Classical Music Selection played on Feb 25, 2012 ...

Click right here for the first 15 minutes of our concert at The Jacaranda Library in Venice, Fl

CLASSICAL MUSIC SELECTION
at
The Venice Jacaranda Library

February 25, 2012 at 2 pm

Part 1

Air #11 - (Handel)

Cambria - (arr. L.V. Metcalf)

Two Minuets - (Rameau)

Ode To Joy - (Ludwig van Beethoven)

Part 2

Symphonic Miniature - (F. Heilmann)

Plucky Fellow - (F. Metcalf)

Bouree in F  - (Babell)

Simple Gifts - (Shaker Hymn - arr. by Heilmann

Publ. by - Elder Joseph Brakett)

Part 3

Theme and Variations (Metcalf)

Rondeau - (Jean Joseph Mouret)

Keitele - (Kyllonen)

Highlights from "The Sound of Music"

(Rodgers/Hammerstein - arr. Bruce Chase)  
           

               

WORDS AND MUSIC GO HAND IN HAND

The Venice Jacaranda Library is a treasure-house of knowledge and an asset to the Community.  It is a place of learning and entertainment, a gathering place for culture, literary, artistic and musical, and a good companion for their patrons, regardless of their circumstances.  The same can be said about good music at any time. With the Venice Jacaranda Library as its gathering place, the Venice Community Orchestra comes together to make music and bring joy, entertainment and culture to all members of the Venice Community, players and audience alike. Beginning early this year the Jacaranda Library has been hosting us in the “Meeting Room” right here where we conducted our weekly rehearsals in anticipation of today’s concert. Since our humble beginnings this is the first time we’re performing in front of an audience in a public venue. We would like to extend our invitation to all our guests and patrons of the library to drop by during our open-door rehearsals on any Saturday morning and enjoy some casual music making.

The Venice Community Orchestra is open to musicians of all levels, without audition.

CONTACTS & INFORMATION

VCOinformation@comcast.net

VeniceCommunityOrchestra.blogspot.com

Special Thanks...

There are many facets in the life of a young orchestra and they all need a lot of attention.  During the last few months a few of us spent a lot of energy on developing and running the orchestra various activities. To name a few: attracting new members, coaching the orchestra in playing together, promoting the orchestra, selecting and donating music to play, finding a new home for rehearsals, planning a performance, and designing and printing programs.

The orchestra as a whole is indebted to all our musicians for contributing their time, talent and enthusiasm. However, special thanks is due to Beverly Anders, violist, who opened her extensive music library and provided us with beautiful sheet music to perform; Karen Tuttle, music teacher, who not only provided us with sheet music but gave of her time and expertise in helping organize the orchestra and attract players; Lauren Allegri, wind player, who tirelessly transposed string music for woodwinds and thereby added a full dimension to our orchestral sound and created the opportunity for wind players to join in our fun; the management and staff of the Jacaranda Library, who donated this wonderful rehearsal and performance space and put up with our cacophony during some of our less than tuneful rehearsals. 

My Sunday presentation to the JCV Men's Club...

Last weekend I was invited by Marty Himmelfarb - Violin, who is also President of the Jewish Congregation of Venice Men's Club to make a presentation on the Venice Community Orchestra. Here is the essence of my presentation.

HOW THE VENICE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA CAME ABOUT

Thank you Marty for your invitation to talk to the JCV Men’s Club, I am humbled but thrilled to be here to talk about the VCO.

When Marty’s asked me if I could talk about the VCO, my immediate reaction was  “What am I going to share with an audience who I know has a very rich and interesting work & life experience?” Seriously…. What does someone who’s picked up the cello some 3 1/2 years ago and assembled  20 musicians to play together can share with you? 

It didn’t take me long though to decide that it is something I must do if I am serious about this project; and I am very serious about it while I also have fun developing it. I will first describe our orchestra then gladly take your questions and conclude with a few lessons learned. Before we get into it, any amateur musician in the audience? Let’s chat at the end of my presentation…

The VCO’s goal is to provide a forum where musicians of all levels can play together while building bridges with the Venice Community, and that is precisely the reason I’m thrilled to share this story with you today.

We started the VCO in May 2011 with a harpist, a flutist and myself. By the end of October 2011 we had 25 musicians on board! Quite a few had joined us from The Venice Symphony orchestra & the Sarasota Pops just for the summer while their orchestras are inactive. We look forward to having them rejoin sometime in May since we are the only orchestra in the area practicing 12 months a year.

Today we have 22 members composed of young adults to senior amateurs, retired or active professional. We play and rehearse once a week at the Jacaranda library under the direction of a qualified coach/conductor. We play classical and traditional music; so far we’ve performed three times at the Good Shepherd Church who was hosting us during 2011. We are looking forward to our fourth public performance at the Jacaranda library on February 25 at 2 pm. Sometime this year we will start exploring the possibility of playing Mendelson 9^th String Concerto in C Minor.

You’re probably wondering how did this come about?

I started to learn how to play the cello in 2008 and for a long time travelled back an forth once or twice a week from home in Venice to Sarasota for cello lessons or to play with a Sarasota based amateur orchestra. In September 2010 I attended a 4-day music camp in Atlanta and as I was wining about my travel issue with a fellow camper, she suddenly said to me: “Why don’t you start an orchestra in Venice near your home!” Yeah right… in Venice …

At the end of the camp my cello and I had a 9 hrs drive from Atlanta to Venice. I loaded my CD player with music and suddenly my wheels started to turn. How do I start this? Is it realistic? What do I need to launch this project? 

Intuitively I postulated that one needs to be an accomplished musician with a recognizable name to build an orchestra. That was my first mistake….

I knew that there was no amateur string orchestra within a 25-mile radius and decided to investigate. I called about 8 music teachers in the area, some of them symphony orchestra musicians as well as a couple of Florida based orchestra conductors to discuss my project. The more I talked the more I became convinced that the project would be viable for Venice.

Now I needed a place to practice, a conductor and like any other small business start-up, I need to move fast in recruiting musicians to start create momentum and keep building from there.

Here again I approached a couple of schools and various churches until I met a younger priest from the Good Shepherd church on Center Rd in Venice who was interested to help in exchange for the occasional play at the church. GS also had a Choir Master/Organist who graciously volunteered to help us out. I had a home to practice and a coach/conductor who has now become a friend! All I needed to do was to cycle back with the contacts I had developed along the way and run a few ads in our local papers. The rest is history…. 


In January this year we moved to the Jacaranda library where you can join us or hear us rehearse every Saturday from 10 am to Noon.


In retrospect, the rewards are by far more than expected. I don’t know who gets more out this project, me or the musicians, but I strongly suspect it's me.

Thank you for your time and attention; I’ll be happy to take any question you might have.

The music we will play in 2012 ...

      Every now and then a new musician will join us, so posting the music we play makes it real easy for anyone to check if their inventory of music is complete. Please note that 5 of the pieces we will play during 2012 are carried forward from 2011.

A.  MOSTLY TRADITIONAL 

1.  Danny Boy – Londonderry Air
2.   Dona Nobi Pacem – W. A. Mozart (2011)
3.   Lara’s Theme From Doctor Zhivago – Maurice Jarre
4.   Lean on Me – Bill Withers (2011)
5.   Simple Gifts - Shaker Hymn (2011)
6.   Star Spangled Banner – Francis Scott Key
7.   Symphonic Miniature (2011)
8.   William Tell Overture – G. Rossini (2011)
9.   Your Raise Me Up – Brendan Graham (2011)

     B.  SYMPHONIC & CONCERTOS

1.   Brook Green Suite – Gustav Holt
2.   Concerto In D Minor – J.S. Bach
3.   Mendelson Simfonia No. 9

     C.  COMPILATIONS

1.   Brentwood String Orchestra Folio – 16 Pieces
2.   Rodgers & Hammerstein String Colors – 14 Pieces
3.   String Colors – 14 Pieces

Most current activities ...

Last Saturday we started rehearsing at the Jacaranda library. By all accounts it was well received by our membership, the library staff and a few library users who happen to be there on that day. Most importantly while we continue to have fun, we started to create awareness with library users and I have already received a couple of inquiries regarding the possibility of library guests joining us.

We decided to postpone our Feb 5 performance at the Old Venice Train Station Depot and focus our rehearsals on our planned Feb 25 first performance at the Jacaranda library. The library administration will take it upon themselves to promote the event. I understand that Angela will soon suggest our Feb 25 tentative program. 

Most recently, a member of the Venice Concert Band who played with us during the Christmas concert decided to join us for weekly play. She understands that we are not rich with wind instrument music but that didn’t deter Lauren Allegri from joining us next Saturday. Being techno savvy, she will take it upon herself to transpose string music for her bass clarinet and possibly for other wind instruments she will invite to join us. Something tells me that this might be the starting point in adding a few wind instruments to the VCO. 

There are loads of articles on seating arrangements for small orchestra’s on the internet. I reviewed some of them and circulated a schematic with a proposed new seating arrangement; as usual better ideas are always welcome.

Chritmas 2012 concert in pictures....

With a click right on this sentence you can review some 30 pictures I recently uploaded on our Facebook page. The pictures were taken by Garry Gutterman, a good friend of the orchestra. Thank you Gary for spending Sunday morning with us!

The VCO at the Jacaranda Venice Library ...

We recently decided to move to the Jacaranda Venice Library. That was a difficult decision, but after a lot of thinking and listening to our members we decided that it was the best course of action. Some of the elements that came into play are related to the challenge of night driving for some of our members, the loss of some of our high school musicians who prefer rehearsing during the weekend, the growth of our membership and the benefits of increased exposure to the Venice community by rehearsing during one of the busiest days at the library.

I look at this move as a very timely opportunity. Our weekly presence in the library will fit perfectly with the objective of building bridges with the Venice community. Of course, we will continue to maintain the relationship we have with the GS community who gave us a home to rehearse and play during 2011. 

Beginning Saturday January 7th we will rehearse weekly from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Jacaranda library. This will give us the opportunity to increase our presence in the community during 2012.

We come together to play music; we play music to come together...

I am in the process of compiling a short bio on each of our musicians. In her bio, McLaren Davies sums up her experience with the Venice Community Orchestra by the following sentence - We come together to play music; we play music to come together. To say the least, I am captivated by her thoughtful message.

I think that McLaren captured the essence of our purpose and summed it up very nicely. From now on, I will use this sentence as a tag line for the VCO to better convey who we are. I'd love to hear my fellow musicians reaction to this post.

The VCO Official 2011 Picture ...

Photo by Al Churilla 

Our first public performance ...

Yesterday was the first time we played in front of an audience. This was a big milestone for us. We took that opportunity to thank Good Shepherd's parishioners for hosting us during our weekly rehearsals and introduced the orchestra. We played AIR No 11 by Handle. If you want to hear us please click below.
Click here to hear us play

                             Click on the link above this picture to hear us play                           Photo by Al Churilla

The Coach and I after our first public performance...

   Can't thank enough our Coach for her talent and friendship               Photo by Al Churilla

A visit to Venice High string orchestra

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to visit Venice High school. I attended a string orchestra class led by Ms. Iras Roback their music teacher. Ms. Roback was gracious enough to invite me to hear her 30 students play and take advantage of my visit to promote the VCO. The students were just back from their summer vacation, yet their play was wonderful! I can't wait to revisit in a few months for one of their concerts.

I thought that the students are very fortunate to have the opportunity to play five days a week with such a great coach! I wished I had the same opportunity!

I brought along and distributed a VCO promo flyer to the entire class and let them know that we would be delighted to welcome VHS musicians on Thursday rehearsals. Hopefully a couple of Ms. Roback's students will decide to join us soon.

Surprise visit during rehearsal...

Last week, a photographer from the Herald Tribune surprised us with a visit while we were rehearsing. Click here to see some of the pictures he shot. As always, besides making good music, we're having a ball!

Photo by Herald Tribune

"Ambassador Program" for students... why?

To put things in perspective, the VCO is about attracting musicians of all levels.  Some local high schools have wonderful music programs and students who might be interested in joining an orchestra. Luckily, with the help of local music teachers, a couple of students have recently joined us.

Recently, we put in place an "Ambassador Program". It should help attract more students and build a bridge between the schools and the VCO. Most importantly it can put the student in a leadership position in his/her school and help build his/her Resume. To qualify, the student needs to attend three consecutive practice sessions and show an interest in helping the orchestra grow.

Many moons ago, a teenage student's Resume showed her work experience with an organization keen on attracting other students - the good old days. She also showed on her Resume that thanks to her good work, she was appointed an Ambassador to help her attract more students to that organization.

The following summer, when jobs were much tougher to get - sounds familiar? - her Ambassadorship appointment was discussed during an interview and helped in getting her the job she had hoped for. How do I know that? The name of the student who shared this story with me is Lori Mabardi, my daughter.

The Venice Community Orchestra “of”, “for” or “at” the Good Shepherd Church?

The difference between “of”, “for” or “at” came to light when we decided to secure ownership of the orchestra’s name by registering it with the Division of Corporations of Florida. Sounds like a trivial question, but it took some reflection before deciding to replace “of” by “at”. Our pause had nothing to do with music, it was all about conveying the correct message.

During a recent casual conversation with Fr. Jon, Rector of Good Shepherd, it became clear that the preposition “of”, may unintentionally convey the impression that the orchestra belongs to GS.  As discussed in earlier posts, the orchestra has indeed a special relationship with GS, but it really belongs to the musicians.

Next question was: If not “of” what is the most appropriate preposition? “For” was discussed but quickly dismissed as it conveys an exclusive relationship between VCO and GS. Part of our goal is to build relationships with the Venice community and various local entities while maintaining the special relationship we have with GS; but “for” did not reflect that broader intent.

What about “at” the Good Shepherd?

We are hosted by GS and we practice our music there, it is our homebase. It seemed perfectly logical to conclude that “at” is the better choice among the three prepositions. It rightly conveys that GS is in fact where you can find us practice weekly in Venice. Hence we became “The Venice Community Orchestra” at the Good Shepherd Church, a minute but important name change that will convey the correct message.

I now have a better answer to a question that keeps popping up...

At almost every opportunity I have to describe the orchestra, I am asked the question: What's the typical experience of musicians joining the VCO? Or, what level of music difficulty do you play; which eventually leads to visiting the membership make-up. My typical answer was something like: Our musician's experience vary from beginner to professional level player.

Most recently a colleague musician lent me an article on amateurs' sight reading orchestras written by Dr. Robert Mueller, a music teacher from the University of Arkansas. Muller subdivides the membership of his orchestra in four categories. I took the liberty of tweaking his definition and break it into five categories to better describe our membership. Now I can give a more articulate answer to the question.

Essentially, our members have one of the following profiles:

• The beginner who can learn by sitting next to better players who pulls them along to a higher level of playing;
• The invertebrate amateur who simply likes to play;
• The more mature player who once played well and desire to maintain their skills;
• The younger musician who aspires to become a pro musician, and;
• The pro who simply likes to play while helping others in reaching higher levels of playing.

I think that's a much better description of our membership than the one I used to give.

The growing pains of attracting wind instruments talent…

Selecting sheet music to play during our formative phase is not a simple mater. If our objective is to become a “Full” orchestra, the music should include most parts of a full orchestra. Yet I am discovering that wind instrumentalists are rare to find in Venice. I recently consulted with a Florida based well know conductor who confirmed that amateur wind instrumentalists who live in smaller communities tend to join bands rather than orchestras; a fact I can’t ignore.

The music written for a “Full” orchestra will sound thin without flutes, trumpets, trombones, or saxophones. One would think that the obvious solution is to start building the orchestra as a “String orchestra”. Yet, you never know when a brass or woodwind player will call to join you. Without wind parts to show, we will not be able to attract wind instrumentalists.

We are facing a chicken and egg challenge.

A simpler approach to gradually transition from a string to a full orchestra is to build a repertoire based on series of music compilations published in individual booklets for each instrument; typically 8 to 12 pieces of music per booklet.

These series are intended for like or mixed instruments and work for any size group or combination of instruments. They are generally available for strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion.

The orchestra can start as a smaller ensemble like a string quartet and add parts as new instruments join in. This approach is significantly less onerous than starting with string orchestral pieces to be replaced by full orchestral ones as the group matures and transitions into a full orchestra.

Examples of compilations include:

• Classical Quartets for All from the Baroque to the 20^th Century;
• Movie Favorites;
• Broadway Favorites;
• Movie Quartets for All;
• Quartets for All;
• Pop Quartets for All.

The VCO will consider that approach as a way of attracting wind instrumentalists while containing the cost of new music.

Early positive signs are starting to appear...

We had an eventful and great practice time today. The two spectators who happened to pass by the main hall and a gentleman who came to inquire about us, grabbed a seat, formed our impromptu audience and enjoyed listening to our music. One might disagree with me, but I draw that conclusion based on the fact that they stayed around for the full 90 minutes! One of them mentioned that she could not understand how we sounded so good just after a few weeks of practice. 
To my friends who say "Who wants to hear an amateur orchestra" I say: Come and check us out on Thursdays, you might even decide to stick around!
The amateur violinist who came to check us out sounded a bit discouraged by what he described as the "great" level of our play. How does one balance attracting amateur musicians of all level without intimidating them by our rising level of play? And that is my question of the day. I don't have the answer except that I'll follow-up and encourage him to join.

The music we play...

We are frequently asked about the list of music we play by prospective musicians or by our musicians wanting to confirm that their music is current. Posting the information on line makes it easier to share.

1.       Air #11 - Handel

2.       Arioso - Bach

3.       Bourree from Water Music Handel

4.       Canon - Pachelbel

5.       Corrente - Corelli

6.       Dona Nobis Pacem - Mozart

7.       Greensleeves

8.       Largo from Four Seasons - Vivaldi

9.       Lean on Me - Bill Withers

10.   Ode to Joy - Beethoven

11.   Psalm XVIII - Marcello

12.   Rondeau - Mouret

13.   Salute to the Lady ( Patriotic medley)            

14.   Simple gifts - Shaker Hymn

15.   Symphonic Miniature - Heilmann

16.   Where’er You Walk - Handel

17.   William Tell Overture - Rossini

18.   You Raise Me Up - Graham & Loveland

19.   Classical Contours - Frost

We will update our list of music as we acquire and play new pieces.

Looking back while planning ahead….

The beginning of August will mark the third month of our coming together as a young and ambitious orchestra. A lot has happened in a very short time; here is a review of the recent milestones:

• We are now fifteen accomplished and intermediate level musicians. I am thankful to all for sharing your precious talent and contributing to our weekly practice and play;
• We are building a repertoire of some nineteen orchestral classical pieces;
• Seven orchestral pieces have been donated to the orchestra;
• Our coach/conductor has taken charge and organized our music library;
• We are learning to play together while having lots of fun doing it!
• We are planning to play a couple of pieces during a Sunday service in September and a few more during November;
• Subsets of our musicians wanting to play chamber music are beginning to form; please keep us informed of your progress;
• Upon deciding to join us, a pianist has donated an electric piano to GS for the enjoyment of all; we are thankful for her donation to GS but most importantly for her talent.

Looking ahead, our objective is to grow our complement to 25 musicians by Q1 2012. We will maintain our recruiting effort and keep updating a few snowbird musicians who have already expressed a strong interest in joining us.

We are starting to create an awareness about our existence and to establish key contacts in the Venice community. With time, thanks to a growing reputation we will be able to attract more talent and share it with our community.

I welcome our musicians and friends’ feedback, ideas and help in continuing to build the VCO.