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The NIH Community Orchestra is an all-volunteer organization founded by Gary Daum in the fall of 1996 for the purpose of bringing together the musical talent of NIH and the surrounding community. Since then, its concert repertoire has spanned the music of six centuries and is becoming known among the arts community of Montgomery County. The group is a regular contributor to the summer outdoor concert series in Gaithersburg and small chamber groups perform at local libraries, nursing homes, schools and other concert venues. In the spring of 2003, our smaller ensemble, the NIH Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jesse Parker, made its debut concerts at Saint Mark Presbyterian and at Strathmore Hall mansion with a program of the music of Mozart and Beethoven. Many of the orchestra's rehearsals are open reading sessions where the group spends an evening playing through standard orchestral repertoire in a relaxed environment.
For their outreach activities, the NIHCO has been nominated twice in the past four years for the Acacia Federal Bank's "Nice Guys Awards". Perhaps one of the more remarkable facts about the group is that the NIHCO is an all volunteer organization. This group of talented musicians comes together to make music for the sheer joy of music. Proceeds from the NIHCO concerts benefit charities of NIH, including the Patient Emergency Fund, The Children's Inn, and Camp Funshine.
Over a half century, there have been a number of orchestras that have formed at the National Institutes of Health. The current NIH Community Orchestra is the fourth one, founded in 1996 by Gary Daum. Recent concert rosters have included over 60 musicians with full symphony orchestra instrumentation, making this the largest to date. In its 14th year of existence, it is still gaining momentum with no end in sight to its growth.
Perhaps one of the more remarkable facts about the group is that the NIHCO is an all volunteer organization. This group of talented musicians comes together to make music for the sheer joy of music. Proceeds from the NIHCO concerts benefit charities of NIH, including the Patient Emergency Fund, The Children's Inn, and Camp Funshine.
The NIH Community Orchestra (known initially as the NIH Chamber Orchestra) began meeting in October 1996 to provide an orchestral outlet for the rich and diverse musical talent of the NIH and HHS research community. In the following year, it added woodwinds and brasses and quickly expanded its size and repertoire. The NIHCO roster often includes employees of numerous other government agencies (including NASA, Navy, Army, Air Force, NIST, FDA, EPA, LOC, DOJ), local high school students and educators, and members of the general community.
The NIHCO's first major concert was the first NIH Messiah Singalong on December 21, 1997. For its role in the project, the NIHCO received a 1998 Award of Excellence from the NIH R&W. Among its musical highlights will be the thirteenth annual Messiah Sing-Along (in conjunction with the Bethesda Little Theater) and the Gaithersburg Fourth of July Celebration, the 5th time performing in the village band shell. In December 2000, the Washington Post Weekender included the NIHCO's Messiah concert in its listing of "weekend's best." The group has also been nominated twice in four years for the Acacia Federal Bank's "Nice Guys Awards" as recognition of the groups outreach activities.
The orchestra's concert repertoire has spanned six centuries, encompassing many periods, nationalities, and styles from music of the Renaissance through 20th century composers such as Bartok, Vaughan Williams, and Copland. In its June 2002 concert, former associate conductor Jesse Parker presented the world premiere of Psalm 9:11, a composition by NIHCO founder Gary Daum as a musical reflection on the events of September 11, 2001. The performance represented one of the first 9-11 related orchestral compositions to be performed in the US (and the entire world). Psalm 9:11 continues to be performed by various choirs and ensembles around the Washington DC area.
Along with the excitement and challenge of concert performances, an important mission of the NIHCO is to give area musicians a chance to acquaint--or re-acquaint--themselves with some of the standard orchestral repertoire. Many NIHCO rehearsals are "reading" rehearsals where the orchestra will read through and work out some of the basic details of a piece of music in a relaxed atmosphere without the pressure of meeting full performance demands; the group brings music to the community and provides an outlet for the creativity of its members and a place where they can have fun and enjoy making good music.
For most of the time it has been in existence, the NIH Community Orchestra rehearsals and concerts were held in the Masur Auditorium of the Clinical Center at NIH. Unfortunately, the events of September 11, 2001 and the security measures that followed at NIH caused us to lose our rehearsal and performance facilities (a plight that was noted in the September 27, 2001 edition of New York Times). Thanks to the tenacity of the NIHCO musicians and their unwillingness to let something precious be another victim of the attacks, the December Messiah concert was not only performed on schedule, it became among our greatest musical triumphs.
Owing to the generosity of Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, Maryland, rehearsals and concert preparations have resumed on a normal schedule. Performances take place in Figge Theater at Georgetown Preparatory School in exchange for the brass ensemble playing graduation and the faculty holiday celebration.
Rehearsals are normally on a biweekly basis, more frequently as concerts approach. The NIHCO currently meets on Wednesday evenings. At this time, the NIHCO performs two concerts per year; an expansion of the program is under way, with a chamber orchestra being formed. There are also numerous opportunities for musicians to form and play in chamber ensembles, both informal and concert groups.
The NIH Community Orchestra prides itself on being a relaxed, friendly environment where we believe in the philosophy that "making music is wonderful therapy--it should never be a reason for having therapy."
The NIH Community Orchestra is affiliated with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. It is supported by the NIH Recreation and Welfare Association (R&W). Proceeds from its concerts benefit the charities of NIH and, as a club organization of the R&W, it is a tax-exempt charitable organization.
Numerous active chamber ensembles have also formed from its members including a brass ensemble, a flute ensemble, a string quartet, and other combinations of wind/string instruments that present free performances at local libraries, nursing homes and other concert venues. In the spring of 2003, a spinoff ensemble, the NIH Chamber Orchestra conducted by Dr. Jesse Parker, made its debut concerts at Saint Mark Presbyterian and at Strathmore Hall mansion with a program of the music of Mozart, Sibelius, Haydn and Beethoven.
Return to TOPThe orchestra's concert repertoire has spanned six centuries, encompassing many periods, nationalities, and styles from music of the Renaissance through 20th century composers such as Bartok, Vaughan Williams, and Copland. In its June 2002 concert, former associate conductor Jesse Parker presented the world premiere of Psalm 9:11, a composition by NIHCO founder Gary Daum as a musical reflection on the events of September 11, 2001. The performance represented one of the first 9-11 related orchestral compositions to be performed in the US (and the entire world). Psalm 9:11 continues to be performed by various choirs and ensembles around the Washington DC area. In the spring of 2003, a spinoff ensemble, the NIH Chamber Orchestra made its debut concerts at Saint Mark Presbyterian and at Strathmore Hall mansion with a program of the music of Mozart, Sibelius, Haydn and Beethoven.
Return to TOPOur Yahoo group is our main mode of communication, including info about rehearsals, concerts, cancellations, group opportunities, etc. In order to be an active and voting member you need to also pay dues (see below). Our calendar is online at Yahoo, as well as important documents, such as our constitution, articles of association, and older messages and files.
By joining the Yahoo group you will begin receiving emails about rehearsals, repertoire, etc. If you wish to be taken off the list, you can unsubscribe at your convenience.
Click here for more information about joining our listserv.Yes, but we do them a little differently--you audition us. We ask musicians to join us for a rehearsal or two and see if they feel comfortable with the level of playing. We do not hold auditions for entry. Seating is generally open with the exception of traditional section leaders such as concertmaster, etc.
All positions are open. It is our policy to try to find space for all interested musicians. We frequently have the most need for bassoons, first violins, and basses, but as mentioned above, all instruments are welcome. Opportunities for keyboard players are usually quite limited, though, as our repertoire infrequently includes keyboard parts there are opportunities to play missing parts such as bassoon, and sometimes harp. Some of the more popular light classical pieces which we play for outreach concerts have legitimate keyboard parts.
While our affiliation is with the National Institutes of Health, any musician is eligible. Our membership includes people who work for numerous other government agencies, private industry, education, students, retirees; you name it we have it!.
Some musicians have joined the orchestra to sit in on rehearsals only (not concerts) to get the opportunity to perform with an ensemble and sharpen their musical skills. We have been contacted by many musicians who haven't played for a number of years but who are interested in getting back into playing. Those musicians are also welcome.
To be an active and participating member, we ask all musicians to join the R&W (Recreation and Welfare) Association at NIH (or other HHS organization). And at NOAA. R&W membership is $8 annually. You are entitled to discounts at area stores which could save you more than your annual dues. You may join either at your place of work or at selected orchestra rehearsals. The R&W Association at NIH is our sponsor and provides insurance coverage, gives us our non-profit tax status and other important services.
In addition, the NIHCO has dues of $10 twice a year. We may make this an annual amount based on organizational needs. That amount goes to the purchase of music, rental of rehearsal locations if needed, and other expenses. In order to vote in our annual elections, members are required to be paid up to date for both of those sets of dues.
Musicians who cannot afford these dues should talk to a board member as alternative provisions are available.The NIHCO is a fully qualified tax-exempt organization (courtesy of the NIH R&W Association). Dues, donations, and legitimate expenses are fully deductible as allowed by law. This includes mileage, subway fares, etc to and from orchestra rehearsals and concert venues.
We ask members to be as responsible and considerate as possible to the organization and its members and attend as many rehearsals as they can, especially those leading up to the concerts. We understand that members have busy schedules that include business trips, etc. and that life sometimes intervenes.
Our experience is that when musicians are given a chance to behave responsibly, they do.At this writing, we have three large annual concerts: a Messiah Singalong in December, our Spring concert in June, and an outdoor summer concert in conjunction with the city of Gaithersburg. In addition, we have an outreach program that presents smaller, more informal concerts at area schools, nursing homes, and senior centers. Those are scheduled on an ad hoc basis and vary from year to year, usually with one or two in the fall and one or two in the spring/summer.
Some of our associated groups (such as the NIHCO Brass Ensemble and the NIHCO Celtic Ensemble) perform as part of those outreach concerts or as standalone concerts.
The main mode of communication is the Yahoo Group and its email list. Please check your email regularly, especially the day of rehearsals. We don't cancel or change location often, but contingencies do come up and at the moment there is no phone tree.
Changes are also posted on the website (http://www.nihco.org), but the email list from Yahoo is likely to be more up to date and more quickly responsive to changes.
For weather related cancellations, we follow the Montgomery County Public School system's decisions (that includes snow, thunderstorm, hurricane, and other types of severe weather). Regardless, our rule of thumb is, "If you feel it is a matter of safety, stay home. It's better to miss one rehearsal rather than all of the rest of them."
At the moment the active ensembles include a Brass Ensemble and the Celtic Ensemble. In the past we have also had a string quartet and a flute ensemble. There have also been some actions to establish a jazz group like the NIH big band which was quite active in the 50's to the early 90's.
Many of our musicians also volunteer their services on behalf of the orchestra to "pay the rent". A number of institutions in the area give us rehearsal and performance space in exchange for our musical services. Because of this, we are able to be financially independent and able to devote nearly our full time to making music.
There are many details necessary to the running of an orchestra and we always welcome help of all kinds. Please contact the NIHCO board to volunteer.
One of the NIHCO's main purposes is to raise money for the charities at NIH, which include the Children's Inn, Camp Funshine, the Patient Emergency Fund, etc.
We are very serious about music, but we also believe in taking a relaxed, low-stress approach. It is our philosophy that "Music is wonderful therapy—it should never be a reason for having therapy!" The NIHCO believes that music is a wonderful talent that should be shared with others. It brings great joy to many people.
There are many things in the world that pull people apart and turn them against each other. Music is one of the few things that has the power to bring people together. It is a very powerful gift that should never be underestimated.
As Beethoven put it quite succintly, "From the heart; may it go to the heart." Return to TOP