 The Tehachapi Community Orchestra, now called the Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1997 by Joan Samara and Deborah Hand as an outgrowth of the Da Camera Players String Ensemble, and incorporated in 1998 by Gayel Pitchford.It performs 5 free-to-the public concerts each year, with familiar selections from the classical canon.This orchestra and its founders' vision were profiled in the Sept/Oct 2005 issue of Symphony Magazine.