In 1995 a Summit County musician organized a quartet (two violinists, one violist and one cellist) to perform as the pit orchestra for a Backstage Theater production of “Fiddler on the Roof”. That core group of four grew over the next few years to sixteen committed string players, continuing to provide the music for annual musical productions including “The Sound of Music”, “Peter Pan”, “Music Man” and “Zorba”. The group also accompanied the Summit Choral Society in holiday performances of Handel’s Messiah and performed several concerts for the local community. All string musicians, regardless of background or ability, were welcome to join.

In 1999, the Summit County Chamber Orchestra (now known as the SCO) was more formally organized as a project of the Summit Community Band (now known as the Summit Concert Band), with regularly scheduled weekly rehearsals and a seasonal concert schedule that included three public performances in November, December and March. Over the years, the group has grown to include about forty musicians, including a full contingent of string, wind and percussion instruments.

A concerto contest was initiated in 2002, open to all Summit County musicians in grades 1 – 12. The SCO now rehearses from September through March, meeting for two hours weekly during those months. Current members come from a variety of musical backgrounds including active and retired professional musicians, educators and students. The SCO rents space at a local school for the rehearsals, as well as for some of the performances. Other performance venues have included local churches and private functions.

The November concert is traditionally a performance by the just the SCO. The performance is provided at no charge to attendees, but donations are accepted at the door.

The 2015 December concert was a joint effort with the Summit Choral Society and Summit Concert Band and was held at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge to a full house. In previous years the December concerts have featured performances of ballet dances from The Nutcracker, incorporating the talents of the local dance students, as well as selections from The Messiah with the local community chorus.

Since 2002, the March concert has included a performance of some type of concerto (usually piano or violin) by a local student selected by a committee from the SCO. At the most recent March concert, the orchestra performed works by Ponchielli, Von Suppe and Copland, as well as a piano concerto by Haydn and a Beethoven violin piece with the concerto contest winners.

All musicians volunteer their time and talents to participate in this community effort. Funding is secured through individual patron donations as well as free will donations from the public at each concert, with attendance ranging from 150 - 300. In the future, the SCO plans to pursue grants from other organizations providing funding for non-profits.