We play classical and semi-classical music, for our own enjoyment, and for the benefit of people who may otherwise be limited in their ability to get out and attend public concerts, and such. We have played concerts -- all free-of-charge, of course! -- at nursing homes, retirement centers, churches, libraries, etc. We are sponsored by the Community Education Department of the Metropolitan Public Schools. The group does not receive any Taxpayer funds. The orchestra's expenses are paid by free-will offerings, supplemented by occasional fund-raisers. We do not sell tickets, but usually have a place for audience members to drop their voluntary contributions after they have listened to the music. As a rule, the listeners are generally fairly liberal with their donations.

     Occupationally, our participants run the gamut, ranging from professionals (including doctors and nurses, lawyers, dentists, etc.), all the way to those with no job at all (mostly students).

     In age, we also cover a wide range: the youngest musician ever to play in the N.C.O. was just nine years old, while the oldest was 93! (She played her instrument during the final year of her life, and was not really ready to give it up when she passed from this life into the next!)

     We are made up of both amateur musicians and a few who call themselves "professionals" -- meaning that they get paid for playing their instruments (whether they earn their entire livelihood by producing music, or not). Virtually every skill-level between these two extremes is represented.

     We celebrated our Silver Anniversary late in 2005.  During that time, we have had a half-dozen different conductors. These include: Todd Troutman, Bob Weingart, Ted Hellegaard, Ted Wiltsie, Eric Wenker, and finally the current director, Laurens A. Blankers, who took the reins of this leadership position in September of 1990.

     Mr. Blankers was born and reared in O'Brien County, Iowa. He began to study piano at the age of eight.  By age ten, he had begun playing trombone in the school band, which he continued to do on into high school. By the age of 14, he was accompanying the hymns at church, while still playing in the school band, and also sang in the school chorus, as well as playing the piano accompaniment for many of the chorus songs. In 1951, he enrolled in the Iowa State Teachers College -– which later became the University of Northern Iowa –- where he played tuba in the band and orchestra, and also continued to study advanced piano under the guidance of some highly qualified teachers, and he was the student carillonneur. While a sophomore there, he took up the study of the violoncello.

     He was graduated in 1955, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education, having had training in all of the various orchestral instruments, including percussion and woodwind, as well as viola and organ. He has served as organist in a great many churches throughout his adult life, and continues to do so at the present time.

     He has played in many other orchestras and ensembles, and presently sings with the Harpeth Valley Sacred Harp Singers. He is currently a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and is a Charter Member of the National School Orchestra Association, where he served on the Board for several years, and also served on the Score Evaluation Committee. In this capacity, he has evaluated several hundred musical scores for school orchestras over the past several years.