ON THE WESTMINSTER CAMPUS: Ruth Ochs conducts the Westminster Community Orchestra in the Marion Buckelew Cullen Center on Walnut Lane in upcoming performances November 3 and December 11.

The Westminster Community Orchestra (WCO) and conductor Ruth Ochs will perform two programs in November and December in Hillman Performance Hall, housed in the Marion Buckelew Cullen Center, 101 Walnut Lane.

The orchestra will present its first performance, Celebrate America!, on Sunday, November 3 at 3 p.m., featuring works by George Gershwin, Scott Joplin, George Whitefield Chadwick, Florence Price, Aaron Copland, and Richard Rodgers. The program will also include Georg Philipp Telemann’s Recorder Concerto in C, with Westminster Conservatory student Tegan Costello as soloist. The concert highlights a variety of musical themes that are distinctly American. There are no tickets required; a suggested admission of $10/person will be collected at the door.

The orchestra’s annual Holiday Sing-along concert will take place on Wednesday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. and will feature guest soloist soprano Danielle Sinclair, a member of the Westminster Conservatory faculty, in a performance of seasonal favorites. The audience will be invited to sing along on a variety of Hanukkah and Christmas selections. All ticket donations collected at the door will be distributed among several Mercer County food pantries/service organizations.

When the Westminster Choir College moved to Rider University in Lawrence Township, the Westminster Conservatory remained on the Walnut Lane campus and continues to provide high quality music education to the area’s youth and musicians of all ages and levels. Founded 37 years ago by Barbara Barstow, the WCO offers a significant outlet for area musicians who enjoy performing the symphonic repertory and playing in a supportive community of musicians of diverse ages and backgrounds. Ochs took the helm of the WCO in September 2005. Under her leadership, the orchestra frequently features ensembles and soloists from the Westminster Conservatory and highlights works by local and under-represented composers. Ochs is currently a senior lecturer in the Princeton University Department of Music, where she is in her 23rd season as the conductor of the Princeton University Sinfonia.

Email inquiries from prospective members may be sent to westminster.play@gmail.com.