Providing a challenging, fully integrated music experience for the young musician because of support from people like you. May 2015 Vol. XV No. 5
A Whisper in the Woods 'You’re just a whisper in the deep woods,' says Maestro John Welsh as he leads SOGO’s Conservatory Orchestra through a challenging rehearsal. In this case, the woods are in Finland because the orchestra is preparing Jean Sibelius' Finlandia for the May 17 concert. Sibelius wrote Finlandia in protest against the Russian occupation of his homeland. This quiet, woodsy moment of the piece differs from its robust ending, which evokes the struggle of the Finnish people. 'This is the piece that caused the Finnish to go to war to get rid of Russia!'' says Welsh as he gestures to the orchestra to play even more powerfully.
This is the piece that caused the Finnish to go to war to get rid of Russia!
Pat Kabler with her SOGO quilt.
SOGO Quilt Raises $1000
Prince Golaud brings home a new bride, Mélisande, but becomes jealous of her friendship with his brother, Pelléas. Pelléas decides to leave, but meets Mélisande at the well to say good-bye. Golaud bursts in and kills Pelléas, wounding Mélisande and himself in the process. Mélisande dies in the end, leaving Golaud with his regrets. SOGO’s music historian, Anne Edge, notes that this piece is 'quiet and refined – a contrast to the nationalist fervor in Finlandia.'
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For years, Pat Kabler has been collecting SOGO t-shirts to make a SOGO quilt. The former SOGO finance director wanted to do something to raise money for SOGO so she put her sewing skills to use.
The concert, and the season, will finish with American composer Howard Hanson's Symphony Number 2, 'Romantic.' Hanson wrote this piece for the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He strove to create music that he described as 'young in spirit, lyrical and romantic in temperament.'
'I just got a bee in my bonnet and wanted to do it,' says Pat. 'When I really sat down to do the quilt it took about three weeks.'
Please join us on May 17, 4 p.m. at the Washington Center for this lovely spring concert.
Before the finished quilt could be raffled, a private donor and quilt enthusiast saw the quilt and offered to purchase it for $1000. 'SOGO loves those kind of fundraisers!' laughs SOGO Executive Director Krina Allison. True to her background as a finance director, Pat enjoys the accounting piece of quilting. 'My favorite part of quilting isn’t the sewing, it’s the math. The planning, the cutting, takes longer than putting it together.' Make sure you see the quilt when it is displayed in the Washington Center lobby during the May 17 concert.
After Finlandia, the Conservatory Orchestra will perform incidental music from Sibelius' Pelléas and Mélisande. This story of two star-crossed lovers (is there any other kind in the music world?) is based on a play by Maurice Maeterlinck.
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At right: Pelléas and Mélisande by Edmund Blair Leighton.
Musical Cousins: a Trumpet and Trombone Duet
Get ready for a fun performance of Herbert Clarke's Cousins, featuring SOGO trumpeter Willow Miller and trombonist Nathan Yang. Clarke was a cornet player with the John Philip Sousa Band. He wrote the piece for himself and fellow Sousa Band member Leo Zimmerman. Nathan describes it as 'a trombone and trumpet duet. It starts off with a cadenza for both instruments and then the rest of the ensemble comes in. It’s really flashy.' Nathan's mother is a piano teacher, so he began playing music when he was young. But as he got older, the trombone piqued his interest. 'I thought the trombone was really weird looking and wanted to find out how it worked.' If that sounds like the mind of an engineer, you're right. Nathan plans to study electrical or chemical engineering next year at the University of Washington. (Cont'd on p.2)
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