VCO News2019-03-26T23:00:34+00:00
23November, 2022

2022 Holiday Concerts

Venice, FL – FALL 2022 – As our Fall rehearsal & performance schedule comes to a close, we are preparing for two Holiday ‘concerts’. On Thanksgiving day, we will be performing at the Venice Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving luncheon. This has been an annual tradition for the VCO since 2014!

On Saturday evening, December 10th, we will be performing in the Seaside Springs Retirement Community (SSRC) theater. Performing for SSRC’s residents, family & friends, and staff.

Both performances will include VCO’s traditional Holiday & Hanukkah Favorites and a number of other pieces including; Three Minute Nutcracker, Yorkshire Ballad, Messiah (Hallelujah section), Still Still Still, and a special Mannheim Steamroller arrangement of O Come O Come Emmanuel.

After these performances, we will take a usual holiday break and restart rehearsals in mid-January. The Spring rehearsals will focus on pieces in preparation for our annual Spring benefit concert for a local charitable organization. Date TBD.

14September, 2022

Fall 2022 Update

Venice, FL – FALL 2022 – VCO’s 2022/2023 season begins with our first rehearsal on Saturday, 9/24 at Seaside Springs Resort Community theater. In addition to VCO’s usual Holiday performances at Thanksgiving & in December, our Spring benefit concert performance will include; I Dream the Dream (from Les Miserables), Only Time (by Enya), Barcolle (by Offenbach), Theme from the Games of Thrones, Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music), Nimrod (by Elgar), Blue Danube Waltz (by Strauss), and several more.

This Fall’s rehearsals & performances will be led by our Concert Mistress, Michaeline (Mikey) Spencer. The Venice Community Orchestra is open to all orchestral string instruments (violin, viola, cello & bass) and is always welcome to new members interested in learning, playing and performing music for the benefit of our community.

9September, 2020

September 2020 Update

Venice, FL – Wednesday, September 9, 2020 – Trinity Presbyterian Church (TPC) remains closed to group activities, including VCO rehearsals. TPC leadership meets monthly to assess safety & viability of re-opening. We will post and communicate updates as they become available.

22October, 2019

Upcoming Performance Dates

The Venice Community Orchestra is pleased to share some upcoming performance dates for Fall 2019 and Spring 2020.

  • November 11th: Trinity Presbyterian Church, Venice; Several musical selection at the 10:30 am service.
  • November 24th: Trinity Presbyterian Church, Venice; Several musical selection at the 10:30 am service.
  • November 28th (Thanksgiving): Salvation Army Church Community Luncheon, Venice; Holiday musical selections 11:30am-1pm.
  • December 11th: Trinity Presbyterian Church Community Holiday Concert, Venice; Holiday chorale & musical selections by the TPC choir & VCO, 7pm.
  • December 16th: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Community Dinner, Venice; Holiday musical selections 4:30pm-6pm
  • February 21st: Good Shepherd Episcopal Community Concert Series, Venice; Musical selections from VCO’s 2019-2020 repertoire, 7pm.
  • April 8th: VCO’s 2020 Spring Benefit Concert, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Venice; Full performance of 2019-2020 repertoire, 7pm.

Please plan to join us for one or more of our performances in support of our community!

19September, 2019

Our New Home

For many years the VCO has rehearsed Saturday mornings at the Venice campus of the State College of Florida, and our schedule of rehearsals has been structured like a class, with thirteen meetings in the fall and spring semesters.

Starting summer 2019, we have the great good fortune of having a new home at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Venice.

This allows us to schedule our weekly rehearsals from September through April at a time that works best for our musicians, to join forces with the church’s own musicians for some Sunday services, and to schedule our own concerts in the church’s sanctuary, a space that is visually and acoustically beautiful.

17June, 2019

Successful 2019 Spring Benefit Concert

Venice, Florida, May 2019The Venice Community Orchestra (VCO) performed its annual spring concert Wednesday April 10th at Venice Presbyterian Church.

This year’s concert raised $2,161 for Family Promise of South Sarasota County. In the last 5 years, The VCO has raised almost $10,000 for charities in our community.

All of this year’s selections were original arrangements by the group’s director, Bob Delfausse, or by Dave O’Fallon, a violist in the group.

This year’s featured soloists were extraordinary! Venice Presbyterian’s own Karen Romig played the final movement of Saverio Mercadente’s Concerto for Flute in E minor. Trumpeter Luca Stine, a local high school senior who is exceptional on violin as well as trumpet, played a jazz arrangement of two standards, “Willow, Weep for Me” and “What Is This Thing Called Love”.

The concert had a mix of great classical music (Purcell’s “Dido’s Lament,” Haydn’s Symphony No. 104, first mvt, four pieces from Schumann’s Songs Without Words, Mascagni’s famous Intermezzo) and great popular music (Leroy Anderson’s Blue Tango, Henry Mancini’s Lujon, Richard Rodgers’ Carousel).

View the concert in two parts via the YouTube links below;
Part 1: https://youtu.be/v_MSG8Z_Prg
Part 2: https://youtu.be/m0PhJnbZQxA

For more info call 518-523-3937 and speak with either Bob Delfausse or Ann Alton, or email them at altondelfausse@hotmail.com.

26March, 2019

2019 Spring Benefit Concert

Venice, Florida, March 2019The Venice Community Orchestra (VCO) will be performing its annual spring concert at 7:00pm, Wednesday April 10th at Venice Presbyterian Church (825 The Rialto, Venice). Freewill donations will go to support the Family Promise of South Sarasota County ( www.familypromisessc.org ).

All of this year’s selections are original arrangements by the the group’s director, Bob Delfausse, or by Dave O’Fallon, a violist in the group.

Two soloists will be featured. Venice Presbyterian’s own Karen Romig will play the final movement of Saverio Mercadente’s Concerto for Flute in E minor. Trumpeter Luca Stine will play a jazz arrangement of two standards, “Willow, Weep for Me” and “What Is This Thing Called Love.” Luca is a local high school student who wins awards both on trumpet and violin.

The concert will be a mix of great classical music (Purcell’s “Dido’s Lament,” Haydn’s Symphony No. 104, first mvt, four pieces from Schumann’s Songs Without Words, Mascagni’s famous Intermezzo) and great popular music (Leroy Anderson’s Blue Tango, Henry Mancini’s Lujon, Richard Rodgers’ Carousel).

For more info call 518-523-3937 and speak with either Bob Delfausse or Ann Alton, or email them at altondelfausse@hotmail.com.

6August, 2018

2018 Spring Benefit Concert Complete Success!

Venice, Florida, August 6, 2018 Message from Scot Deagan, Vice President & Events Coordinator -A heartfelt “thank you” to all of the audience members attending our 3rd annual Spring benefit concert on Wednesday, April 18th. Again this year, your “freewill” donations raised enough money to fund the St. Mark’s Outreach Ministry & Interfaith Outreach’s “Lunch Program”, for SIX months!

With this year’s total donations of $2,221, we have raised almost $7,500 for this worthy outreach program.

With performance pieces ranging from Arioso to Scailiana, from Jamaican Rumba to The King and I, there was much to enjoy!

Our guest soloists, Jack Gallahan (Concerto for Cello) and Luca Strine (Czardas, violin) were magnificent. Truly talented young gentleman.

As always, thank you to our VCO members and very talented professional “friends” who joined us. A special thanks to Bob Delfausse, Ann Alton and Dave O’Fallon, for the endless dedication to conducting, coaching and arranging music for us.

And finally, a debt of gratitude to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (performance venue) and Interfaith Outreach, Inc., for the opportunity to achieve our mission: “Practicing and playing music for our enjoyment, the enjoyment of others and in support of our community.”

4April, 2018

Luca Stine – Youth Soloist – Violin

Venice, Florida, March 2018Venice Community Orchestras 2018 Spring Benefit Concert will be held Wednesday, April 18th at 6:30pm, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 508 Riviera St., on Venice Island.

Violinist Luca Stine will be a featured youth soloist, performing Vittorio Monti’s Czardas.

4April, 2018

Jack Gallahan – Youth Soloist – Cello

Venice, Florida, March 2018Venice Community Orchestras 2018 Spring Benefit Concert will be held Wednesday, April 18th at 6:30pm, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 508 Riviera St., on Venice Island.

Jack Gallahan will be a featured youth soloists, performing Luigi Boccherini’s Concerto for Cello.