The STARS Youth Orchestras will be joining the Sault Symphony Orchestra for an exciting weekend of concerts, on Nov. 13 and 14 at LSSU’s Arts Center. On Friday, the Symphony and the STARS Youth Orchestras will be presenting a children’s concert, featuring Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” to elementary school students from across the Eastern Upper Peninsula, with performances at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
The Soo Theatre currently has two levels of student string orchestras, consisting of the STARS Advanced Orchestra, an established upper-level group that is ‘by audition only’ and the STARS Youth Orchestra, our newer group for younger or less-experienced players. These student musicians will be playing with the Symphony in front of their own school mates, many of whom will be in the audience.
The Advanced Orchestra will be joining the symphony for the entire presentation, playing the iconic ‘1812 Overture’ by Tchaikovsky as well as “Peter and the Wolf”. The STARS Youth Orchestras will then take the stage on their own, joining the Advanced group to present a humorous piece, the “Shoe Symphony”, by John Camponegro, and demonstrating to the student audiences that stringed instruments can be played by children as well as adults.
“Peter and the Wolf” is a narrated story with orchestra, with each character in the story represented by a specific instrument or group of instruments from the orchestra. Every time the character is active in the narrated story, his or her theme song is played behind the narration, which serves to teach the audience about the instruments of the orchestra. Peter, for example, is represented by the string section of the orchestra; the wolf is portrayed by French horns and the Grandfather by the bassoon. The students will enjoy an opportunity to see and hear a live orchestra in a fun venue, and some will even see their classmates on the stage.
On Saturday, November 14, the Symphony shifts gears, and will be presenting an exciting program for the public featuring violin virtuoso Wei Wei Le as soloist. The concert, also in the Arts Center Auditorium, at 8 p.m., will include Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy” and Sarasate’s “Carmen Fantasy” as well as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. Some members of the STARS Advanced Orchestra are already Sault Symphony members, and will be participating in the entire program, but the rest of the Advanced Youth Orchestra will be joining the symphony for Tchaikovsky’s “Andante Cantabile”.
This collaboration across the levels seeks to encourage all who study music, or who wish to. Every accomplished player was once a beginner, and by playing music together, we can celebrate the journey that every musician makes. In this format, we will see early learner to advanced mature player, all making music together.
The STARS Advanced Orchestra is in its 11th Season, and has been under the direction of Dottie Case, who will also be performing with the Symphony. Maggie Twining, cellist and the newest member of the STARS string faculty, is the director of the Youth Orchestra. The Soo Theatre has a growing strings program, with three private teachers (Case, Twining and Benjamin Gulder) and performing groups for children and adults of all ages. If you want to join the fun and are age 3-90, please contact the Soo Theatre at 906 632-1930. And don’t miss this great and inspiring concert. Tickets will be available for Saturday’s concert at the door.
