The first concert happened last week. We were part of the Grand Re-Opening of the Chandler Center for the Arts. CCA is doing many performances to celebrate their re-opening. This concert had lots of pieces to it and LeDawn, our president, put it all together. The audience seemed to love it. The concert was a fun but fuzzy affair for me because I was enduring the peak of my cold. I used almost all my energy to focus on playing the music.
I arrived to dress rehearsal a few minutes later than I wanted to because almost everyone was on the stage and the tuning A was being given. I got to my place and saw men marching back and forth in the front of the stage. They were wearing Revolution uniforms. It was a bit surreal to be playing other pieces and have these men marching back and forth, some with bayonets. This concert had a Master of Ceremony – Trinity Donovan, the Sons of the Revolution as the color guard, the children’s choir, a narrator for Lincoln Portrait, and a slide show during the second half. That is a lot going on in an hour and half. Mike, our stage manager and percussion player, did a great job of making it run smoothly. It just meant there was always someone or something going on as the symphony played through our pieces.
We got done with dress rehearsal and the hall was opened to the public. Most of us are already in concert gear but some wear street clothes to dress rehearsal. Those of us in street clothes have to go downstairs and get ready. I usually wear regular clothes so I hurriedly put my dress on while thinking only one thought. Candy! The green room always has candy. This concert had so much delicious candy. There was also a vegetable tray, water, and pencils which was different but added bonus.
I got back on stage and wow, the house is completely full. That is a nice surprise. The concert then starts with the color guard presenting the flags and then we started to play the national anthem. Halfway through, I realized that the audience was singing with us. A bit of patriotic pride swelled in my chest. The children choir came on stage soon after and performed really well. Most of the children wore white with bright red which was so cute.
The narrator of the Lincoln Portrait read it differently than he had ever done before. His deep voice rose and fell depending on the mood. He ended with dramatic passion. It was a brilliant surprise. After the piece ended, he cheered and raised his arms. The symphony can feel like that after a piece but we put on our stage faces to try to be demure. It was great to see Victor motioning at us, cheering, and just be so excited in front of the audience.
The lights came up in the house. I have this tradition where I wait on stage until my mother comes up and then we walk up to the lobby together. I waited. I went off stage for a moment and others told me my mother had just been there. I went back and I did not see my mom. I decided she went to the lobby without me.
The Chandler Center for the Arts has an art gallery next to the lobby. I always check out the art there first. This time it was mostly depictions of the Grand Canyon and it was fine. It just was not the type of art that I really like. I wandered back to the lobby where there was a volunteer fair going on. All of the organizations in the concert had a booth – the Chandler Symphony Orchestra, the Chandler Children’s Choir, and the Arizona Society Sons of the American Revolution. The other organizations that attended were the Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler Christian Community Center, Boy Scouts, Friends of the Chandler library, Desert Sounds, and a booth for unexpected pregnancy.
AS I wandered the booths, I heard my name. Ah, there was my mother. She put in perspective for me how busy our first concert truly was. My mom came at her usual time and could not find a spot to park. She found some parking across the street. She went for one spot but another woman told my mom that it was her parking spot. My mom moved and then started to walk over to the Chandler Center for the Arts (CCA) with that woman. My mom finds out the woman is the wife to Alex, the associate conductor of CSO. The only reason my mother made it in to the lobby is because she happened to be walking with the right person. My mom did not even get in but had to wait for a sit till the second half. I hope the concerts keep on being well attended, but I do not want people turned away.
My mother and I found her an open seat inside. I went backstage and chatted with the other bassists. Ray invited his group, the Arizona Latino Republican Association. They so enjoyed the first half that they were planning on making it a scheduled event. I always enjoy when musicians increase our audience.
The second half included a slide show as a 9/11 Tribute as we played an Elgar piece. LeDawn made an interesting point where she talked about how her 1st grader has no real understanding of 9/11. I remember that morning quite well. It is weird to know think of people who remember Pearl Harbor or the assassination of JFK while it was just history to me. There are now kids growing up whom history is my life. A six grader that attended said he liked the concert except for the slide show. I wished I had talked to him directly about this because I would like to know why. Someone guessed that is was because it made history more of a reality.
Overall, this concert was a success. I look forward to the next one.
Chandler Symphony blog 