Our Story
​The Bellingham Community Chamber Orchestra formed in 2015 with only 8 musicians, as an opportunity for local amateur string players to explore music together - from Baroque to Modern styles. We have come a long way since then, through the pandemic to a new flourishing, with 16 members and a heightened skill level.
An important part of our mission is to support and create community through music.
We are an all-ages orchestra. Our youngest members are in their 20s, and our oldest in her 90s.
We love to provide an opportunity for talented teens in our community to play. Our recent
concerts have featured local teens on piano, bass, and in a jazz ensemble. Many of our
members play in small chamber ensembles, and we as an orchestra want to encourage amateur
chamber music in our community. We take music seriously, but not ourselves, and
consequently have a great deal of fun together. Many of our members played enthusiastically
as children and teens, or through college, and then stopped. Years later, they find that they
want to play in an orchestra again – and BCCO provides a safe and welcoming place to find your
way back. There are no auditions - we expect people to be responsible about whether they are
up to playing the repertoire.
While we often have guest artists on winds, piano, or percussion, BCCO is primarily a string
orchestra, playing music written for strings. Because of this, we have a somewhat different
repertoire than that often played in a symphonic orchestra. In addition, a small orchestra
provides an intimacy among the players that is not dissimilar to that of a chamber group, which
is a different experience than playing in a large symphonic orchestra.
BCCO is an inclusive organization that is welcoming to all.
Meet Our Conductors
Johnathon M. Lyons
Conductor
​Johnathon began his journey with us in 2024. He has completed a graduate degree in music from Western Washington University, with a focus on orchestral conducting. He also has a B.A. in music from the University of Alabama. He and his family moved to Bellingham during the pandemic to finish his graduate degree. Most of his conducting experience prior to WWU has been musical theater and choral conducting (gospel choir).
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Johnathon has been our Associate Conductor for the past year and a half, and we are so glad he has stepped up to the Conductor role. We deeply appreciate his clarity, patience and kindness. ​​​​​
Michael Ann Burnett
Retired Conductor and Artistic Director
Michael Ann has over 40 years of experience conducting and developing community orchestras in the Puget Sound area. She also coaches chamber groups, teaches cello and has extensive performance experience. From the beginning, Michael Ann has brought a variety of musical styles to the orchestra - from Baroque and early classical music to modern classical to jazz. This expands our skills, and allows us to explore many types of music.
Michael Ann’s educational background includes graduate and postgraduate work at Western Washington University and the University of Washington, Seattle. She has composed and produced musical scores for several films, theater, and dance. She has taught cello for many years, as well as courses in theory and improvisation.
