Conducted by Peter Isaacson, the Abilene Collegiate Orchestra is a collaboration by the Department of Music at Abilene Christian University and the School of Music at Hardin-Simmons University.  A full symphony orchestra, it performs a minimum of four concerts a year which feature a wide variety of literature from the standard orchestral repertoire.

All students are eligible by audition to participate. Auditions are held at the beginning of each fall semester, and, according to need, at the beginning of spring semesters. Audition materials include solo selections of the student's choice, orchestral excerpts announced and distributed prior to the audition, and sight reading.