ORCHESTRAS, CHORALE TEAM UP FOR SHOW.

Byline: P. Catherine Shanks Community Columnist

THE Conejo Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Oaks Chorale and the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra will mingle for some merry holiday music Saturday with ``The Sounds of the Season'' show.

The approximately 175 instrumentalists and singers will present a traditional program of expanded proportion this year at 8 p.m. at the Fred Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Under the baton of Conejo Valley Symphony music director Howard Sonstegard, the combined ensemble will perform familiar carols and popular tunes, as well as some lesser-known songs from their seasonal repertoire.

Leroy Anderson favorites, ``Christmas Festival Overture'' and ``Sleigh Ride'' - complete with the expected whinnies and claps - will mark the more traditional moments in the concert. Evolutionary elements of the program will include renditions of Gustav Holst's ``Christmas Day,'' and the Samuel Adler Hanukkah suite ``Feast of Lights.'' The Oaks Chorale will provide listeners with a wide-ranging assortment of ancient to modern international carols.

``There will be something for everyone,'' said Conejo Valley Symphony marketing Chairman Bill Benson. He said the more unusual works were scheduled in order to open the musical evening up to a broader audience.

The message that Christmas is for children and the eternally young at heart undoubtedly will come through loud and clear and ring true as Austrian crystal, when the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra performs ``The Toy Symphony.''

At one time mistakenly attributed to Franz Joseph Haydn, the symphonic work by Leopold Mozart features the orchestra's string section and an odd, cacophonous mixture of unlikely instruments played by the otherwise idled members of the group. Carol Alexander conducts the youth orchestra.

``You have the unique and rather unusual contrast between the beautiful string music and the toy instruments,'' Alexander said of the work inspired by toy instruments Mozart found in an Austrian marketplace during Christmas and by the children who enjoyed making music on them. Orchestra members, junior high schooler through young adults, all enjoyed the rehearsals.

``The first time they played it, they couldn't even get through it, they laughed so hard,'' said Benson. Alexander explained that practicing the playful symphony has been a positive experience for the temporarily displaced wind and percussion players. According to Alexander, the young musicians found the serious piece of music incorporating toy drums and cuckoo calls extremely accessible and more appealing than some other classical selections.

The conductor recalled a moment from one French horn player who happily exchanged his horn for a toy bird whistle. ``This is so cool!'' said Alexander, imitating the remark made by Michelle Cabral.

Alexander also voiced her personal excitement over the loan, by a friend of the orchestra, of a 100-year-old wooden cuckoo clock. ``You can't even buy them like this anymore!'' she exclaimed.

``The Sounds of the Season'' will conclude with an audience sing-along of favorites by Sonstegard and the entire complement of 175 musicians.

The Fred Kavli Theatre for the Performing Arts is located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Tickets for the holiday concert are priced from $16 to $41. For tickets and information, call (805) 499-ARTS, or contact Ticketmaster at [phone]. For group ticket information, call the Conejo Valley Symphony at [phone].

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Photo

PHOTO (Color in Conejo Edition only) Mary Brannock, left, and Bonnie Graeve sing at rehearsal for ``The Sounds of the Season'' performance Saturday.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Special to the Daily News