Berkeley College Orchestra

Our Mission

The Berkeley College Orchestra (BCO) is dedicated to the promotion of a musical presence on the Yale campus and the greater Connecticut area. To achieve this goal, the BCO provides a collaborative, constructive space for music-making on Yale’s campus, bringing together a close-knit community of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff to study and perform classical music. To this end, BCO holds weekly rehearsals and four free public concerts during the school year on Yale’s campus and in the New Haven community. We embrace artistic diversity through our collaborations with fellow Yale & New Haven arts groups, chamber music programs, and conducting workshops.

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History

Berkelery College Orchestra was formed in 1975, at a time when each residential college at Yale had its own undergraduate orchestra, with membership restricted only to their own residential college. Over the years, most of these orchestras faded away and disbanded. Now, only two of these orchestras remain—Berkeley College Orchestra, and Davenport Pops Orchestra. Moreover, although once restricted to only students in Berkeley College, BCO is now open to anyone in the Yale community.