Desert Community Orchestra

About the DCO

The Desert Community Orchestra was formed in 1960 and has been an iconic part of the community of Ridgecrest, California ever since. Its mission is to provide live performances of orchestral music to the local region, provide local musicians an opportunity to perform and participate as soloists, and encourage young talented musicians to further their musical education with financial support through music scholarships.

 Every spring young musicians are invited to audition for the Peter Pinto Music Scholarship Award. The DCO also annually sponsors The Young Artist Competition. Student musicians audition for the privilege of being accompanied in performance with the full orchestra. The orchestra has featured musicians as young as 12 years old in their annual “Touch of Class” concert.

 DCO has hosted international guest soloists over the years. The list of celebrities includes Alan Paul of Manhattan Transfer, Camilla Arnold, Terry Glenny, Diva Jones, Gerardo Tamez, Sherri Stark, Lawrence Spector, Bethany Grace Folsom, and The Neave Trio.

Robert Martinez held a 29-year long conducting role with the orchestra from 1995 - 2024. Mark Hatter has brought energy and flair to the September Pops Concerts, while Caleb Yanez Glickman and Amy McGuire have led the festive December ‘Christmas in Ridgecrest’ performances. David Newby was at the podium for the March 2024 Winter Concert, and Emmanuel Rojas was our featured conductor for the inspiring Young Artist Concert in May 2024.

Meet the Musician

Read the Daily Independent interviews with current and former members of the orchestra: Robby Martinez, Lydia Washburn, Amber Petersen, Amanda Elfrink, Bianca Samaniego, Andrew Richards, Brandon Burkhardt, Clare A. Hatter, Lisa Austin, and Heidi Miller-Costanzo.

Our Next Conductor for our winter concert Saturday march 7, 2026

andrew loveland

Andrew Loveland is a Guatemalan-American cellist and conductor from Los Angeles, CA. With over ten years of performing and teaching experience, Mr. Loveland brings a unique experience to his interpretations and performances on the podium. He is particularly committed to expanding access to high-quality orchestral experiences and to building inclusive musical communities that reflect a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds.

As a strong proponent of accessible music education, he has served as a conductor for several youth orchestras across two Harmony Project sites in Los Angeles and currently serves as assistant conductor for the Valley Youth Philharmonic Orchestra in Porter Ranch, CA. Mr. Loveland is actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with orchestras that value musical integrity and strong community engagement.

Mr. Loveland has participated in conducting workshops in Chicago, San Francisco, Riverside, and Los Angeles. He studied conducting with Henry Shin and has participated in conducting workshops with Donald Schleicher, Edward Dolbashian and Tomasz Golka. Mr. Loveland holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach where he studied cello performance with Joon Sung Jun.