KINGMAN — The Mohave County Orchestra closed out its performance season this week at the College Park Community Center, but the evening carried a deeper meaning than the usual end‑of‑season finale. This concert marked the orchestra’s 30th anniversary, celebrating three decades of community music‑making, growth, and collaboration.
Current conductor Thomas Boone led the ensemble, while board president Jan Curran reflected on how the orchestra first came together in 1996. Local musicians, she explained, were eager for a place to play and connect.
“Local musicians decided they needed an opportunity to play and have an orchestra,” Curran said. The group’s founding conductor, Peggy Mabry, guided the orchestra until 2003, followed by Art Swanson and now Boone.
From its earliest days, the orchestra expanded largely through word of mouth. Its season typically runs from August through April, and over the years its musicians have ranged from teenagers to retirees. For Curran, the most rewarding part has been the people behind the music.
“I’ve gotten to be with some people who have amazing musical talent,” she said. “They are just regular, everyday ordinary people, but they’ve also been really, really cool musicians who love music and love sharing their music with others.”
Two charter members—Barbara Pike and Gail Fruhling, both retired Kingman School District teachers—were honored during the anniversary celebration. Fruhling, an oboist, recalled moving to the area and discovering that Mohave Community College had no band or orchestra at the time.
“So I was so excited when Peggy Mabry began putting out calls for people, and we started our orchestra,” she said.
Pike, a violinist, said her most meaningful memories aren’t tied to a single performance.
“It isn’t a ‘one occasion’ thing,” she said. “It’s 30 years of positive associations with wonderful people and beautiful music.”
To commemorate the milestone, Pike and Fruhling performed a special violin‑oboe duet—an emotional tribute to the orchestra they helped build.
As the Mohave County Orchestra prepares to pause until August, its 30th anniversary concert served as both a celebration of its past and a reminder of the community spirit that continues to sustain it.
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