ABOUT US

Located inside Midwest Conservatory of Music, MPO offers orchestral training to beginning, intermediate, and advanced musicians in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago.

Midwest String Orchestra

Preparatory orchestra for beginners and intermediate-level string musicians.

Midwest Philharmonic Orchestra

Symphony orchestra for advanced strings, winds, and percussion students.

Repertoire is selected from a wide range of mature, high-level pieces that require personal preparation and self-discipline in each musician.

Core Members of the MPO

Chamber orchestra that includes the most advanced players that are already part of MPO. Performing pieces for symphonies of smaller scale, "Core" focuses on individual preparedness and the clarity of the ensemble as a whole in order to produce the top quality of music-making possible as students.

MPO is a proud recipient of the 2019 American Prize in Orchestral Performance.

MPO Music Director, Taka Matsunaga, has recently been selected by the Illinois Council of Orchestras as the 2021 Conductor of the Year. He is also a winner of the 2019 American Prize in Conducting.

Since 2007, the MPO has been striving to provide high-quality music education to the students of the suburbs of Chicago. We have recently committed to expanding our educational outreach to more students in the suburbs of Chicago, in order to bring awareness to music education and the importance of youth performing arts organizations like us.

Our Motto:

OUR ENSEMBLES

COLLABORATE - We want students of all ages and levels to collaborate together in not only making great music but also making memories that last a lifetime.

INSPIRE - We want our students to take those memories and experiences from music making and inspire future generations to continue the legacy of youth music programs, which are vital to the development of children and the communities in which they reside.

ACHIEVE - Like any youth music program, we want our students to achieve great things in life. Through collaborating together and building a musical community based on inclusion, we will be able to achieve a better future for everyone.