06/14/2026
🎶SEASON 24 of CHICO COMING SOON!🎶
Dear CHICO Friends,
As we reflect on our wonderful Season 23, we want to thank you for your support throughout the year and celebrate some of the highlights we shared together.
This season brought so much to the stage: outstanding professional soloists and musicians, classical works by women composers, beloved selections from film and opera, and the theatrical flair of Carmen. We also celebrated the release of CHICO’s debut album, Echoes of the Land, a major milestone in our orchestra’s history, and continued creating meaningful opportunities for young musicians through our Young Artists Series.
From emerging student performers to seasoned guest artists, this season reminded us how powerful live orchestral music can be when it brings generations of musicians and audiences together.
LOOKING AHEAD!
Now, as we prepare for Season 24, we are delighted to share a glimpse of the music and artists coming your way. Next season will be filled with brilliance, discovery, and collaboration.
We open in September with Mozart’s elegant Concerto for Flute and Harp and the exuberant charm of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8. In November, pianist Miriam Arichea takes center stage in Kapustin’s dazzling Concert Rhapsody and Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, alongside Bizet’s sparkling Symphony No. 1.
February will shine a spotlight on the next generation of talent with our Young Artists Series Concert, featuring exceptional young musicians on flute, clarinet, and piano. We recently completed the live auditions for this concert, and the talent we heard was truly inspiring. These students are preparing at an extraordinary level, and we cannot wait to share their work with you in early February 2027.
One local music teacher shared a beautiful reminder of why this program matters:
“I am a better teacher because of this orchestra and because of what we can offer our students. Having the opportunity to perform live with CHICO is life-changing for them.”
—Ornela Ervin, President, MTAC Conejo Valley
That is exactly what your support makes possible. Programs like the Young Artists Series give students something exciting and meaningful to work toward. They help young musicians stay engaged, grow as artists, and experience the joy and discipline of performing with a live orchestra.
Our season continues on Palm Sunday, Dr. Daniel Newman-Lessler will be featured in Horatio Parker’s Organ Concerto, paired with Mendelssohn’s powerful Reformation Symphony. The season will conclude with a spectacular collaboration of music and dance featuring Bernstein’s Candide Overture and “Make Our Garden Grow,” Copland’s Appalachian Spring, and Corigliano’s Fern Hill, created in partnership with award-winning New York–based choreographers Abdiel Jacobsen and Ephrat Asherie and the faculty and students of CSU Channel Islands Dance.
We are grateful to every musician, teacher, family member, donor, volunteer, and audience member who helped make this season so special. Thank you for believing in CHICO and in the role music plays in our community.
If you would like to help support the music, artists, and student opportunities that make CHICO possible, we invite you to make a gift here:
https://cichamberorchestra.org/make-a-donation
With gratitude,
🎶 Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra🎶
We love saying thank you! Join our thriving community of support bringing live classical music to Ventura County
