Oakville Chamber Orchestra Free Outdoor Concert

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Oakville Chamber Orchestra Musicians

Local Orchestra Brings Community Together, One Performance At A Time

Local Orchestra Brings Community Together, One Performance At A Time

The Oakville Chamber Orchestra (OCO) has quickly adapted through unprecedented times, hosting outdoor concerts, free to the public, in efforts to bring the community together through music.

The performances have been held in the Oakville Towne Square on select Saturdays throughout September. With the importance of masks and social distancing emphasized, the community was able to safely enjoy the performances, hearing the works of OCO winds and string players.

The OCO was set to begin its 37th season this year, with the COVID19 pandemic forcing the musicians and board members to conceive new, safe ways to continue their work in the community.

The orchestra has remained resilient throughout the pandemic, adapting to the circumstances, and finding ways to present their music live to the Oakville community.

This past weekend marked bassist Greg Gallagher’s first live performance since the pandemic hit the community hard in March.

Gallagher has been playing the cello for over 25 years now, and has been involved with the OCO on and off since 2011.

Gallagher has encouraged the public to take advantage of the nice weather before winter hits, saying, “It’s definitely important to have these live performances while we still can...safety being the primary concern, as long as it can be done safely, absolutely.”

Cellist Gallagher says he has grown close with fellow OCO musician and Concertmaster, Alexander Gajic, who has been involved with OCO for 12 years.

Concertmaster Gajic has been staying in touch with music throughout the pandemic, saying, “No concerts and no [live] music, but I was recording something and composing something,” as performances came to a halt through recent months.

Also playing in the Saturday performances has been Alain Bouvier, principal 2nd violin with the OCO.

Bouvier discussed the impact the pandemic has had on live concerts, saying, “It’s difficult, we’ve had to deal with some challenges… So it’s some really new beginnings for a lot of us”

Although Bouvier misses playing large concerts with his friends, he emphasizes the importance of the OCO’s live concerts, saying, “The arts in general need to be alive and people crave it as well, so it's hugely important.”