WCO_index

	About the WCO

The mission of the Weston Chamber Orchestra is to bring first class musical performances to the widest possible audience in our community, providing our public with an opportunity to enjoy, experience and explore the excitement and entertainment of live, chamber music. The Weston Chamber Orchestra Foundation is a non-profit organization (501)(c)(3), 509(a)(1) created to promote and enhance our cultural milieu. The WCO has been supported through concert revenues, private donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants.

The Weston Chamber Orchestra Foundation brings the best of a creative mix of classical music to the concert stage while truly reaching out to all the community. We support culture and music education through innovative programming.

For the first time in Weston’s history, the 2005-2006 Concert Series offered a seven months season with a variety of monthly music concerts to fit our diverse musical persuasions. We are especially delighted to have Marlene Urbay as the music director, who is one of only two female chamber orchestra directors in the United States. Under the expert musical and artistic leadership of Maestro Marlene Urbay, the Weston Chamber Orchestra is comprised of twenty-six superb professional musicians from nine countries.

Maestro Urbay enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative musician and conductor. Marlene Urbay is the former Music Director of the National Ballet of Cuba having won prizes at international conducting competitions. Urbay became music director of the National Ballet of Cuba in 1982 at the age of 24 and remained in that position until 1991, when she requested political asylum in Madrid. In 1987, Urbay founded the Chamber Orchestra of the Great Theater of Havana, which toured Italy and Poland in 1990 receiving rave reviews. In addition, Marlene Urbay has been guest conductor for the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Osaka Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of Silecia, Poland; the Philharmonic Orchestra Betica of Seville, Spain; the Opera Orchestra of Ostrava Czechoslovakia; the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lima, Peru; the Teatro de la Zarzuela, Madrid, and the Liceo de Barcelona. In 1987, she received a special award at the Third International G. Fitelherg Competition for orchestra conductors in Poland. In 1990, she won first prize for orchestral conducting in The First Spanish Music Competition of Havana. Urbay earned a Master's degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Miami School of Music and studied at the Manhattan School of Music with Gustav Meier and Kenneth Kissel. From 1993 to 1995, she was Associate Conductor of the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra. She has been in the music faculty at Miami-Dade Community College. She is the only Latin American woman conductor to earn a special award at Poland’s prestigious G. Fitelberg competition for international orchestra conductors. In 1995, she was a finalist for the position of Assistant Conductor for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She was awarded with Gems’ TV Woman of the Year Award 1998. She is guest Director with the National Dance Company of Mexico. Maestro Urbay commands an extensive repertory of different genres, including symphonic and chamber music, ballet, opera, zarzuela, operetta and musical comedy. She is also an accomplished pianist.