Our next show

[Sue U]

One of the orchestras I play with is doing a 4th of July Weekend kick-off concert. This is our guest vocalist:



Should be a fun show.

[Long Run]

Nice. I do not remember seeing you say that you were in an orchestra -- what instrument(s)?

[Sue U]

I play the viola in two local groups, one a "serious" symphony orchestra and the other a "pops" orchestra. Ironically, it's the "serious" symphony that's doing the pops holiday show with Storm Large, while the "pops" orchestra strings are currently rehearsing Bach's Brandenburg 3 and a Corelli concerto grosso.

ETA:

Ordinarily, neither group does summer shows (concert season is Oct-May). But both had their spring concerts canceled last year and we are all just so happy to be playing again.

[Long Run]

we are all just so happy to be playing again.

That is the line of the year, repeated often and everywhere!

btw, Storm Large has been a big deal here for a long time. Quite a story to go with her considerable talent.

[Sue U]

we are all just so happy to be playing again.

That is the line of the year, repeated often and everywhere!

The Philharmonic (serious) was able to book a municipal park amphitheater for a show this past weekend, where we did Beethoven's 6th, Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite #1 and Strauss's "Voices of Spring" Waltz. The July 1 show will be at a former shopping mall now mostly used as municipal government offices (and a very good brew pub!). The Pops is still searching for a venue, but we may have to wait til fall to perform again.

btw, Storm Large has been a big deal here for a long time. Quite a story to go with her considerable talent.

Yes, I know. Have you seen her with any of her bands/theater projects?

[Big RR]

Good to hear you are playing together again, Sue. The corale I sing in has not met in person since Feb 2020, but we have had virtual "rehearsals" (a combination of one on ones with the conductor and group sessions where we were all generally muted and could hear only the accompaniment. We individually recorded the tracks that the conductor is assembling into a virtual concert which will be presented online. We are also planning to start in person rehearsals in the fall. I have also started my job as a section leader with a cathedral choir in northern NL.

Even though it could sometimes be a grind, it amazed me how much I missed it in the last 18 months.

[Burning Petard]

Never watched the tv show in the clip above. But I do like what Storm Large does to the melody of this old standard.

snailgate

[Gob]

"Storm Large", hippy parents perhaps? Great voice, but I'm not into those histrionics.

[Sue U]

"Storm Large", hippy parents perhaps? Great voice, but I'm not into those histrionics.

Well since her birth name is evidently Susan Storm Large, my guess is her parents were Marvel Comics fans. (Wiki say her dad was a high school history teacher.)

[Big RR]

Sue--who is sponsoring your concert so you could get a soloist that well known? We always get excellent soloists (ditto for instrumentalists when we use them), but they are usually people starting out; excellent musicians, but people who will work for a relatively modest fee. But this is someone who has been around for a while and, I imagine, commands a pretty good fee.

[Sue U]

Although we have a broad array of corporate sponsorships and governmental arts grants, our conductor/music director also has a business providing talent representation for various performing artists, and she is one of his clients. We have gotten some amazing soloists to appear "as a favor" to him.

And this is a pretty sophisticated orchestra, despite being "community-based"; many (perhaps most?) members are current or retired professional musicians and music teachers, including some from the Philadelphia Orchestra and other pretty well-known ensembles. Our conductor is based in NYC, but is also well connected (and spends a lot of time) in Berlin.

[Big RR]

Sounds like a good orchestra, and glad to hear you have corporate sponsorships as many of the arts grants are drying up; we are trying to do the same. It's amazing the level of talent you can find when you look for members (in my chorale, i am one of the few members who didn't study music or music education). But it's a job in itself yo get grants and sponsorships.

[Sue U]

Last night's rehearsal (we only get two before this show, and we're playing a lot of tunes!) -- first time we've been back on this stage since March 4, 2020. A number of guest players showed up to play with us, and the trumpets were phenomenal on Bugler's Holiday and Born on the Fourth of July. More guests are coming next week because everyone just wants to play for an audience and this is going to be a party show. (Beer trucks!)

[Bicycle Bill]

Bugler's Holiday!  Love that tune!  Leroy Anderson sure could write 'em.

And thanks to his connections with Arthur "Pops" Fiedler, we got to hear 'em played by a quality orchestra that still remembered how to have a good time while they were playing.

-"BB"-

[Sue U]

Bugler's Holiday!  Love that tune!  Leroy Anderson sure could write 'em.

And thanks to his connections with Arthur "Pops" Fiedler, we got to hear 'em played by a quality orchestra that still remembered how to have a good time while they were playing.

-"BB"-

It wouldn't be Christmas without Sleigh Ride.

[Gob]

Well done you lot!

[Big RR]

[Sue U]

This week we got (most of) the program for the 21-22 season, and assuming no COVID shutdown we'll be opening in October with Dvorak's New World Symphony and the world premier of a concerto for double bass commissioned by our guest artist, Ranaan Meyer, who you may know as the bassist for NPR darlings Time for Three:



I won't see the music for the concerto until September, so I have absolutely no idea what kind of piece it is, since this guy can play everything; I just know it's slated to be 20-25 minutes of the concert program. Can't wait to find out!

[Big RR]

Sounds good; we can only hope things will proceed.

[Gob]

Cracking Sue!