In the fall of 1977, a handful of local string players began playing classical music as the Columbia Chamber Orchestra. Yong Ku Ahn became the group’s first Music Director and conductor in 1978.
Upon Ahn’s retirement in 1988, Carl Dietrich took over leadership of the orchestra. During his tenure, the membership was expanded to include winds and percussion, standard symphonic literature was programmed, and the orchestra dropped “chamber” from its name.
Catherine Ferguson served as the Columbia Orchestra’s third Music Director from 1990 until 1999, expanding the repertoire, restructuring the annual Young Artist Competition, establishing a regular season at Howard Community College’s Smith Theatre, and leading the Columbia Orchestra’s first appearance at the Columbia Festival of the Arts.
Current Music Director Jason Love took the podium in 1999, quickly winning the hearts of orchestra members and audience alike with his humor, generosity, and consummate musicianship. Under his baton, The Baltimore Sun named the Columbia Orchestra “Howard County’s premier ensemble for instrumental music.”
In August 2000, the orchestra hired Tedd Griepentrog as its first Executive Director. During the 2001–2002 season, all Masterworks programs were moved to the Jim Rouse Theatre to accommodate the expanded size of the orchestra and its growing audience. The Young People’s Concert added a Musical Instrument Petting Zoo for children of all ages to see, hear, touch, and play orchestral instruments. In June 2002, the orchestra made its Kennedy Center debut in collaboration with the Tony Powell/Music & Movement dance ensemble. During its silver anniversary season, the Columbia Orchestra performed for the Maryland Music Educators Conference at the Baltimore Convention Center and announced its first biannual American Composer Competition.
In 2005, the organization established an administrative office at the Howard County Center for the Arts and released its first commercial recording, Flying Home: A Tribute to John Denver, performing with members and songwriters of the original John Denver Band.
As part of a 2006 strategic partnership with Howard Community College, the orchestra took up residency at the new Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center. In June 2007, the Columbia Orchestra joined with world-class fiddler Mark O’Connor for a return engagement at the Columbia Festival of the Arts.
In its lasts seven seasons, the orchestra has more than tripled its operating budget, expanded its total annual audience to more than 8,000, and been hailed as “a pillar of the local arts community” by The Washington Post. In February 2007, Howard Magazine designated the Columbia Orchestra as #13 in its list of “The 51 Things We Love About Living in Howard County.” As it enters its 30th anniversary season, the Columbia Orchestra has positioned itself for a record year of artistic and organizational accomplishments as it strives to remain “your community’s music.”
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