The Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra mandolin orchestra started in 1900 and it has been active since that time. The group was established as a non-profit organization in Wisconsin in 1905. The formal name of the group is the Bonne Amie Musical Circle (BAMC). The BAMC adopted the name Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra in 1982 and is now officially the performance branch of the BAMC.

Our self-generated music library was begun in 1900 and we have been the fortunate beneficiaries of several mandolin orchestra libraries from groups that have gone the way of all good things. Our collection is formidable and filled with pieces from the mandolin orchestra era, published for mandolin orchestra instrumentation.

Our current instrumentation is 3 firsts, 4 seconds, 1 mando-cello, 2 tenor mandolas, three guitars and two bass players. We perform about 15-20 times per year. Some concerts we stage ourselves, but most are contracted jobs. We do not know of a group in the US that has been around longer and would like to know if another mandolin ensemble has been aound for more than 95 years. American or otherwise. I know there were some Italian groups called "circolos," that began before we did, but I don't know if they still exist.