The New River Orchestra melds charity and classical music to nurture listeners and the less fortunate.

The group of some 40 local musicians has been playing at area churches around Broward County each summer -- without charging a fee. Proceeds from their concerts go toward various outreach projects at the congregations, mostly feeding programs.

The orchestra will be ending its fourth season at 4 p.m. Sunday at the First Congregational Church, 2501 NE 30th St. in Fort Lauderdale. The church serves as the orchestra's base, so the final performance brings the group back home. Previous appearances took place at the First Church of Coral Springs and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Lauderdale in Oakland Park.

Starting in June, orchestra members meet at First Congregational for weekly rehearsals. Tamarac cellist Beverly Daw and orchestra cofounder Frank Molano of Boynton Beach, who plays oboe and English horn, began with two quintets. One was wind. The other was made up of strings, she said.

The initial idea was to give musicians the opportunity to play during the off-season, while doing good work. Word soon spread and the all-volunteer orchestra began to expand, drawing members from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. All have been eager to share their talent, said Daw, who performs in-season with orchestras based in Highland Beach, Hallandale Beach, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Sunrise and Davie.

``There's such a void during the summer,'' she said. ``This gives us a chance to practice, play and have fun while giving back to the community.''

The majority of concert ticket sales go to the churches. A small portion funds the purchase of sheet music and other supplies for members, Daw said.

The orchestra is also a break from tradition. Unlike most orchestras, where the conductors set the programs, New River's members pick the music, Daw said.

``We try to pick pieces we like that are pretty, challenging and ones we don't get a chance to do during the regular season,'' she said.

The group's upcoming finale will include pieces by GeorgeHandel, Peter Tchaikovsky and Franz Haydn. It will also perform an original jazz composition by Peter Fuchs, one of three conductors taking turns at the podium.

Fuchs conducts two orchestras in-season -- the Sy Sugar Pops in Coral Springs and Hallandale Symphonic Pops in Hallandale Beach. The others are Clark McAlister, a conductor with the Century Village East Symphony Orchestra in Deerfield Beach and Sunrise Symphonic Pops in Sunrise, and Keith Miller, music minister at the First Church of Coral Springs.

``We've been able to get some excellent musicians,'' said Stuart Wardlaw, a cellist from Fort Lauderdale.

Wardlaw has been performing for the past 32 years with the Broward Symphony Orchestra. This is his third summer with New River. It's a labor of love, he said.

But there are limits.

``There's a lot of musicians who have been asking to come join us,'' Wardlaw said. ```Unfortunately, there's not enough space on the stage.''

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