Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra enriches the cultural life of the Central Coast, performing music that is adventurous, challenging and unique.
During the 2025-26 Concert Season, Ensemble Monterey embarks on a new era of musicians' self-governance. We love providing music and emotional connection for our friends and neighbors, right here in the Monterey Bay Area. As musicians ourselves, we are keenly aware of the impact that meaningful music education had on our own lives! We have plans to expand Ensemble Monterey’s youth outreach to include face-to-face mentorship for local music education programs, and to expand into providing opportunities for more advanced young musicians, those preparing to take their first steps towards professional level performance.
We hope you will join us in this quest!
Ensemble Monterey's concerts provide, musical enrichment for our community and employment for our musicians. We can better serve the community because it is our community too.
Many of our musicians perform all over the greater San Francisco Bay Area with esteemed organizations but call our area home. We feel a strong connection with our audiences and fellow, regional non-profits. We are accessible and facile, and therefore can be more responsive to meet the musical, educational and larger artistic needs of Monterey County.
We offer educational outreach in collaboration with the Youth Music Monterey's South County Strings program, which serves the school districts of Soledad and Bradly. We have plans in place to serve more students of diverse skill levels and to provide mini satellite concerts for our communities elder population.
My thanks is to all of you and the magnificent music I've been exposed to and involved with. There isn't a musician, concert, or piece of music that hasn't lodged in my soul. Dr. Leslie Foote, Board Member
- Dr. Leslie Foote, Prunedale
