KELSEYVILLE >> More than 100 people crowded into the Friendship Hall of the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church last week for an informal Membership Appreciation Concert and dinner presented by the Lake County Symphony Association. As a mid-summer affair, casual dress was the order of the day for the featured chamber orchestra, as well as the audience, with an abundance of Hawaiian shirts and flowered dresses.
The Lake County Chamber Orchestra performed selections by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, J.S. Bach, Acangelo Corelli and William Boyce. Symphony Conductor John Parkinson played a dual role as announcer and conductor, as he took the stage to introduce the selections and provide historical details of interest to music lovers.
The program began with the Boyce Overture in G, featuring horn players Kelsey Vorce and Paul Bullock, and flutist Patricia Jekel and oboist Beth Aiken with string orchestra. Horns and strings were also featured in Mozart’s Divertimento No. 10, allegro. Jekel displayed her talents on a Bach Flute Concerto to resounding applause.
Because the Bach Concerto was composed in three movements in which solo instruments are featured, a number of other players also got the chance to shine, including violinists Jeff Ives, Andi Skelton and Sue Condit along with Paula Mulligan, viola and John Weeks, cello. Skelton,
Ives and Weeks were also featured on the Concerto Grosso Op 6, No. 7 by Corelli; this is a beautiful selection with a ‘Concertante’ or solo group intertwining with the ‘Ripieno’ or orchestra group. Members and guests signaled their delight for the concert, keeping time with wagging heads, and tapping toes and fingers.
Mozart’s familiar ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ (usually translated as ‘A Little Night Music’) was the final selection. This piece, as explained by Parkinson, was considered a more entertaining, lighter type of music, rather than a serious classical piece, and seemed to be as much fun for the performers as the audience.
“I loved it,” said Alison Murray, who came with her husband, Dave, and 10 year old son, John. “It’s good to bring a little culture into your child’s life-AND into Lake County. We had a wonderful time here today.“
There were quite a few young people at the concert and a number of folks came from outside of Lake County.
PJ Rousche, a teen from Healdsburg, got a taste of what might be in his future, saying he had just started learning the saxophone; his sister, Catherine, has played guitar for a while and said she particularly likes to sing in the chorus. They were in town with their mother Rachel, and aunt, Teresa, to hear their grandmother, Judy Mayorga, play viola in the concert. Teresa commented on the performance.
“It was great,” Teresa Rousche said. “It reminded me of the music we used to dance to in ballet class.”
Teresa and Rachel said they are both planning to join the symphony association and want to come to more concerts.
Linda Armstrong, another out- of-towner who attended with her husband, Mike, said, “We are LCSA members and came up from American Canyon for this. They put on such a great show.” Armstrong said they especially enjoyed the day because they got to see her sister and brother-in-law (Jeanine and Austin Ison) play the cello and bass in the orchestra.
The full symphony is now readying for its fall concert (and 40th Anniversary celebration) scheduled for 2pm, November 19th at the Soper-Reese Theatre. Robert Schuman and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky are the featured composers; Ukiah pianist Elizabeth MacDougall is featured in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor. Tickets are available now online at Soper-Reese Theatre.com.
For more information on more upcoming concerts or to become a member of the LCSA, go to www.lakecountysymphonyassociation.org or contact Greg Bushta, Membership Chairman at 707-275-0678.
