The first thing I did when I read about the Side-by-Side
concert at the RPO was forward the information to fellow Concentus-singer, and
oboist, Johanna, who was probably too busy with her day-to-day life to apply.
The second thing I did was call to get tickets (which were free, with a
suggested donation). This is
exactly the sort of creative community outreach that is needed to increase
awareness of the orchestra, and to encourage amateur musicians, young and old,
to participate in music as a passion, if not a profession.
Charlie Owens, the President & CEO of the RPO,
introduced the performance, as the first of what he hoped would be many
Side-by-Side concerts. Of the
roughly 200 applicants, 115 musicians were selected (mostly from the
Rochester/Buffalo/Syracuse area).
Deputy Mayor Leonard Redon, who represented the city of Rochester (which
must have underwritten part of the performance, to allow the tickets to be
free), reiterated Charlie’s hope of making this an annual event. He reminded us that there is a lot of
musical talent in our area, and this provides a great opportunity for those
selected to perform with our cultural treasure.
The balcony was cordoned off, and the mezzanine was pretty
full, so my friend Gwen and I found seats in the orchestra near a group of
family/friends of one of the community bassists. They were very excited to hear their dad/uncle/friend play,
and listened attentively. Interestingly, the concert began with three largely
unfamiliar pieces performed solely by the RPO (it probably would have been too
daunting for the non-professionals to learn a full concert’s worth of music in
the limited rehearsal time). There
was a refreshing air of informality, and it was delightful to see some of the
more expressive violinists smiling and clearly enjoying the Waltz movement of
Khachaturian’s Masquerade. Paul Shewan, the conductor, even
tolerated and acknowledged the applause after each movement.
After the intermission, Gwen lured me to the forbidden
balcony, so we would have a better view of the stage. The first group of community members joined the orchestra
for two pieces, and none of them looked nervous. The 100+ musicians created a wonderful full sound
that resonated in the hall. They
didn’t get the kind of standing ovation that the second group did, for no
reason other than the logistics of trading places. (Perhaps next time, they
might have just the community members stand for acknowledgement.) I only recognized one name on the
program – Mona Seghatoleslami (violist, and WXXI classical radio host), but of
course Gwen recognized several, and even had a chance to chat with one after
the performance (the first group had joined us in the balcony).
I always wished I could play an instrument, but mostly in
that way you wish to excel at something you’re not actually willing to work
at… I took enough piano and organ
lessons as a child to understand that I didn’t have any of the characteristics
required even to make an instrument a hobby. So I’ve always admired the talent, commitment, and
versatility of professional musicians (because many of them are proficient in
more than one instrument). I’m
equally in awe of those who have chosen more ‘practical’ professions, but who
harbor hidden talents. What a
thrill it must be for them to have this chance to share the stage with the RPO,
and to bask in an audience’s applause. I predict that next year, there will be
even more applicants, and the audience size wouldn’t be diminished if there
were a nominal ticket charge!
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