The Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra, also known as The Bonne Amie Musical Circle, is a mandolin ensemble which was established in 1900 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are the oldest ensemble of their kind in the United States. [1]
The group was founded in 1900 as the Bonne Amie Musical Circle. [2] It reformed in 1982 under the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra name. [3] As late as 1990, under the direction of Ernest Brusubardis, the group had only 11 members. [4] Starting in the 1990s the group expanded, playing public concerts in other major cities and releasing recorded music. [5] In a review of the concert in 2000 celebrating the group's centennial, Elaine Schmidt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described them as "not the tightest ensemble in town, nor the most polished." [6] The Orchestra was a guest on A Prairie Home Companion twice in 2006. [7] One member, Jacob Scokir, played with the group from 1938 until his death in 2008. [1] [8]
The Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra, also known as The Bonne Amie Musical Circle, is a mandolin ensemble which was established in 1900 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are the oldest ensemble of their kind in the United States. [1]
The group was founded in 1900 as the Bonne Amie Musical Circle. [2] It reformed in 1982 under the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra name. [3] As late as 1990, under the direction of Ernest Brusubardis, the group had only 11 members. [4] Starting in the 1990s the group expanded, playing public concerts in other major cities and releasing recorded music. [5] In a review of the concert in 2000 celebrating the group's centennial, Elaine Schmidt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described them as "not the tightest ensemble in town, nor the most polished." [6] The Orchestra was a guest on A Prairie Home Companion twice in 2006. [7] One member, Jacob Scokir, played with the group from 1938 until his death in 2008. [1] [8]