Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra

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Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra The Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra was founded in 2003 to bring the plucked string orchestra tradition back to Kalamazoo.

The Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra was founded in 2003 by Jackie Zito to bring the plucked string orchestra tradition back to Kalamazoo. The KMGO is a comprised of area musicians and is based on the mandolin orchestras that were extremely popular in the late 1800’s — early 1900’s. Our instrumentation is mandolin 1, mandolin 2, mandola, mandocello, guitar, and bass. We perform a wide variety of musical styles such as classical, ragtime, world-folk, American standards, and modern. We have performed in many settings including concert series, museums, libraries, wineries, and Kalamazoo “Art Hops”. We have commissioned and premiered the following works for mandolin orchestra:

Water Music — Elizabeth Start
Passages Through Mexico — Victor Garcia
Kalamazoo Swag — James Kellaris
Concerto for Mandolin & Orchestra — Elizabeth Start
Passacaglia — Elizabeth Start
Pleasant Peninsula — John Goodin
Kalamazoo Suite — James Kellaris

We have hosted workshops and concerts by international virtuosi:

Chris Acquavella – Germany
Carlo Aonzo — Italy
Richard Walz — France
Tamara Volskaya — New York & Russia
Quartet Seasons – Bulgaria
Brian Oberlin and Evan Marshall - United States
Alon Sariel - Israel

03/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to our Fretboard Festival Concert on Saturday! It was a fun concert and the audience was terrific.

A special thanks to James and Janice Kellaris for traveling up to hear us play, particularly Au Cafe Cardamome! It is always nice to see both of them, and we also got to have some social time with them following the concert. That is a really good day.

If you missed the concert and would like to listen, it is on YouTube here (we start about the 1:58 mark): https://www.youtube.com/live/kLGvP4ZFZRU?si=Fj9ydkPITdGLv-kB

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On your way in or out from our concert at noon today, stop by and say hello at the Crescendo Academy of Music table! We ...
03/21/2026

On your way in or out from our concert at noon today, stop by and say hello at the Crescendo Academy of Music table! We love being a part of such a wonderful organization.

All set up and ready to go at the Fretboard Festival at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum! Come see our Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra perform at noon!

03/15/2026

Just a friendly reminder that we will be playing at the 2026 Fretboard Festival at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum next Saturday March 21! We will be playing at noon in the Stryker Theater in the main museum building.

Hope to see you there!

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02/28/2026

Please join us on Saturday March 21 at noon at the 2026 Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival!

We will be playing at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in the Stryker Theater in the main museum building.

Hope to see you there!

Send a message to learn more

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Kalamazoo, MI

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