With a strong commitment to bring professional quality music to local residents at absolutely no charge, The Flower Mound Community Orchestra (FMCO) kicked off their latest season last weekend with a chance to meet the director and hear musicians during a season opener reception at The Grotto in Highland Village. Your next chance to hear the orchestra is this weekend, Saturday night, October 17 at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church in Flower Mound. The concert begins at 7:30, and it is free. Titled Autumn Reflections, the concert will feature Suppé - "Poet and Peasant Overture," Ponchielli - "Dance of the Hours," and Chabrier - "Espana." In addition, the outstanding section player of the FMSO will present a selection of chamber works.
          

    The Flower Mound Symphony Orchestra (FMSO), a part of FMCO, consists of about 55 professional and amateur volunteer musicians, and they are under the direction of Paul Bonneau, who has been the Music Director since 1996. “As a composer, it is a fantastic opportunity to have an orchestra play my music,” Bonneau said, “and the quality of the musicianship in this orchestra is particularly noteworthy.” In 1996, when Bonneau came onboard, the group had been under three other conductors in the past two years. Now, Bonneau has led them for about 13 years, and the group has grown from about 13 musicians to a group of about 200 including the board of directors. Everyone involved is a volunteer. Bonneau credits vision, determination and passion on the part of all participants to make the FMCO what it is today. Part of the credit goes to the community. “Everyone involved is passionate about it. We have great community support, and we continue to challenge ourselves to go deeper into the professional repertoire,” the conductor said.
     

     Cecilia Hamilton is the associate conductor of the progressive orchestra, which consists of advanced adolescent and amateur adult players. “We have some families participate in the orchestra and that’s one of the things that make it unique,” Hamilton said. She cited several examples of parents and their children playing in the same orchestra. Hamilton currently teaches flute at Austin College; maintains a private studio in the Dallas area and has conducted the Progressive Orchestra for Flower Mound Community Orchestras since 2007. Their next concert will be Tuesday night, Oct. 20, at 7:30, also at Trietsch Memorial UMC on Morriss Road. If you plan to attend, Hamilton said you will be treated to some unusual offerings, such as a piece about a string super hero and one about a rosin eating zombie from outer space! There is also a third orchestra involved in the FMCO, and that is the preparatory orchestra, led by associate conductor Rachel Jarvis. They will also be performing on Oct. 20.
     

     Double Oak resident Jim Hatcher is the treasurer for the group and also plays in the symphony orchestra.  He is a computer software salesman by day, but for about the last seven years, he has enjoyed making music with the FMSO. “I enjoy playing, and I enjoy being on the board of directors,” he said. Highland Village resident Barbara D’Angelo agrees with her friend. She and her husband John have been on the board of directors for about ten years. “It’s the people and the camaraderie; it’s the music,” she said about why she continues to be involved year after year. Her neighbor Doug Wolfe plays in the FMSO. He said he gave up playing his violin after his second year in college, but this group has enabled him to get involved in music again. Wolfe said he thinks the group is very important to the cultural arts in this community and it also allows him and other musicians a place to showcase their musical talents and participate in music.  He entertained the crowd at the reception with several violin solos, and several other musicians performed as well. Sunday night’s event was the first time they have had a season opener reception, and it was sponsored by Southwest Auto, The Independent Security Co. Inc and Jambalaya Creative.  Morris Salerno, owner and chef at The Grotto, also contributed to the evening’s festivities. The group is always looking for additional members of all ages and abilities, and for more information, you can visit fmco.org.