Based in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the Heights Chamber Orchestra is the musical home of nearly fifty talented instrumentalists who gather from the Greater Cleveland area and beyond. Members come from all walks of life and include university students and accomplished adult amateurs as well as those who make their living through music.
HCO’s goal is simple — to celebrate music as rich and diverse as the communities its members live in. HCO offers five free concerts per season that cover a wide range of repertoire from well- known classics to the works of new and lesser known composers.
Now in its 40th season, the orchestra was founded by Cleveland Heights High School orchestra director Robert Bergantino. Gino Raffaelli, a member of the renowned Cleveland Orchestra, served as concertmaster for the first 28 seasons and six original members are still performing with the HCO.
Through the years, HCO has had the privilege to list as music director, conductors with national reputations including John Ferritto, Kelly Corcoran, Anthony Addison, and Mark Allen McCoy. This season, we are thrilled to be working under the baton of illustrious conductors from near and far, opening our season under the leadership of Cleveland Pops’ Maestro Carl Topilow.
Soloists and guest conductors have been equally stellar and include a top prize winner of the Cleveland International Piano Competition, members of the Cleveland Orchestra, graduate students affiliated with the Cleveland Institute of Music, and HCO’s two concertmasters and principal players.
The Heights Chamber Orchestra is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by grants, advertisers, and the generous donations of its members and supporters.
The orchestra rehearses on Monday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Cleveland Heights. Concerts are usually on Sunday afternoons at various locations around the Heights area.
