Bellingham Community Chamber Orchestra
Welcome to the Bellingham Community Chamber Orchestra, providing a safe space for amateur musicians to explore their love of music, develope skills, and share music with their community, since 2015.
BCCO is affiliated with Allied Arts of Whatcom County.
Save the Dates!
Friday, November 20, 7pm
First Presbyterian Church, Bellingham
Saturday, November 21, 3pm
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church Bellingham
BCCO's Fall 2026 concert program will
include a wide range of beautiful music
- from Holst to Bernstein.
Featuring the world premiere of
A Forgotten Euphoria, by local composer
Cashmere Tobias
and Guest Artist, Ellie Prindle, trumpet,
on Hovhaness' Prayer of St. Gregory.
BCCO News
October 2026
We are happy to announce that Cameron Nielson will be continuing as Conductor at least through spring of 2027! Cameron is in his second year of graduate school in orchestral conducting at WWU. He brings wonderful energy and enthusiasm to BCCO.
June 2026
We had a wonderful spring concert with our substitute conductor, Cameron Nielson. Our conductor, Johnathon Lyons, had an unavoidable conflict with our rehearsal schedule, and we were lucky to find Cameron.
Cameron Nielson is in graduate school for conducting at WWU. His first instrument is trumpet, but he has experience with multiple other instruments. He has brought wonderful energy to the orchestra.
Because Johnathon has family obligations this fall, Cameron will be stepping in again, as Interim Conductor. We're looking forward to a lively fall program, with performances in November. Details to follow.
If you are a string player looking for a group to play with, please contact us. We are especially in need of violinists and bass players.
Have a wonderful summer!
Summer 2025 -
This June we said goodbye to our beloved conductor of ten years, Michael Ann Burnett, and celebrated her retirement from 55 years of conducting community orchestras.
We will miss Michael Ann, but even so, we are looking forward to new musical adventures with our new conductor - Johnathon Lyons. Johnathon has been Associate Conductor with BCCO for the past year and a half, and we are thrilled that he has been willing to step up. He has many creative ideas and will help BCCO to grow in new ways.
Fall rehearsals will begin on Tuesday Sept. 2nd. We'll be preparing some fantastic Latin music for our concert in November.
BCCO is open for new members. Especially if you play violin, viola or bass, please contact bhamchamberorch@gmail.com. We are a non-audition orchestra, relying on members to determine for themselves if it’s a good fit. Hope to hear from you!
Happy Summer from BCCO!
Check our calendar for our upcoming performances! We play a minimum of two concerts per year, plus occasional special events.
Our program comes alive thanks to our generous donors.
Are you a musician looking for a safe, judgement-free place to play? Or are you looking to pick up your instrument again after several years (or even decades) of not playing? Contact us to find out more--no auditions required!
Our Mission
To provide opportunities for amateur string players to develop musically and to share music
with our community, through participation in a string orchestra. We do a minimum of two concerts per
year, plus occasional community-oriented performances such as flash mobs.
We explore a wide range of musical styles, including: a wide range of eras of western classical
music, from Baroque to modern, and jazz; studying composers who are less well known, or who belong
to groups less well represented in classical music.
We support and create community through music. BCCO is an inclusive organization that is welcoming to all.