Since its founding nearly 30 years ago at Santa Clara’s Mission College, the Mission Chamber Orchestra (MCO) of San José has been known for its imaginative programs and performances. Coming up on Sept. 27 is another MCO Side by Side concert, a program that offers student musicians the chance to play “side by side” with the regular orchestra.

The program was started in 2002 by MCO founder and longtime music director Emily Ray.

“It gives students experience playing with more advanced performers and shows them there are opportunities to perform music after you leave school, there’s a spot for them in the community to perform music,” said Ray.

Current music director Juan Palacios is a worthy successor to Ray. He began his professional career as the director of Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, and was on the faculty of the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory. Palacios has expanded Side by Side since he took the orchestra’s helm two years ago.

“I went to visit some of the schools when I was auditioning for the job,” Palacios said, “and I noticed that the level [of performance] was very high. But most of the time students don’t have the opportunity to play in a full orchestra program, and play works that they may never have another opportunity to perform. Students get a sense of the whole, the whole experience.

“I try to visit as many schools as I can, so we give opportunities to everyone,” he added. “All the kids have a chance.”

Palacios tells the story of how one student musician got a special inspiration from the concert he performed in.

“One of his favorite soloists was the concerto soloist, who was also his violin teacher. And so he was able to play the whole concert with this soloist that he admired. He had the time of his life,” said Palacios.

Palacios strives to make the experience comfortable for students.

“I will work with students prior to the rehearsals and concert, to make sure when they already know what is going on,” Palacios said.

Students are “transformed” by the experience, he says.

“If you play the full concert, with the full symphony, and you play a last moment of a symphony, you’ve gone through an experience that stays with you,” said Palacios.

On Sept. 27, MCO opens its 29th season with “Mozart and More,” in the Shannon Theater at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale. The program features some of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756 – 1791) most popular works, including Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, and Symphony No. 40.

The centerpiece of the program is Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, featuring acclaimed pianist Sandra Wright Shen as soloist. This concert provides an up-close taste of Shen’s artistry in an intimate and accessible venue.

Hear Mozart and More on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the Shannon Theatre at Fremont High School, 1279 Sunnyvale Saratoga Rd, Sunnyvale.

MCO tickets remain at pre-COVID prices: General: $26.62, Senior: $21.50, Student: $16.38, Child: $11.25, and “pay-what-you-can afford” at the door.

Maestro Palacios invites students and teachers interested in participating in Side by Side to email him at juancpalacios@yahoo.com, call  (858) 740-1523, or contact him via the MCO website  missionchamber.org. Students should be at intermediate to advanced levels. Currently the program only includes string players, but Palacios is considering expanding it to wind players as well.

Carolyn Schuk can be reached at carolyn@santaclaraweekly.com.

For more about Mission Chamber Orchestra:
Tearing Down Barriers to Enjoying Great Music
Mission Chamber Orchestra Celebrates Music of Portugal
Mission Chamber Orchestra Shines a Clear Light on a Neglected Composer