utah[10] in the fall of 2013.
  • MCO releases sing "How Great Thou Art" on November 12, 2013.
  • MCO releases its fourth album To Be American on July 1, 2014.[1]
  • MCO expands to the Boise, Idaho region in the fall of 2015.[11]
  • In June 2016, participants from MCO's five locales participated in its "God & Country Tour" to Washington, D.C.[1]
  • MCO releases Amazing Grace, its fifth album on October 28, 2016.[1]
  • In June 2017, participants from MCO's five locales performed and recorded selections from their Be Still, My Soul concert repertoire in the Salt Lake Tabernacle at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1]
  • MCO releases singles "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" on December 22, 2017.
  • On July 12–13, 2019, participants from MCO's five locales performed two concerts with selections from their Nearer, My God, To Thee concert repertoire at Carnegie Hall in New York, New York, featuring soloists Jenny Oaks Baker (violinist) and Erin Morley (soprano). The third concert, which included participants from California and Utah, was cancelled due to the Manhattan blackout of July 2019.[1]
  • MCO releases single "Be Still, My Soul" on July 31, 2019.
  • MCO releases Millennial Song, its sixth album, on October 25, 2019.[1]
  • MCO releases Star of Wonder, its seventh album, on December 16, 2020.[1]
  • MCO releases single "Gloria" on December 29, 2020.
  • MCO expands to Austin, Texas and Davis County, Utah in August 2021.[9]
  • MCO releases God Is Marching On, its eighth album, on August 20, 2021.
  • MCO releases single "Green Hill Far Away" on April 15, 2022.
  • MCO releases single "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" on December 15, 2022.
  • MCO expands to Kansas City in August 2023.
  • MCO releases single "A Mighty Fortress" on October 13, 2023.
MCO performing a staged production of Mendelssohn's Elijah in their "Deliver Us" concert at Arizona's Mesa Arts Center, 2015

Discography

Albums

Year Album Name # of Tracks
2009 That Easter Morn 13
2011 Messiah in America 22
2012 O Holy Night 15
2014 To Be American 14
2016 Amazing Grace 10
2019 Millennial Song 8
2020 Star of Wonder 12
2021 God Is Marching On 9

Singles

Year Track Name
2013 Amazing Grace
2017 Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains
2017 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
2019 Be Still My Soul
2022 Green Hill Far Away
2022 Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
2023 A Mighty Fortress

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "About MCO®". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  2. ↑ "Conductors & Staff". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  3. ↑ "About MCO®".
  4. ↑ "Join Us". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  5. ↑ "About MCO®". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  6. ↑ "Performing Ensembles". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  7. ↑ "California". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  8. ↑ "Arizona". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  9. 1 2 "Texas". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  10. ↑ "Utah". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  11. ↑ "Idaho". Millennial® Choirs & Orchestras. Retrieved 2023-03-13.

References

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