The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra was formed in April 1984, initially taking the name “Musicians of the Cloister” after the medieval cloister garden of Trinity Episcopal Church, where it played its first concerts.
The chamber music ensemble was incorporated in March 1985 and changed to its current name in March 1987. It is a not-for-profit corporation supporting itself through performances and donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
ICO’s founder, David Urness, modeled the orchestra on the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields of London, one of the most highly regarded chamber orchestras in the world. ICO’s original members were recruited mainly from local freelance musicians who were not employed by the . Many of these musicians were trained at Indiana University.
ICO’s first subscription series took place in the fall of 1985 at the Mainstage. Its inaugural concert featured world-renowned pianist Menahem Pressler as a soloist. The orchestra moved to the for the beginning of the 1986-1987 season. Urness conducted the orchestra for its first two seasons, being replaced by British-born conductor Kirk Trevor in the spring of 1987. He served as the ICO music director and conductor for 27 years.
For the 1988-1989 season, the 32-piece orchestra moved to . The ICO became the resident orchestra of the when it opened on the campus in 2013. Indiana native Matthew Kraemer replaced Trevor to become the third music director and conductor in 2015. As ICO launched its 40th season, it received $2.75 million from the before the local arts funder ceased operation at the end of 2023. The grant was the largest that the organization had received to date, and it enabled ICO to “envision more performance dates” on its schedule.
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