MUSIC BEGINS SYMPHONY OPENS 2-CONCERT SEASON SATURDAY NIGHT.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer VALENCIA - The crescendo cres·cen·do n. pl. cres·cen·dos or cres·cen·di 1. Abbr. cr. Music a. A gradual increase, especially in the volume or intensity of sound in a passage. b. that will echo through the valley Saturday night will be one of joyous celebration as a dream comes true for the musicians and volunteers of the Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Symphony. The symphony is launching a two-concert season Saturday at 8 p.m. with an evening of Russian masters, featuring selections from Borodin, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky. Internationally acclaimed pianist Robert Thies will also perform with the symphony. It will be the first classical symphony performance in the new Vital Express Center for the Performing Arts at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. , which symphony members hope will become their home. ``This has been a long time coming,'' said conductor Robert Lawson Robert Lawson may refer to:
adj. 1. Relating to or having the character or form of a symphony. 2. Harmonious in sound. Adj. 1. repertoire.'' Bonnie bon·ny also bon·nie adj. bon·ni·er, bon·ni·est Scots 1. Physically attractive or appealing; pretty. 2. Excellent. Boss, who helped Lawson hand-pick the musicians in the orchestra, said they are excited about the season, concert hall and program, which contains music familiar even to symphony neophytes. ``For this concert, we have 74 musicians, which will sound great, especially on the Tchaikovsky number, which calls for big orchestration orchestration Art of choosing which instruments to use for a given piece of music. The sections of the orchestra historically were separate ensembles: the stringed instruments for indoors, the woodwind instruments for outdoors, the horns for hunting, and trumpets and drums ,'' she said. ``To have that wall of sound coming out, it's going to be great.'' Boss said the dynamics of an orchestra can be challenging because of the professionalism and adaptability required of the musicians. ``They have to immediately start working together,'' she said. ``You could be sitting next to someone you've known for years or someone that is new; that is not a factor for orchestral musicians. You have to be able to put this together right away.'' ``Each orchestra develops its own culture,'' she continued. ``The orchestra responds to how things are run at rehearsals, how they feel about the conductor and what they do. Of course, in our case, the conductor is nice, which isn't always the case. They appreciate that.'' Lawson is a bit nervous about the performance space, having played in concert halls of various configurations. Concerned that the musicians hear each other, he has arranged for an acoustical shell to be placed behind a screen on stage. ``Having 74 professional musicians on stage will make what seems like an intimate auditorium look pretty glamorous,'' he said. ``The sound is going to be absolutely astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. .'' ``Anybody in that auditorium is going to realize that we have something special here,'' he said. ``Those people (in the orchestra) are not only some of the greatest musicians but some of the greatest people in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . We wanted to build a great family that loves music and people and their community. They are embracing this as something that is going to enrich a culture in Santa Clarita.'' ``There will be positive energy coming from all of us out to the audience,'' he continued. ``My intention is to build a great community through the culture of art.'' Although organizers dreamed of a five-concert season, Lawson said logistics and finances caused them to scale down their plans. ``We decided to hold back and open the season with two concerts and work from there,'' Lawson explained. ``Fund-raising is going well. By holding off a little bit, we were able to get ourselves organized and went into full swing.'' Lawson said that many corporate sponsors are in the end of their financial cycles but have expressed interest in participating in next season. He added that the symphony plans on presenting music in a variety of settings, including visual and culinary concerts and visiting the schools to reach out to children. The symphony's second concert, titled The First Viennese School The First Viennese School is a name sometimes given to a collection of classical music composers who wrote in the classical music era in the late eighteenth century in Vienna. These composers include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. , is scheduled April 16, and will include music by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had a powerful influence on the work of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven knew much of Mozart's work, and modeled a number of his own compositions on works of Mozart. In addition, the two may have met briefly in Vienna in 1787. . For information and tickets, call (661) 362-5304. Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock(at)dailynews.com IF YOU GO: What: Santa Clarita Symphony Inaugural 2004-2005 Season Concert ``Russian Masters.'' When: Saturday Where: Vital Express Center for the Performing Arts, College of the Canyons Tickets: $18-$38 Reservations: (661) 362-5304 or www.vitalexpresscenter.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 2) Robert Lawson, director of the Santa Clarita Symphony, will be conducting for the first full season in its new home at College of the Canyons. Right, Lawson leads the orchestra during a rehearsal. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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