For the love of music: Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis has attracted top-level volunteer talent for more than 70 years

In 1952, when the Minnesota Orchestra was still the Minneapolis Symphony and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s debut was still a half decade away, a group of Twin Cities musicians organized an ensemble of volunteer musicians that has become the oldest community orchestra in Minneapolis.

The Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis has offered hundreds of free concerts in the decades since, including its season finale on May 18. The ensemble has provided audiences with top-shelf musical experiences, composers with commissioned work, and highly skilled musicians with an opportunity to ply their passions.

“There are many orchestras that offer a welcoming and collaborative community, and there are many who value and prioritize musical excellence, but it is somewhat rare to find both characteristics in the same orchestra,” says violist Mary Miklethun, who also is the ensemble’s board president.

“Civic is one of those rarities.”

Rare enough that some members have stuck around for so long that “we are a bit like family at this point,” Miklethun says. Indeed, some of the musicians have played with the orchestra for 25 or 30 years — or even a half century.

“A big anniversary is coming up for me — I believe that next season will be my 50th year playing with the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis,” says Carol Margolis, who has been concertmaster for 12 of those years. “I must have started playing with the Civic [when] I was 10!”

Margolis had studied for many years with previous concertmaster Shirley Santoro, who encouraged her to audition for the Civic. “I have loved playing with this orchestra ever since,“ Margolis says. “I love the people I play with and the music we make together.

“In a way, Tuesday night rehearsals are my church.”

Indeed, the weekly two-and-a-half-hour rehearsal commitment is testament to the dedication of the musicians, who have varied musical backgrounds and day jobs. “There are also a good number of younger players,” Miklethun says, “from college graduates to young professionals and beyond, so the diversity of age and experience is wonderful.”

One of the “newcomers” is principal cello Elaine Boda, who joined the orchestra two years ago. By day she is a speech and language pathologist at a Northfield elementary school, but she finds the time with the Civic Orchestra to further the musical journey she began at age 5.

“For me, playing in COM has given me an opportunity to continue to hone my musical skills and collectively share our performances with the public,” Boda says. “I love the wide variety of repertoire we perform, the high standards that are required to perform this music, and the camaraderie of working with so many excellent musicians.”

Miklethun, who majored in music in college and started with the orchestra 30 years ago, is a senior vice president at U.S. Bank. “I never aspired to playing music professionally, but it has been a gift to be able to continue playing at a high level,” she says. “And it’s a welcome break from the demands of my day job to show up at rehearsal every week.”

John Litch played both cello and baritone in school, an unusual combination in itself. He then branched out to percussion, becoming a timpanist — his position for 25 years with the Civic Orchestra — almost by accident when the need arose with a previous orchestra. He said it is enjoyable to play at a level that is challenging but that he is comfortable with.

Litch, a retired Honeywell engineer who also is the board’s treasurer, made special mention of the challenge the orchestra undertook in its most recent concert on April 6. “It was a very difficult program,” he said of the slate that included Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, Polina Nazaykinskaya’s Winter Bells and Béla Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. “I felt proud that both I individually and the orchestra overall pulled it off.”

Principal flute Rachel Hest took up the instrument in the 4th grade in her “very supportive” hometown of Hawley, Minn. She majored in flute performance at the University of Minnesota, where she currently works in the School of Music after a similar stint at Macalester College.

“The group has a warm feeling, and we are supportive of one another,” says Hest, a 25-year veteran of the ensemble who also serves as the group’s manager and “jack of all trades.” “There are also many fine, fine players, which makes it musically satisfying.

“I love playing principal flute because I always have challenging and beautiful parts,” she adds. “Plus, I have a wonderful seat right in the middle of the orchestra, so the sounds swirl all around me.”

Margolis, who holds a masters degree in teaching English as a Second Language, says, “We are a volunteer orchestra and each of us has our lives, our jobs and families. But whatever amount of time it takes, we learn the music.” She says she spends about one-and-a-half hours a day practicing for an upcoming performance.

It all pays off in music that has delighted audiences, and scores of musicians, for all these years. “The string sections and brass, woodwinds and percussion actually talk to each other!” Margolis marvels. “That is special.”

Boda adds, “I think what I love most about performing in an orchestra is that it is never stagnant or repetitive. Each performance brings a unique spontaneity, reacting in the moment to the conductor’s direction. The fact that it is live music brings a newness and freshness.

”It never gets old for me!”

The 2024-25 season has been a time of exploration for the orchestra, as it searches for a new music director upon the retirement last year of 30-year veteran Cary John Franklin. Each concert this season has been led by one of the five finalists for the position. Previous conductors this season were Kornel Thomas, Timothy Lovelace, Kenneth Freed and William Schrickel.

For the season finale concert Sunday, Matthew George will be at the podium. In keeping with the concert’s theme, “Metamorphosis,” the orchestra will perform “a wide-ranging program featuring several pieces that transform elements of one tradition into something wholly new,” states the program notes.

The concert will be held at the orchestra’s usual home, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Minneapolis. Admission is free, but seating is limited; the orchestra advises arriving at least 20 minutes before the 3 p.m. start.

Event info

What: Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis presents “Metamorphosis,” including Carl Maria von Weber’s Overture and March from Turandot; Lili Boulanger’s D’un Matin de Printemps; Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber; Nubia Jaime-Donjuan’s Maso Ye-eme, and Aaron Copland’s Rodeo
When: 3 p.m. May 18
Where: Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 4801 France Ave., Mpls.
More information: Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis