Review: Olympia Chamber Orchestra finishes season with 'Unsung'
Originally published on “The JOLT News” on June 24, 2026
When the Olympia Chamber Orchestra (OCO) first announced their 2025-26 season, the final concert at Capital High School Performing Arts Center was designed to be a celebration of opera, which would include a chorus of local singers.
Destiny had a plan of its own, creating a concert that made me personally more excited than the original vision. Operatic pieces were still performed, but only pieces that were arranged for the pit orchestra.
The concept of “Unsung” must not be overlooked as the title suggests. When you watch an opera, what is typically highlighted the most? The vocalists right?
This is not a bad thing, but it does remove the attention from the incredible pit orchestra musicians, set designers, costume designers, and other artists and crew involved in the production. This OCO concert was a love letter to all people in and out of the opera world who may be overlooked, but significant.
Growing up, my mom had a tradition where she would put on a classical music CD, get out the fancy plates, and create a whole chicken dinner for the two of us and my sister Faith to enjoy. Massenet’s “Méditation from Thaïs” and Mascagni’s “Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana” were two of the many pieces featured on the soundtrack of some of my favorite home memories.
I keep a sort of secret (not so secret) wish list of things I hope to hear performed live one day, and this concert fulfilled a few of those wishes.
The program was filled with many delicious melodies for the ears to feast on, including:
With lush pieces like those above, OCO set a high bar for themselves to achieve, and they pushed beyond any expectations the audience might have and into a realm that can only be described as magical.
The review
What has always made OCO stand out is the emotional connection to their music, which again is a concept that is often overlooked or dare I say unsung in the professional and corporate music worlds.
An emotional connection to the music is what differentiates the breathtaking and life changing classical music from either very beautiful, forceful music or mundane elevator music. There is a degree that composition and arrangement plays a role in audience experience.
However, I have heard versions of Massenet’s “Méditation" (both live and recorded) that have brought goosebumps to my arms and tears to my eyes, and others that made me bored and antsy. Same music, different vibe.
OCO’s Concertmaster Mary Julia McKean did not just play all the correct notes in her violin solos in the “Méditation” piece, but her violin sang out notes with love, vulnerability and grace, just as the meaning of the piece calls for. It was stunning!
I encourage you to read the program notes written by Patricia Karfcik featured in the photographs of this colum. These notes taught me a lot and helped me connect with this music in a new way.
OCO Music Director and Conductor Nickolas Carlson had the orchestra play these four pieces (Puccini’s “Intermezzo from Suor Angelica,” Massenet’s “Méditation from Thaïs,” Mascagni’s “Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana” and Smetana’s “Dance of the Comedians from The Bartered Bride”) together with only brief breaks and no applause to transition.
I encourage you to listen to these in a similar way at home because the effect is incredible. It amazes me how four composers all from different time periods could write these pieces that when put together can tell an incredible story. I imagine everyone in the audience had their own story, but mine was of a love affair with all the emotions, silly lovers quarrels and make ups.
That sort of musical understanding is just as genius as putting together a thousand piece puzzle without seeing the picture, and everybody who knows Carlson can attest that his intuition is incredible and leads to remarkable performances every time.
Every OCO musician deserves their own standing ovation for their dedication to the ensemble, flexibility, amazing giftings in classical music, and for their practically perfect performance.
Just as Carlson encouraged us to do in his concert speech, do not let OCO go unsung.
Join me in singing praises for this incredible group by following them on social media, signing up for their email updates, buying tickets for next season, and contributing (donating) to future breathtaking experiences in the audience.
All the information you need can be found here.