Austin Civic Orchestra

The Austin Civic Orchestra is pretty great. The prices are cheap or free, and the music is played with professionalism, enthusiasm, and a tremendous amount of skill. You might notice one or two small mistakes during a two hour concert that you wouldn’t get from a fully professional orchestra filled with salaried musicians, but the music really is extremely well performed and very enjoyable. Love it!

Date of Concert: June 13, 2008
I love free outdoor concerts, and when I read in the Chronicle that there was going to be a free concert given by the Austin Civic Orchestra on the night of June 13, I made a mental note to make sure to go and not miss it.
The concert was very enjoyable. The weather that night was very cooperative. It was actually quite cool and a little breeze would come now and again. The orchestra, for the first half, played compositions by Leroy Anderson, including The Syncopated Clock, The Typewriter, and Blue Tango. There was a brief 20-​minute intermission. The second half of the program included film music from the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The concert came to a close with John Philip Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. The winner of the night’s raffle got to conduct the orchestra during this final number.
There was a good-​sized crowd that came out to enjoy the free concert. Some were well prepared with their picnic blankets, chairs, and food. Overall, I was quite impressed considering they’re mostly a volunteer outfit.