Last Saturday night's concert, Halloween Howl, featuring the combined groups of the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra, wasn't exactly typical. For one thing, a pint-sized skeleton stalked the halls of Chatelech Secondary School, a clown and Mother Nature were seen carrying musical instruments into the theatre, orchestra director Gordon Catherwood was dressed as a middle eastern potentate, and there were enough witches and warlocks on stage to fill Harry Potter's Hogwarts. The costumes, the laughter and the sense of fun bubbled over into the performance during a brief but well-rounded concert.
The orchestra association, now in its 13th year, is primarily about fun Ñ and musical education, says founder and director Jane Whiteley. Most of the children who are involved also take private lessons from various music teachers, she says, but it's absolutely critical that they have an opportunity for ensemble playing. Often, adults who learned a musical instrument as a child decide to return to music later in life by playing with the orchestra. This wide range of ages makes for an interesting show: all sizes of musicians, short and tall, young and old, sit together during performances. Membership in the component bands and orchestras varies from year to year, but about 50 musicians were on stage when the Introductory Orchestra led by Heather Beckmyer and the Intermediate Orchestra under Michelle Bruce joined with the Suncoast Concert Band led by Lyle Carter to present their grand finale in the Coast Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Joe Hatherill.
In keeping with the Halloween theme, the selection of music was more macabre than usual. The concert band presented a Funeral March by Frederic Chopin, though as Carter noted, the dolorous sounds covered quite a nice melody. The Coast Symphony Orchestra presented March to the Scaffold by Hector Berlioz Ñ not the most lighthearted piece of music. The mood picked up with a more dramatic piece, Bacchanale, by Camille Saint Saens during which the orchestra was joined by students from Penny Hudson's Danceworks Academy who performed a high energy scene from Samson and Delilah, complete with thrilling lifts and flourishes. The dancers, Jenny Cottrell, Haley Vanstrepen, Frankie Cottrell, Charlie Cottrell, Shantaya Erb and guest dancer from Ontario, Emily Harris, returned to the stage for the final piece, Lord of the Dance, dancing while orchestra members delivered a stellar version of Ronan Hardiman's familiar music.
This concert also marked the first occasion to use the new, huge, timpani drums purchased with grant funding from the Lotteries Corporation, and they added a thrumming foundation note to the music.
Whiteley is amazed at how the orchestra has grown. She recalls the first few sessions when about 15 string musicians, mostly students of Michelle Bruce, met to play together. Many of the young people who joined the orchestra have continued with a musical career: such students as the Andrews brothers, Danny Hart, Maureen and Peter Jones and Erin Macdonald. The orchestra is open to all; the only requirement is that potential members must play an instrument.
The musicians will be on stage again this weekend at the Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. along with the West Vancouver Concert Band and the Suncoast Concert Band. This afternoon band fest costs $8 for adults and students, $5 for seniors and under five years old. Tickets are available at the door.
