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I. Mars, the Bringer of War Click on the title to hear a sample or download. Also, see behind the scenes of our orchestra. This blog was written on Sunday, April 14 the day before the Boston Marathon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected who were at the Marathon on April 15. PREPARING FOR A MARATHON – MUSIC THAT IS by Amy Dennison In Cincinnati if you talk about a marathon in May everyone assumes you are referring to the Flying Pig marathon on May 5. Well, there’s another one, the day before on May 4. And that would be our Cincinnati Communitiy Orchestra concert that will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Church of the Saviour United Methodist. Why is this a music marathon? Like a marathon, we are taking weeks to prepare. We train every Monday and most of us are playing music that challenges us in ways we have never experienced before. We are performing two of the most well known orchestral works from the 20th century – Gustav Holst’s The Planets and Gustav Mahler’s amazing Symphony No. 1. Performing both these pieces on the same concert creaes the aura of a marathon – a 26 miler one at that. We have expanded our orchestra by about 10 musicians to accommodate the expanded colors heard in both of these compositions. The length of the compositions is also challenging. And hardest of all, there are long stretches of playing where you can’t stop and take a breather. Just like a marathon. We also encounter lots dips and swerves in the music that requires very fast fingers, bows and mouths. And then there are passages of long notes at the extreme top of the instruments that require a lot of air, breath support and focus. The concentration required to perform these works is probably the most difficult for most of us. The music is physically and psychologically exhausting. And here’s the kicker: these two compositions are so well known that they are very popular with melodies that are very hummable. So no hiding behind unknown tunes! Does it sound like I’m whining? I think I speak for all the members of the orchestra when I say we are so excited to perform these works that all of us are practicing harder than usual. We can’t wait to share our hard work, enthusiasm and talents for everyone to hear. This is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime for community musicians and all of us are pumped about playing for you on May 4! Amy Dennison is an oboist for the Cincinnati Community Orchestra. You can find her blog at http://www.oboeamy.wordpress.com/. by Amy Dennison
There are standards and preferences for where we sit in the orchestra. The most common orchestra seating is where the violins are on the audience’s left, the viola’s on the right and cellos next to the violas inside. Sometimes, the celli are on the outside, and CCO has used both seatings. The string bass are at the far right.Then behind the strings are the woodwinds in two rows, brass behind the woodwinds and percussion in the far back. This is typical. I remember when the cellos were moved to the inside and took their place right in front of the oboe section where I sit. I love hearing the large dark cello sound. But for this concert, we are moving around and I think you’ll enjoy giving your ears a workout. The reason we are moving around is to accommodate our guest soloists, cello, violin and piano. These talented women, Ellen Shertzer, Larrie Howard and Janelle Gelfand will be performing the Beethoven Triple Concerto. Given the challenges of our performing space, we are using a reconfigured setup for the first half of the concert.
Many audience members have their favorite place to sit and hear a concert. Perhaps it’s right by the basses so they sit on the far right of the hall. Surprise! You’ll see the basses situated on the left side of the orchestra for the first half. And you’ll notice that the 2nd violins are opposite the first violins and the cellos are next to the first violins! The violas are inside next to the 2nd violins. This is to give room for the grand piano to nestle in the limited space we have. The woodwinds are far back and it is a totally new sound for us!
So join us Saturday night for a terrific concert and give yourself an “earobic” workshop that may surprise and hopefully delight you on a cold February evening!
Amy Dennison is an oboist for the Cincinnati Community Orchestra. You can find her blog at http://www.oboeamy.wordpress.com/. Our 3rd concert this year will be on February 23, 2013 featuring soloists Larrie Howard, our own Ellen Shertzer, and Janelle Gelfand! Click on the name of the piece to hear a sample or buy a recording.
 Sye Mischler
Borodin – Prince Igor: Overture
Check out Amy Denison’s blog post about this concert. by Amy Denison You know you’re a committed amateur when you plan your life around your rehearsal schedule. In the Cincinnati Community Orchestra, we all know that Monday evenings from September to May are orchestra nights. We plan our year around these Mondays and try our hardest not to catch a cold over the weekend or plan a late meeting on Monday afternoons that might cause us to miss a rehearsal. What I value most about this orchestra is how we support each other in so many ways, musically and real world living. This concert is an excellent example. Many of our musicians have important solo passages and you’ll get to hear them shine at the concert this Saturday night, December 1st. During rehearsals we have to stop when the soloists are finished so we can applaud them to let them know that we appreciate their contributions to the program. We are not competing against each other, but rather supporting each other when we do really well or with passages that are just a little beyond our capabilities. What we display every Monday night is a shared sense of humanity; we encourage, commiserate, listen and support each other in both our music and other things that pop up – that which we call life. So at the concert you’ll hear the work of seventy plus musicians all playing separately, but not really. We become one large instrument, that which we proudly call the Cincinnati Community Orchestra. Amy Dennison is an oboist for the Cincinnati Community Orchestra. You can find her blog at http://www.oboeamy.wordpress.com/.
And head to Ferrari’s Little Italy for dinner Sunday October 21 or Monday October 22. The CCO gets a generous portion of the proceeds!
In my first blog, I described who we are. So now the musicians are in place, representing all levels, ages, and from careers that encompass most walks of life. So now, what do we play? The music is what we look forward to. Just like in our choices of food, tv shows, books, and sports teams, there are pieces of music that all of us love, and would love to play. Our director listens to us, but ultimately, like the wise father, decides what’s best for the children. Choosing music for a community orchestra is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle – all the pieces must fit to create the total picture. So here’s what has to be considered: Cost: Fortunately, in groups like ours, we have been around for 50 years and have accumulated much music. The cost of music has skyrocketed; so depending on your group’s budget, you may only be able to purchase a piece or two a year. Renting music is astronomical; and often you can only rent it for four weeks; our orchestra has a six week rehearsal schedule for each concert so we have to pay more for rental. But there is a bright note on this: many earlier classical works, particularly Haydn and Mozart, can be downloaded for free on music websites – you’re just paying for the copier printer and paper! Availability: This goes with cost. Some music is simply unavailable, or so costly that it is beyond most community groups budget. This brings up the philosophical question as to why write music if it becomes inaccessible to the player?????? Program design: Concert programs have a flow to them. They are not always the same but there is some schema in mind when the director plans programs. It may slowly rise to the finish, or start with a bang, become reflective and finish with a bang. The compilation of pieces on a program is critical to the enjoyment of the audience. And keep in mind that most community orchestras are not premiering new works. That’s not the main role of a community music ensemble. Playability: Here’s the biggest challenge. Finding a work that’s challenging enough for your professional sounding first trumpet player but that can be tackled by the second violins (not using our orchestra as an example….). Music must always challenge but not defeat the players. And remember, we are a motley crew brought together with a shared love of making music. So when a member suggests Beethoven’s 9th, the director must help the musicians understand why we just can’t tackle that this year. But never underestimate the ability of a community orchestra – we tackled and scored playing Rachmaninoff 2nd last year! We love anticipating what the director will program. The “reveal” involves a lot of happy sighs and a few grimaces… but it’s all good. Amy Dennison is an oboist for the Cincinnati Community Orchestra. You can find her blog at http://www.oboeamy.wordpress.com/. Hello CCO fans and members! I have the pleasure to announce the repertoire for the first two concerts of the 2012-2013 season. You’ll recognize the soloists for the first two concerts… Naoka Tanaka, wife of CCO violinist Sye Mischler, was a soloist with us last year. In the second concert, we’re excited to have Sye Mischler play a solo of his own! Hope to see you all this year. October 20, 2012 (click on the title to hear a sample or download the music)
December 1, 2012
I am privileged to play with an incredible community orchestra here in Cincinnati, a community with a rich musical tradition and a vibrant arts landscape. It is one of the few cities with a professional orchestra, theater, art museum(s), ballet and opera. This love for the arts translates from the professional arena to the amateur arena. I can’t count the number of community theaters (25ish), art schools, dance studios and music schools and ensembles (25+ for youth, 30+choirs, numerous orchestras and bands for adults). There are opportunities to experience the arts as an audience member and an active participant. I hope to share with you the passion, excitement and commitment that those of us involved in amateur arts making experience every time we pick up our instrument, brush or script. We do this because we love to, and our lives just wouldn’t be as rich or satisfying if we didn’t. We don’t do it for the money, yet many of us have trained to be professional artists. Somewhere along the way, we made the decision to make the arts our avocation, not our vocation. We know we blunder, miss notes, and sometimes don’t practice like we ought to. But we play our hearts out, because it is what helps us make sense of the years of training and playing we have done, and are reluctant to say goodbye to what has helped shaped us and complete us. As a professional arts administrator at one of the finest music conservatories in the country, I carve out what little spare time I have to making music. I have three degrees in music and am lucky to have made a living through the arts. Playing the oboe for 40+ years has taken demands on my personal life, but I can’t define myself without my music. Through this blog I hope to share with you the love and work of community artists. There are hundreds of thousands of us in communities all over the country. Know that there are schools out there waiting for your call to get you started on something you approached 30 years ago and then life got in the way. Know that churches and other organizations love to have musicians, artists and other creative types sharing their talents and love. For it is the arts that describe the indescribeable. It feeds our soul and heart like nothing else.
Amy Dennison is an oboist for the Cincinnati Community Orchestra. You can find her blog at http://www.oboeamy.wordpress.com/. |
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Our May concert features four planets and the Mahler First Symphony!
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