 That clip was from a 2019 performance by the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, a community orchestra that is nearly 90 years old. Founded in 1933, the orchestra has provided generations of Arlingtonians with the space to pursue their passion for music. Along with the Arlington Belmont Corral and Chamber Chorus, they make up the Philharmonic Society of Arlington. For nearly a century, the groups have brought musical tradition to the Arlington community, such as through their annual Pops Concert and Strawberry Festival. I was able to attend one of the orchestra's weekly rehearsals, Arlington's First Parish Church, to get a firsthand look at the group and learn from a couple of its members about what makes it so special. Yeah, my name is Julie Goldberg, and I have been with the orchestra for decades, for actually about 33 years. Hello, my name is Shanta Arikallian. I am the bassoonist for the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra. I've been with the ensemble for about a year now. The orchestra is a non-audition group and features a wide range of ages and musical experience, from retired professional musicians to relative beginners and from young students to seniors. This diversity of personal and musical backgrounds is part of what makes the orchestra so unique. When I joined, I was young, just newly married. And my very best friend was my flute stand partner here. He was, you know, decades older than I was. And now I'm older, but I have friends who are much younger in the group. And so it's really nice, you know, because you meet people of all ages. I get to know other people, meet new people, gain some new connections, learn about their lives. The orchestra goes to each other's concerts, so many of the times when I have a concert that is different, they go to see me, right? Every Wednesday when we meet, we're trying to find that experience that makes us grow together. I try to keep the ensemble not performance-focused, but experience-focused. So we get to hear, we practice together, we become better together, better ensemble. And so what I really think it makes it really, really special is that everybody here owns this orchestra. Everybody here comes because they want to come here. What you see here, what you hear here, is like the tip of this iceberg that really reaches far into the community. You know, classical music needs to be out there and available and affordable for people to get interested in. And that's what a community orchestra can do. It can open up, you know, this kind of music to people who otherwise wouldn't be able to access it. And the orchestra's next concert is coming right up. The orchestra will be performing along with the Arlington-Bellmont chorale on Saturday, April 29th at 7 p.m. at Arlington's first parish church. And more details about the concert can be found at psarlington.org. It's all very uplifting, very happy music that everybody will enjoy listening to. The orchestra has brought nearly a century of joy and tradition to the Arlington community, and it's clear that this special group has no plans of stopping. For ACMI News, I'm David Boulezier.