We loved this report from self-described “Viola #14″ of the Sooke Philharmonic, Ian Grant – and we’re printing it in its entirety
About two years ago, the directors of three community orchestras in the Victoria area sat down over coffee to discuss an idea one of them had proposed. The three were Yariv Aloni, director of the Victoria Chamber Orchestra and original proponent of the idea, George Corwin, who directs the Civic Orchestra of Victoria, and Norman Nelson, director of the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra. The three found themselves in agreement with the proposal: to present a concert consisting of the members of all three orchestras.
Programs involving two orchestras are fairly common, but combining three full orchestras in a single program is rare, and in fact none has been reported previously to those involved in “A Sonic Celebration” which was performed in Victoria on Saturday, April 17th, 2010. Certainly none has been performed previously on Vancouver Island; possibly Orchestras Canada may have on record such a performance given elsewhere in Canada. (Editor’s note: other than the massed orchestras created for Ontario Youth Orchestra Festivals in the past, we are not aware of such a program. Readers: comment away!)
Putting together a successful program consisting of more than 120 musicians is no simple task, but everyone involved in the enterprise responded with enthusiasm. The venue was the Farquhar Auditorium at the University of Victoria, a simple choice since it has the largest concert platform in the region. Choosing an appropriate program was a bit more difficult: each director proposed a piece that he would conduct, but there were obstacles concerning two of them. One early proposal, William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, which calls for large resources, had to be set aside, owing to the provincial government’s recent reduction of grants to the arts. The final choice consisted of Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture to Romeo and Juliet, conducted by Yariv Aloni; Saint-Saen’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (“the Egyptian’) with soloist Cary Chow, conducted by George Corwin; and the final work was Elgar’s Enigma Variations, op.36, conducted by Norman Nelson.
Preparing and assembling such an outsized undertaking required close support and cooperation, not only from the three orchestras but also their boards and others, including the management of the concert hall. In spite of lurking setbacks, the entire enterprise was performed without a hitch and received a lengthy standing ovation from the audience at its completion.
Whether a precedent was set by this huge undertaking, involving three separate organizations, remains unknown. Certainly the opportunity to bring together such a large assemblage of musicians is only possible because of the considerable volunteer efforts of everyone involved.
