About Sinfonia Concertante Orchestra

Mission Statement

Sinfonia Concertante Orchestra is a non profit organization committed to providing exceptional chamber music programming, education, and outreach, offering an opportunity to experience the rich and rarely heard musical literature which includes works from eras of classical and modern music. SCO helps to create the musicians and audiences of the future through teaching and mentoring programs for young musicians and their families.  The orchestra seeks to promote awareness and support by partnering and performing with other musical organizations, schools and agencies serving the community.

Sinfonia Concertante Orchestra

The SINFONIA CONCERTANTE ORCHESTRA is a non profit professional Chamber Orchestra in the greater Portland Metropolitan area, offering concerts with masterpieces from all musical periods that are rarely performed by  full size Symphony orchestras or chamber music ensembles because these groups are either too large or too small for these works.

SCO was founded in 1990 by Maestro Stefan Minde, the former General Director and Conductor of Portland Opera. SCO has been praised as one of the most outstanding orchestras in Oregon.

The orchestra's name and musical inspiration go back to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart whose Sinfonia Concertante works featured solo performances by orchestra members. SCO, is following this example, by featuring soloists from within the ranks of the orchestra. The high quality of our concerts exemplifies the great musicianship of each orchestra member.

In 1993, SCO started a multi-year outreach program with the Portland Public Schools that offers musical training and ensemble classes for students from grade school  through high school. This program has been an enormous success: Each year participating students have the opportunity of performing in a public concert of SCO alongside the orchestra musicians, with Maestro Minde preparing them for several weeks prior to the concert.

Budget cuts in the schools have cut deeply into musical training of our young people. SCO is striving to fill this gap by offering  the opportunity of experiencing performances with this professional orchestra.

 

Stefan Minde, Conductor

Stefan Minde was born in Leipzig, Germany. As a student he was a member of the world renown St. Thomas Choir in Leipzig where Johann Sebastian Bach himself had been cantor. With the choir Minde toured Europe, Russia, and South America until he graduated from high school. Minde fled Leipzig (then East Germany) in 1954 after the rebellion against the Communist regime had failed. He was accepted as a student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

After graduating Summa cum laude as conductor of opera and Symphony he became Assistant Conductor for Sir George Solti at the Staatsoper Frankufrt/Main, later Assistant Conductor for Maestro Sawallisch at the Staatstheater Wiesbaden, and subsequently First Conductor at the Civic Theater at Trier, Mosel.

Maestro Minde came to the United States in 1968 to conduct at the Berkshire Festival at Tanglewood, Massachusetts, This was followed by engagements at the San Francisco Opera. In 1970 Mastero Minde became General Director and Conductor of Portland Opera, Under his direction, Portland made the list of the 10 best opera companies in the United States. In 1982 he received the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Opera in the United States from the National Opera Association, and the City Beautification Award from the City of Portland.

Minde traveled as guest conductor of opera and symphony to Austria, Germany, Portugal, Japan, Canada and throughout the USA. After leaving Portland Opera, Minde concentrated on guest engagements. In 1990 he founded the Sinfonia Concertante Orchestra of Oregon, a dream of many years.