Maple City Chamber Orchestra

December 11 – 3:00pm

October 16, 2011 -  “Sounds of Christmas” will offer joyful music of the season by the Goshen Community Chorale and the Maple City Chamber Orchestra in a joint concert on Sunday, December 11 at 3 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall at Goshen College.  The concert is free and open to the public.

The major work on the program will be a cantata new to the Michiana area, “Christmas Cantata–The Incarnation,” written in 2000 by K. Lee Scott (b. 1950), an American who has become a leading composer of music for the church.

The cantata consists of six movements in a mix of classical and folk styles that show influence by British composers Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Rutter.  Texts come from the Gospel of John and poetry by Charles Wesley, Christina Rossetti and others.

Lee Dengler, choral conductor, says that “the music is at times dramatic and declamatory and other times lyrical and expressive.”

Another major section of the program will include four numbers from the Christmas section of Handel’s “The Messiah,’” including “And the Glory of the Lord,” “For unto Us a Child Is Given,” and “Glory to God.”

Other short, popular works on the program include John Rutter’s “Donkey Carol,” Mack Wilberg’s “I Saw Three Ships,” and Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” and “A Christmas Festival.”

Vocal soloists include Merle Sommers, Allen Peachey, Bob Brenneman, Susan Dengler and Peggy Scherger.  A brass ensemble from the orchestra will accompany the chorus in Daniel Pinkham’s “Christmas Cantata.”

This free concert is made possible, in part, by the Indiana Arts Commission, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The 45-member volunteer orchestra, conducted by Brian Mast, was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology.  The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, obtainable through its website www.mcco-online.org.

The 55-member Goshen Community Chorale was organized in 1982 by Doyle Preheim, then Professor of Music at Goshen College, and incorporated in 1993.  For more information about the chorus contact LeeDengler@comcast.net.

October 16 – 3:00pm

October 16, 2011 – The Maple City Chamber Orchestra will perform two major works for children of all ages on Sunday, October 16, at 3 p.m. in Sauder Hall at Goshen College. The concert is free and open to the public.
This family program, an annual fall event, will include Prokofief’s classic musical tale “Peter and the Wolf” and a new musical suite “Aesop’s Fables.” Both are narrated pieces, with the narrations to be performed by Jay Mast and Sara Klassen, theatre students at Goshen College.

According to Brian Mast, conductor, “This will be the Midwest premiere performance of the “Aesop’s Fables” piece, and by also playing “Peter and the Wolf” we are recreating the program of the premiere performance of “Aesop’s Fables.”

Serge Prokofief (1891-1953) composed both the music and the story of “Peter and the Wolf” in 1936 for a concert in Russia. It has become a standard work for introducing children to both classical music and the instruments of the orchestra.

The story is about Peter, whose carelessness allows a duck to leave a fenced yard and be swallowed by a wolf. With the help of a bird, Peter lassoes the wolf and takes him to a zoo. Each character is played by a different section of the orchestra. For instance, the strings are Peter, the oboe is the Duck, the French horns are the wolf, and the flute is the bird.

“Peter and the Wolf” has been played in concert and recorded countless times; made into animated films, beginning with Disney in 1946; and choreographed as a dance.

“Aesop’s Fables,” which was inspired by “Peter and the Wolf,” is a very new work, having been premiered in Charlottesville, Virginia, in February of 2010.

The five fables from Aesop in the suite are Tortoise and Hare, The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg, The Nightingale and the Labourer, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and The Fox and the Grapes.

The composers are Art Wheeler and Paul Reisler, with narration by Tom Paxton. Reisler is a music educator noted for his Kid Pan Alley project of teaching children in schools to compose and perform their own songs. Paxton is a singer and composer of folk songs who has won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Following the concert, exotic daffodil bulbs from the garden of Steve Shantz, orchestra member, will be for sale in the lobby, to help make possible the orchestra’s free concerts.

The Maple City Orchestra presents four free concerts each year in Sauder Concert Hall. The next concert, a program with the Goshen Community Chorus for the Christmas season, will be Sunday, December 11, at 3 p.m.

The 45-member volunteer orchestra, which relies on individual and corporate financial support, was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology.

The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, obtainable through its website www.mcco-online.org.

May 7 – 7:30pm

May 7, 2011 – In its concert, “Dance into Spring,” on Saturday, May 7, the Maple City Chamber Orchestra will welcome the season with sprightly music by Anton Dvorak, Edvard Grieg and Franz Schubert.  The free concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Hall at Goshen College.

Brian Mast, conductor, says, “I am very excited to end the season with this lively program of music, which is as fun to listen to as it is to play.”

The concert will open with “Slavonic Dance No. 1” by Anton Dvorak (1841-1904), who composed 16 such dances from 1878 to 1886, originally for four hands at the piano.  They were inspired by Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, two of which the orchestra played in its March concert.

Unlike Brahms, who used folk tunes for his dances, Dvorak composed original melodies, although he used the traditional rhythms of Slavic folk music.  “Number 1” is in the “furiant” dance form, featuring fast and brilliant music with surprising, shifting accents.

The second number in the program will be the “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1” by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), which uses four of the many pieces of incidental music that Grieg composed in 1876 for the 40-scene verse drama “Peer Gynt” by his fellow Norwegian Henrik Ibsen.

The four sections are “Morning Mood,” “Ase’s Death,” “Anitra’s Dance” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King.”  This classical music has become a part of popular culture as well, as it has been used in many films (Pied Piper of Hamelin) and television shows (The Simpsons) and reinterpreted by jazz musicians (Duke Ellington) and rock bands (Apocalyptica).

The major work in the concert will be “Symphony Number 3 in D Major” by Franz Schubert (1797-1828).  He composed it in 1815, when he was barely eighteen years old, although it was not known and appreciated until its publication, following his death, in 1840.  The symphony resembles the neo-classical work of Haydn and Mozart, although Schubert’s last symphonies were more romantic, like Beethoven’s.

The symphony is unusual in opening with a short, somber Adagio that is followed by a long, dramatic Allegro section.  Following Allegretto and Menuetto movements, the symphony concludes with a Presto movement, in a vigorous tarantella dance form.

This will be the last concert of the 2010-2011 season for the Maple City Chamber Orchestra, which presents four free concerts a year in Sauder Concert Hall. “This has been a great concert season for the orchestra, which has grown in size over the year,” says Mast.

The 45-member volunteer orchestra relies on individual and corporate financial support.  It was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology.

The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, obtainable through its website www.mcco-online.org.

February 19 – 7:30pm

February 19, 2011 – The warm harmonies of the string sections will dominate the “Winter Romance” concert by the Maple City Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, February 19, at 7:30 p.m.  Conducted by Brian Mast, the free, one-hour program will be performed in Sauder Hall at Goshen College.

The highlight of the program will be a performance by soloist Rebecca Hovan of the “Suite in A Minor for Flute and Strings” by G. P. Telemann (1681-1767).  Hovan will play five dance-like movements from this orchestral suite, a musical form that was the forerunner to the symphony as we know it.

“This is a real treat for me,” said Hovan, “since I have never played it with strings and continuo as Telemann originally intended.  I love the piece for its dramatic beginning and end and the more light-hearted, lilting middle section.”

Hovan, who teaches flute at Goshen College and Indiana University South Bend, is co- author of three “Blocki Flute Method Books” and, as former chair of the Pedagogy Committee of the National Flute Association, helped prepare a number of its publications. She has presented numerous pedagogy workshops for the NFA, colleges and universities, and flute festivals throughout the United States, and she is a Conn-Selmer Artist for Avanti Flutes and Galway Spirit Flutes.

The major work on the program will be “Symphony No. 49” (1768) by Joseph Haydn, for string orchestra with oboes, bassoon and horns.  Its popular name “The Passion” suits its somber opening and minor key, but the name probably derives from 1790 when the symphony was performed during Holy Week in the Northern German city of Schwerin.

Other evidence suggests that the tone of the symphony may, instead, be Haydn’s reflection on a Quaker figure in a popular comedy of 1764 who, although he was an earnest person, was also “good-humored, good-natured, or waggish.”

The program will open with the “Canon in D Major” by Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) for three sections of strings with cello continuo.  Although Pachelbel was a prolific and renowned composer contemporary with Bach, most of his work has been lost.

The Canon was first published in 1919 and first recorded in 1940.  It has since become one of the most popular pieces of classical music, now known as “Pachelbel’s Canon,” frequently played at weddings and on orchestral programs.

The orchestra will perform the final concert of its 2010-11 season on Saturday, May 7.

The Maple City Chamber Orchestra, with 45 members, relies on individual and corporate financial contributions in order to present four free concerts each year.  It was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology. The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, through its website www.mcco-online.org.

December 11 – 7:30pm

December 11, 2010 – A variety of short, tuneful pieces make up the program for the “Christmas Cheer!” concert to be presented by the Maple City Chamber Orchestra on Saturday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall at Goshen College.  Conducted by Brian Mast, the concert will last about an hour and is free of charge.

The most unusual pieces are “Christmas Overture” by S. Coleridge Taylor and “Dance of the Clowns” by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

Taylor (1875-1912) was a promising English composer of African origin who died at the age of 37.  His best known work is the cantata, “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast,” which indicates his interest in the culture of the United States, where he received an enthusiastic welcome when he visited in 1909.  Other neglected works by him have been revived in recent years.  His “Christmas Overture” is based on several familiar carols.

Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Dance of the Clowns” comes from one of his many operas, “The Snow Maiden” (1882), although this orchestration derives from an orchestral suite made from the opera in 1898.  Its driving rhythms reflect Russian folk music, which the composer turned to in his efforts to create a national music style.

Two pieces by Leroy Anderson (1908-1975), the American composer, have become classics in pops concerts at Christmas time.  “The Sleigh Ride” is one of his best known compositions, and “A Christmas Festival” is a skillful medley of Christmas tunes.  Both were composed in the 1950s.

From European baroque classics, the orchestra will perform the overture to Handel’s “The Messiah” (1742) and the meditative “Christmas Symphony” by G. M. Schiassi (1698-1754).

The concert will also include a rousing version of “The Carol of the Bells.”

The Maple City Chamber Orchestra, with 45 members, relies on individual and corporate financial contributions in order to present four free concerts each year.  It was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology. The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, through the Maple City Chamber Orchestra website.

October 17 – 3:00pm

The program for the fall concert by the Maple City Chamber Orchestra on Sunday, October 17, is intended to appeal especially to families with small children.  It will be presented free of charge at 3 p.m. in Sauder Hall at Goshen College.

The orchestra will play two Hungarian Dances by Brahms, “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” by Benjamin Britten, and “The Story of Celeste” by George Kleinsinger.

Brian Mast, conductor, says:

“The Young Person’s Guide” (1946) has become a classic piece in music education for children, since it serves as a lively introduction to the various sections of the orchestra.

Subtitled “Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell,” it begins with each section of the orchestra playing Henry Purcell’s theme, and then again presents each section playing a variation of the theme, beginning with the highest instrument, the piccolo, and ending with the basses and percussion.  The piece concludes, in fortissimo, with an original fugue by Britten.

“The Story of Celeste” is a whimsical musical narration of the plight of Celeste, a forlorn melody who wanders the countryside, searching for someone to play her.   The structure of the piece resembles Britten’s, since Celeste moves from one section of the orchestra to another, until she finally finds her “prince charming” in the cello, which plays her in a haunting solo.

“Celeste” was composed by George Kleinsinger (1914-82), who is best known for his other musical narration, “Tubby, the Tuba,” and many popular Broadway musical tunes and television scores.

The narrations in both the Britten and the Kleinsinger pieces will be performed on October 17 by Scott Hostetler, professor of vocal music at Goshen College.

The program will open with Hungarian Dances No. 5 and No. 6 (1869) by Johannes Brahms, who composed 21 such dances for piano solo.  Various other composers made orchestral arrangements of the dances, which are the versions most often performed today.

The concert will last about one hour, with one intermission.

The Maple City Chamber Orchestra, with 45 members, relies on individual and corporate financial contributions in order to present four free concerts each year.  It was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology. The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, through its website.

Dates set for 2010 – 2011 season

Brian Mast and the Maple City Chamber Orchestra invite you to our 2010 – 2011 concert series.

The Maple City Chamber Orchestra is a growing community of volunteer musicians. We share our love of music with the broader community by performing quality concerts free of charge. We are also dedicated to furthering the artistic growth of our members.

The concert dates are:

3:00pm, Sunday, October 17

7:30pm, Saturday, December 11

7:30pm, Saturday, February 19

7:30pm, Saturday, May 7

May 8 – 7:30pm

In “A Celebration of Spring,” the Maple City Chamber Orchestra will present its first-ever pops concert, free of charge, on Saturday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Hall at Goshen College.

Brian Mast, conductor, says, “A program of classic popular music is good for the orchestra because it takes it outside its usual comfort zone.  And it is good for the audience because it is easy listening and encourages reminiscing about happy moments in the past.”

Half of the program will consist of medleys from the well loved American musical comedies Oklahoma (1943), My Fair Lady (1956) and The Sound of Music (1959).  Their familiar tunes will include “Surrey with a Fringe on Top,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” and “Climb Every Mountain.”

The most “classic” music in the program will appear in a suite arranged from George Gershwin’s tone poem, “An American in Paris,” which premiered with the New York Philharmonic in 1928 and later was used in the film by the same name, starring Gene Kelley and Leslie Caron, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1951.  The bluesy music is intended to capture Gershwin’s experience during his first visit to Paris.  The actual taxi horns used in the first performances are replaced by instrumental effects in the version that the MCCO will play.

The medley “A Tribute to Henry Mancini” honors the music composed by him during his long career, which resulted in 90 albums and in scores for over 100 films and television programs.  “The Pink Panther Theme” comes from the series of eleven films that began in 1963, and “The Peter Gunn Theme” comes from the popular television series that ran from 1958-61.  Mancini won four Academy Awards for music; was nominated 72 times for Grammy awards, winning 20; and was voted a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, following his death in 1994.

In “Themes from 007” fans of the James Bond series, which began in 1962 and has resulted in 22 films, will recognize the popular melodies of “Goldfinger,” “For Your Eyes Only” and “Live and Let Die,” all by different composers and lyricists.  “Live and Let Die,” for instance, was composed by Linda and Paul McCartney of The Beatles.

The medleys may offer an easy listening experience for the audience, but they present unique challenges to players because of their constantly shifting rhythms, keys and tempos.  According to conductor Mast, the program is not a singalong, although he thinks he may hear some humming in the audience.

The 45-member volunteer orchestra, which relies on individual and corporate financial support, presents four free concerts each year.  It was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology. The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, through its website www.mcco-online.org.

February 20 – 7:30pm

Tuneful masterworks by Bach and Haydn will be played by the Maple City Chamber Orchestra in its free concert, “A Midwinter Break,” on Saturday, February 20, at 7:30 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall at Goshen College. The classic pieces are Bach’s “Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor” and string orchestra and Haydn’s “Symphony 104 in D Major,” also known as his “London Symphony,” for full orchestra.

Soloists in the concerto will be Lyn Schlabach Buschert of Goshen, concertmaster of the Goshen orchestra, and Benita Phillips Barber of Union, Michigan, concertmaster of the Elkhart County Symphony. Both Buschert and Barber teach violin and viola in Goshen public schools.

The violin concerto, composed between 1717-23 and usually called the “double” concerto, is regarded as one of the finest Late Baroque compositions. Its middle, Largo movement is especially admired. In recent decades it has become very popular by being included in the Suzuki curriculum for advanced students of the violin.

Haydn composed “Symphony 104,” his final symphony, in 1795 when he lived in London. Although it is the last of twelve symphonies that he composed there, it is the only one known as the “London” symphony.

Buschert, who also plays in the Elkhart County Orchestra, graduated from Goshen College and studied the violin with Lon Sherer of Goshen and Zigmont Gaska of Elkhart. She says, “Benita and I first played the Double Concerto at Ruthmere in Elkhart and now really look forward to presenting it to a larger Goshen audience.”

Barber, a graduate of the Conservatory of the University of Missouri at Kansas City, has played professionally in Chicago and with performers such as Bob Hope, Liberace and Kenny Rogers. She is a member of the Kalamazoo Symphony, plays at Wagon Wheel Theater and earlier performed with the Kansas City, Tulsa and Charlotte symphonies.

With this concert the Maple City Orchestra welcomes back Brian Mast, its conductor since 2002, who was on leave in the fall, pursuing a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

“It was good to be able to step back and focus on my studies for a semester,” said Mast, “but I am very excited to be back making music with this group of musicians. The two works on this concert are masterworks by their respective composers and I think they are as much fun to listen to as they are to perform.”

The Maple City Orchestra presents four free concerts a year in Sauder Concert Hall. The next concert will be Saturday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m.

The 45-member volunteer orchestra, which relies on individual and corporate financial support, was founded in 1996 by Goshen native Michael Ruhling, now associate professor of Fine Arts/Music at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology.

The orchestra offers an e-mail newsletter, obtainable through its website www.mcco-online.org.