The McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra was founded by Artistic Director Jason Lim as the Odysseus Chamber Orchestra in May 2012 in Denton, Texas. The orchestra consists of professional classical musicians from the Dallas/Fort Worth area dedicated to deepening, strengthening and broadening the organization’s relationship with the communities it serves
through music.
Its successful inaugural performance featured local soloists such as Christopher Deane, Professor of Percussion at the University of North Texas. Soon after, Jason commissioned the world premiere of “Breathe” by Brad Robin. The orchestra then embarked on innovative collaborations such as: staging a full ballet performance of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” with the Denton City Contemporary Ballet; the North Texas premiere performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “A Soldier’s Tale” with ae:mp Amity Perry and Company; teaming with world renowned double bassist Jeff Bradetich to feature the Tango music of Astor Piazzolla; and a collaboration with legendary guitarist Andy Timmons. In 2018, the orchestra shared the stage with Grammy Award winning Polka band, Brave Combo – a performance which is back in 2019 by popular demand!

In its short history, the orchestra has garnered a growing national reputation as an emerging ensemble, winning second and third prizes in the American Prize Competition for professional orchestras in 2014 and 2015, respectively. In 2016, the orchestra was awarded the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for excellence in performing American Music. In addition, the orchestra has supported local service clubs like the Denton Breakfast Kiwanis Club and the Robson Ranch Kiwanis Club, and sponsored events such as the Eliminate Project Cruise and the Passing of the Banner Dinner. In recent years, it has expanded its outreach by providing free chamber music series concerts, free amenity concerts in neighborhoods,
educational school performances and collaborating with the Arts and Music Guild to organize the Summer Music Intensives.
In 2017, exciting new programs were launched such as the Young Artist Viola Competition– the first of its kind in North Texas; the Mentorship Program, which provides high school orchestra students the opportunity to rehearse and perform side-by-side with members of the professional orchestra; and the Greater North Texas Youth Orchestra.
In 2019, the organization changed its name to the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) to better reflect its growing ties with and support received from the City of McKinney.
 

 

The Mission Statement of The McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra
The McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra is dedicated to deepening, strengthening and broadening its relationship with the communities it serves through music.

The Organizationis a 501 c 3 non progit organazation under the name Odysseus Chamber Orchestra.