Community Women's Orchestra

The Community Women's Orchestra (CWO), based in Oakland, California, was founded by conductor Nan Washburn in 1985 as a community adjunct to The Women's Philharmonic (TWP), a now-defunct, professional orchestra.
Part of CWO's original purpose was to explore orchestral music by women composers for TWP. Today, CWO is an independent and growing entity. It continues to focus on encouraging women in music, and includes at least one work by a woman composer on each of its programs. An assistant conductor is appointed annually in an effort to create more opportunities for women conductors, and Strings Attached - an entry-level ensemble - encourages the participation of women instrumentalists of varying abilities.
In addition to its own concert season of three full concerts and a chamber music event, CWO appeared at four concerts at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall as guests of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC), 2005-2008. Also in 2008, the CWO toured to Miami, Florida, to perform at the quadrennial GALA Choruses Festival.
==Mission==
CWO provides an ensemble in which women musicians may participate in a supportive, non-competitive environment, promoting the awareness, recognition, knowledge and performance of music by women composers.
==Women's music==
The CWO has been responsible for numerous regional, national, and world premieres of works by women's composers, including Juliette Folville and Dame Ethel Smyth. In its 25th season (2009–2010), the CWO commissioned and premiered three new works by composers Martha Stoddard, Hilary Tann, and Mary Watkins, and premiered a newly orchestrated work by June Bonacich. CWO was the first orchestra to play Fanny Mendelssohn's Overture In C, when conductor JoAnn Falletta was in the process of reconstructing the work.See Letter From JoAnn Falletta, May 12, 2010
==Recordings==
The CWO appears on several recordings with the SFGMC, and in 2010 released its first self-produced CD, featuring commissioned works in honor of the orchestra's 25th anniversary.
==Discography==
*Divas' Revenge: Opera & Broadway Our Way (SFGMC, November 2005)
*USS Metaphor (SFGMC DVD, May 2008)
*Creating Harmony: 30th Season Highlights and New World Waking (SFGMC double CD, Dec. 2008)
*Women's Work and Play - 25th anniversary CD (August, 2010)
==Conductors==
*Nan Washburn, founder and conductor laureate, 1985–1990
*Ann Krinitsky, conductor laureate, 1990–2001
*Sara Jobin, guest conductor, 1998
*Martha Stoddard, interim conductor, 2004–2005
*Dr. Kathleen McGuire, 2005–present
==Assistant conductors==
*Dana Sadava, 2007–2008
*Jessica Bejarano, 2009
*Yuchi Chou, 2008–2010
*Sandra I. Noriega, 2010–present
==Strings Attached (Ensemble) conductors==
*June Bonacich 2010–present
==Notes and references==
==External links ==
*Community Women's Orchestra official website
Category:American orchestras
Category:Musical groups established in 1985