Here’s a bit of good news for island musicians.

Chris Harshman is the new leader of the Whidbey Island Community Orchestra and Matt Frost will conduct the Whidbey Island Youth Orchestra. And with the large amount of all-ages musical talent on the island, the orchestras are growing in both size, variety of sound and ability.

Music lovers are invited to the next orchestral concert featuring both orchestras at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17, in the Fellowship Hall of the Langley United Methodist Church.

The program will feature a smattering of holiday music, including “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.”

The evening’s festivities will combine the music with a community holiday party, and are open to everyone. There will also be guest musicians from the community who will play and sing, and everyone is invited to join in a planned sing-along of holiday music.

The festive gathering will give folks a chance to get to know the new leaders of two orchestras that have been going strong since their inception in 2007.

Harshman is the longtime band director of South Whidbey High School’s award-winning band programs. He said he’s honored to be the new director and looks forward to guiding it forward.

“I enjoy the enthusiasm of the group, and the excellent music we make as a multi-generational ensemble,” he said. “Most of all, I enjoy the wonderful rehearsals we have. It is a true pleasure and joy to work with these musicians.”

Harshman has decades of experience teaching, conducting, directing and playing orchestral and band music.

Besides his work at the high school, Langley Middle School and the elementary school, Harshman is also the principal bassoonist in the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra, led by Legh Burns, one of the founding members of the community orchestras. Harshman is also the overall director of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Marrowstone-In-The-City summer music programs.

Frost is another familiar Whidbey Island face. An island native, he is a former band teacher at Langley Middle School.

Frost holds a master’s degree in musical performance, and is a doctoral candidate in music at the University of Washington. He has also worked as a coach and conductor for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, and plays trumpet in the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra.

Also joining the orchestral fray is Aaron Simpson, who will be assisting Harshman and Frost in both orchestras. A graduate in music from Western Washington University, and student of conducting, Simpson is an accomplished cellist and classical guitarist and is a skilled mentor to both young and older musicians.

The youth orchestra is working on setting up ensembles for young musicians at all levels of ability. Members find a whole-group experience, as well as the feel of smaller ensembles for each ability level. This year, the orchestra added woodwind instruments to the previously strings-only orchestra. The most advanced musicians also have the option, with the conductors’ permission, to sit in with the community orchestra for part of the rehearsals and in concerts.

The community orchestra is truly a multi-generational ensemble. Members range from high school age to older than 80. There are families in the community orchestra with two or three generations playing together.

The concert and holiday get-together will be a benefit for area food banks. Admission is free, and snacks and beverages will be provided.

Donations of non-perishable food items and money will help to make the holidays happier for everyone on Whidbey Island.

The orchestras’ winter concert will be in March, and a spring concert will follow in May.

High school students are welcome to join by audition to determine the most suitable place, and adults of all levels of ability are welcome without an audition.

Both orchestras play four main concerts each year, with additional performances through an outreach program for certain community organizations, such as assisted living communities. The repertoire of both groups includes full-orchestra pieces and smaller ensemble material.

Both orchestras hold rehearsals from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays at South Whidbey High School.

For information about concerts or about joining one of the orchestras, call Bill Halstead at 360-320-8905 or e-mail billmvg@gmail.com. For the youth orchestra, call coordinator Sheri Kelly at 341-3130, or e-mail her at james.kelly1@juno.com.

Visit the orchestras website at www.whidbeyorchestras.org for more information.