Calendar of Events
Mar 19: Concert
2pm @ The Brandt Retirement Community
6991 S 178th Plz, Omaha
April 30: Pops & Pie
3pm @ Jewish Community Center
333 S 132nd St, Omaha
Sunday Rehearsal, Mar 12
2-5PM @ First Christian Church
6630 Dodge St, Omaha
Sunday Rehearsal, Apr 16
2-5PM @ First Christian Church
6630 Dodge St, Omaha
Sunday Rehearsal, Apr 23
2-5PM @ TBA
Auditions for the 2023/24 season will be held in May 2023 using both in-person and virtual formats. To sign up for auditions, please fill out the linked audition application, and then contact our conductor, Mark Benson, at mbenson.igo@gmail.com to arrange for an audition.
Pay Tuition Today
Book Us Today
The Orchestra is available for performances September through May 1.
For more information on bookings, please call our Project Director, Chris Gillette, at (402)444-6536, ext. 1021, or e-mail her at Chris.Gillette@enoa.org.
If you would like to sponsor a concert please contact Chris Gillette at Chris.Gillette@enoa.org.
Staff Members
Chris Gillette
Chris Gillette began her work as project director of the Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha in 1985
Chris Gillette
Chris and a former co-worker, Cora Lee Bell, formed the Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha in the spring of 1985
Kristine Hendrickson
Kristine Hendrickson has been the Assistant Project Director of the Intergeneration Orchestra since 2014
Kristine Hendrickson
Kristine's husband is a member of IGO and two of their children were members prior to heading off to college. Kristine has lived in Nebraska since 1997. During that time their family enjoyed participating in church music as well as local choral and instrumental groups
Mark Benson
Mark brings to IGO 29 years of experience in the Bellevue Public Schools. Mark is a member of the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra and the Lincoln Municipal Band. Mark has also been a freelance musician, composer/arranger and private instructor since 1979.
Mark Benson
Mark has performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, The Temptations, the Omaha and Lincoln Symphonies and many other local groups and traveling shows. His compositions and arrangements have been performed by the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band and Paul Shaffer among others.
About IGO
The rose and the bud on our logo symbolize the concept of The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha. The rose in full bloom signifies the lifetime of experience our older musicians bring to the group, while the rosebud represents the emerging talents of our younger artists.
Chris Gillette, our project director, and a former co-worker, Cora Lee Bell, formed the Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha in the spring of 1985. Funded in 1985 through a grant from the Peter Kiewit Foundation, with sponsorship of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, the Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha brings together performing artists of two eras, joined through the universal language of music. Musicians may audition if they are either age 50 and older or age 25 and younger. There are no minimum or maximum age restrictions in the ensemble.
The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha is funded entirely through grants, donations, memberships, fundraisers and performance fees. The ENOA also contributes a variety of in-kind services to assist with the administration of the group. The Orchestra is run by a Board of Directors, which includes two elected younger and two elected older Orchestra musicians.
Concert Season
The Orchestra's concert season runs from September through May 1, with a schedule of 7 or 8 concerts. Performances are given for senior and retiree groups, at nursing homes, private events, conferences and schools. Community-wide events include the annual spring "Pops & Pie" fundraiser concert at area performing arts venues.
IGO Founding Conductor and Music Director
Chuck Penington began piano lessons at age 6 and composed his first piece of music a year later. He performed with musical legends such as Tom Jones, Henry Mancini, Wayne Newton and Engelbert Humperdinck. Chuck was the featured keyboard artist and conductor for the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Tour. IGO was blessed with thirty four seasons of auditions, compositions, 305 concerts, recording sessions, tours to Washington DC, for a performance on the lawn of the White House, Dallas, Pittsburgh, South Dakota, and Kansas City. IGO’s Founding Conductor and Music Director Chuck Penington passed away in November 2018.
Endowment Fund
An endowment fund was created in the spring of 2001 with the purpose of providing a permanent source of funds for IGO. The primary purpose of these funds is to provide two scholarships to current IGO members which will cover their tuition the following year in the Orchestra. These scholarships are presented at the IGO annual Spring Pops & Pie concert.
To be eligible for these scholarships a member must have perfect attendance at rehearsals and concerts for the season, show respect for fellow members of IGO, and exhibit a sincere commitment to IGO and its purpose.
Solo
$1 - $30
Duet
$31 - $49
Ensemble
$50 - $99
Orchestra
$100 - $499
Conductor
$500 - $999
Composer
$1,000 +
All donations to the endowment fund are tax deductible by law #36-3461006.
Scholarships are available for individuals who are not able to afford the annual tuition of $100.
If you are interested in donating to the Orchestra Endowment Fund please click the donate button below, or would like additional information on the yearly scholarship available to orchestra members, please contact the project director at 402-444-6536, ext. 1021.