Ivy Tech Auditorium Theater will be the stage for some exciting musical drama on Friday October 5th. South Shore Orchestra will bring you a bit of Halloween spirit with visions of “dancing skeletons” in Dance Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens. Then some melodic sounds complementing the unusual viola da gamba played by soloist Phillip Serna in the US premiere of Rudolph Dolmetsch’s Concertino for Viola da Gamba and Small Orchestra. And finally the gorgeous and exuberant Beethoven Siebente Symphonie (7th Symphony) to cap off an evening of memorably fine music brought to you by an exciting, and exuberant group of musicians--members of SSO--Valparaiso’s own community orchestra!
Troy Webdell, founder and maestro of South Shore Orchestra, shared with musicians the story of Dance Macabre as it unfolds. According to French superstition, death appears at midnight and summons a host of skeletons from their graves to dance while he plays his fiddle until the rooster crows at dawn. Saint-Saens’s music possesses the playful turned to more foreboding as the key changes and we imagine more ghostly possibilities of the midnight dance. This music will delightfully treat the audience with a jumpstart on the ghouls, goblins and festive trick or treaters soon to arrive on your doorstep.
Phillip W. Serna is an accomplished musician with an unusual looking and sounding instrument. As guest soloist for this performance he is deeply honored to be able to partner with Troy Webdell and the South Shore Orchestra to premiere Rudolph Dolmetsch’s Concertino for Viola da Gamba and Small Orchestra (1941). This piece is among the earliest solo works written during the modern Early Music revival, and quite significant as it came directly from the Dolmetsch family who has been most significant in the resurrection of the viol as instrument. They have also crafted the instrument for generations. The family is excited to have this piece now debuted in this country by Dr. Serna. Phillip appears as a recitalist and as an orchestral concert soloist. performing old and new works for viol. In addition to teaching privately in the greater Chicago-area, Phillip is instructor of double bass and viola da gamba at Valparaiso University. Rudolph Dolmetsch (1906-1942) completed this Concertino April 21, 1941 at Elbridge Gun Site, Chichester, a year before drowning at sea when his ship Ceramic was torpedoed off the Azores.
In South Shore Orchestra’s eighth year, they continue to celebrate their short but significant history with music and concerts that fit the theme of REFLECTIONS. Musician Kathleen Brannen recalled that the first concert SSO ever performed, the group chose Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, memorable as it was the first symphonie Beethoven composed after he was entirely deaf. She said, “Troy Webdell had to choose the parts wisely, as the group’s size was modest, more like a chamber orchestra.” SSO President Pete Brannen continued, “Then they played it with one bass, a few strings and one horn, but with passion and skill.”
Now, on October 5th, SSO will perform with a full orchestra of 60 plus--and three bass, four horns and multiple strings!--with reflection and love for this beloved piece as well as the unique and special group of musicians who have bonded together to orchestrate a musical community. You will not want to miss this performance of Beethoven’s 7th--it is indeed gorgeous and exuberant.
Mark your calendars for Friday, October 5, 7 PM at Ivy Tech Auditorium Theater at 3100 Ivy Tech Drive in Valparaiso. Tickets may be purchased online at SSO’s new website at southshoreorchestra.org, Adults are $15. Students & Seniors $10. Children under 12 FREE. Tickets may also be purchased at the door at 6:30 PM. Contact Pete Brannen at 219-464-7816 or cell 219-916-1013 for any other information regarding the concert or ticket sales.
Also on the upcoming SSO horizon will be their collaborative presentation with the Carnegie Arts Foundation of the Second Annual Unity Concert: Miss Saigon, the Musical. Hundreds of regional performers will stage the popular musical on Friday, November 2, 7 PM at Mondbeck Auditorium at Highland High School.
Tickets will be available online after October 1 at www.brownpapertickets.com
General Admission: $14 in advance, $20 at the door.
Students: $5 (must present valid high school ID)
Premiere Seats: $50 (includes best seats in the house and a special intermission reception with cast and production team members).