Orange County Mormon Choral Organization (OCMCO) Opens its Second Season & Auditions Are Underway

Aug. 28, 2008 - PRLog -- COSTA MESA, CALIF. - The Orange County Mormon Choral Organization (OCMCO) announces the opening of its second season with auditions underway until September 18, 2008. OCMCO's inaugural season was a phenomenal success as the organization welcomed over 300 participants and performed three capacity concerts in the newly built world-class Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Artscenter in Costa Mesa, Calif. OCMCO's opening concert for this season, All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring, will be held on December 3, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. at Segerstrom Concert Hall.

OCMCO has seven different performing ensembles: the Sunbeam Chorus (ages 4-6); the Children's Chorus (ages 6-10); the Youth Chorus (ages 10-14); the Concert Choir (ages 14-18); the Orange County Mormon Choir and Women's Chorus (both for adult participants); and the Orange County Mormon Orchestra
(14–adult).

Auditions for the orchestra, high school choir (14-18), and the adult choir (18 and above) for OCMCO's 2008-2009 season, which will continue until September 18th, are scheduled by appointment. For youth ages 4 to 13, interest and registration forms are found online. Please visit www.OCMCO.org for all information regarding sign-ups, registration and auditions.

The Orange County Mormon Choral Organization is an independent non-profit organization founded in order to teach and encourage excellence in quality sacred, choral and classical music. Its primary purpose is to provide a unique and unsurpassed level of music education to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Orange County. It also seeks to offer this tremendous opportunity to members of all faiths throughout the community. In doing so, OCMCO provides an invaluable learning environment whereby children, youth, and adults can associate with and share talents with those who maintain upstanding values.

After its success last year, directors and brothers Brett and Brandon Stewart have been asked to start a similar organization in East Valley, Arizona. The East Valley Mormon Choral Organization, with already hundreds of anticipating interested musicians, will debut in the fall of 2009. Visit www.EVMCO.org for more information.

"Our public schools offer little, if any, musical training," said OCMCO Co-founder Brett Stewart. "And, with the constant intrusion of popular music, our appreciation for sacred, traditional choral and classically-based music is slowly eroding away. We saw an opportunity to do something about that with the creation of OCMCO."

OCMCO's opening concert for this season, All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring, will take place on December 3, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. at Segerstrom Concert Hall. The Christmas concert will feature John Williams' Three Holiday Songs (Somewhere in My Memory, Star of Bethlehem and Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas) from the movie Home Alone for choirs and orchestra; Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride" for orchestra; and new inspiring arrangements for choir, orchestra and bells.  Pre-concert performances begin at 7:00 p.m. on the newly inaugurated William J. Gillespie Concert Organ. Tickets for All the Bells on Earth Shall Ring will go on sale October 1st through the Orange County Performing Artscenter's Box Office by calling (714) 556-2787 or visiting www.ocpac.org.