Join us in welcoming Connor Milstead as the new BCGS Orchestra director.

Connor Milstead received his Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University, where he studied with the late renowned pedagogue Bruce Holzman. In 2019, he received his Master’s degree in Guitar Performance from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Maestro Manuel Barrueco.

Connor has performed as a soloist with the Treasure Coast Guitar Society, being featured in several events by the Sarasota, Seven Hills, Baltimore, and Florida State Guitar Societies, as well as performing in master classes led by Pavel Steidl, Judicaël Perroy, David Russell, Fabio Zanon, Paul O’Dette, and many others. He performs as a duo with his partner, cellist Natalia Vilchis, as part of Duo Dalí, and as part of a larger chamber music collective featuring Nicolle Ávila and Agustín Muriago.

Connor lives in Baltimore; he is on the faculty at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the Peabody Preparatory of the Peabody Institute.

The BCGS Guitar Orchestra is accepting registrations for the Spring 2026 semester. We invite you to register now to receive the music by email from our orchestra conductor. The orchestra is open to everyone regardless of performance level and style!

Rehearsals take place at Charlestown Senior Living Community, 715 Maiden Choice Lane, Catonsville, MD 21228. Rehearsals will be weekly on Thursday evenings from 7:30 – 9:30 PM, although the room will be available to warm up, tune, etc from 6:30 PM.

REHEARSALS: February 12, February 26, March 12, March 19, March 26, April 9, April 16, April 30, May 7, and May 14.

The Orchestra performs a concert at the end of the semester at the Auditorium at Charlestown Senior Living Community on Thursday, May 21, 2026. This is your chance to become an active member of the guitar community and share performance experiences with other guitar lovers. We would love to have you join us.

Click on the blue button on this page to register. Make sure that you are a current member of the BCGS. You can renew and become a member at the same time. If you are unsure about your membership status, you can ask us by using the contact form on this website.

While we take making music very seriously, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. The key to that is not fussing over your errors – learn from them, practice, and grow. We all make mistakes; the important thing is to not get too caught up in them. If your part seems too hard, let Scott know. Success can only come if you are confident in what you are playing.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Now, let’s have some fun making music together!

Here are some questions that we have been asked over the years:

If you have never played in a large ensemble, this will be quite new to you. You will have a part, and play in a section with others playing the same thing. There are generally four parts in the group for each. We work on coordinating the parts, balancing dynamics, and setting out the interpretive gestures. The director conduct the rehearsals – both through talking everyone through the issues, as well as by actually conducting. For that reason, it is important to work on your part during the week, so when we rehearse, you can give some attention to the guy in front waving his arms.

We invite players of all levels to participate, with parts distributed as close to your level of development as possible. If a part is too hard, we can edit to make it more playable. Keep in mind that there are several of you on a part, so if you can’t play everything, someone else in your section can. That way it will all be covered. We want to be as inclusive as possible.

The audition process is simple: Tell the director what pieces you are comfortable playing. It helps to know, for example, if you are confident all over the fingerboard, or if venturing above the 5th fret gives you a sense of vertigo; we want your part to be playable for you. From that information, we can get a good idea of where to place you in the Orchestra. A good rule of thumb to follow if you haven’t done this before is to expect that your part will be (usually) simpler than your solo repertoire. This allows for you to learn your part, play your part, and still have enough focus left over to hear all that is going on around you.

We meet once a week, Tuesday evenings from 7-9 PM. We meet at the Charlestown Senior Living Community in Catonsville, 715 Maiden Choice Lane, Catonsville, MD 21228, right inside the Baltimore Beltway 695 at exit 12B. See the schedule above.

We will email pdfs to you in August; new additions will be passed around in rehearsal.

A guitar that can be tuned well, footstool, a music stand, and pencil to take notes.

As we meet once a week, it is important to be at as many rehearsals as possible. I realize that you have busy lives, and there may be times when you can’t make it – work or family engagements, illness, etc.

Register today for the Spring 2026 semester!

Register HERE

Connor Milstead
Orchestra Conductor