Dozens of talented Chamber Orchestra of Kona musicians — all volunteers ranging in age from 10 to 84 — will take the stage May 31 at the Sheraton Kona Resort &Spa at Keauhou Bay to present “Symphonic Sensations!”
Dozens of talented Chamber Orchestra of Kona musicians — all volunteers ranging in age from 10 to 84 — will take the stage May 31 at the Sheraton Kona Resort &Spa at Keauhou Bay to present “Symphonic Sensations!”
Two performances are slated that Sunday with more than 45 musicians taking the stage at 3 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 for general admission and $20 for students and seniors; children 10 years old and younger enter free-of-charge. They can be purchased online at chamberorchestraofkona.com or at the door, if tickets remain unsold.
The musicians will be under the direction of Conductor M!chaeloha Elam, who will lead the full orchestra through such 19th century pieces as Igor Stravinsky’s “Berceuse &Finale;” Johannes Brahms’ “Symphony No. 1;” Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus &The Underworld;” Edouard Lalo’s “Symphonie Espagnole” and “New World Symphony” by Antonin Dvorak.
“For this concert, we’ve gotten to take the time to nurture the music, and I think there’s parts of it that will be better than some of the elements could be if it was just hired musicians with one or two rehearsals and then, bam, it’s done — there’s elements to it that are deeper,” Elam said. “There will be some issues, but there will be a depth that we’ve nurtured as we’ve been with this music as a group.”
Elam, an accomplished trumpet player, studied at the University of Georgia with musicians Yoel Levi, Fred Mills and Sammy Nestico. He has conducted numerous orchestras on the mainland and performed worldwide. Elam, who lives in Kaimu, Puna, arrived in Hawaii about seven years ago; he has lived on the Big Island for about six.
“I didn’t know if I would ever see an orchestra again. I certainly didn’t imagine I would stand on a podium in front of one again,” he said.
He was introduced to the Chamber Orchestra of Kona by chance one evening when he’d traveled to the west side a day before he was scheduled to depart on a flight from Kona International Airport, Elam said. With time to kill, Elam said he began to play his trumpet, to the chagrin of one man, who put a kibosh to that. A woman subsequently invited him to stay at her home for the night with the promise she’d have him back at the airport in time for his flight.
At her home, he met a chiropractor who also played with the orchestra and enticed him to attend a rehearsal. There, he learned the orchestra’s current conductor was planning to leave. He grasped the opportunity and auditioned.
“I stood on the podium and I was just there,” he remembered. “And, I gave a gesture and they played, and I got chills all through my body. Then I was like, ‘oh, this is why I liked to do this.’ I remembered why I loved to do it.”
Years later, he continues to grace the podium, leading the ensemble’s string, brass, woodwind and percussion sections with the help of Concert Master Ursula Vietze.
“It’s so fun, challenging, exciting, frustrating, joyous — it can be nearly full spectrum,” Elam said about conducting the volunteer orchestra through weekly rehearsals at Kealakehe Intermediate School, as well as performances. … “There’s a mystery unfolding — every week the chamber orchestra is like a whole new group.”
Vietze, an accomplished violinist, will present a 20-minute violin solo during “Symphonie Espagnole” at both performances. Vietze, who studied at the Conservatory of Music in Frankfurt, Germany, has played with many orchestras in both Germany and the United States. She has also been a member of the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet Orchestra, the Johann Strauss Orchestra in Germany and has played with the Honolulu Symphony and Maui Symphony Orchestra.
A resident of Hawaii since 1989, she teaches violin and piano to musicians of all ages at a music studio in Kona.
Elam said the orchestra’s performance of “Symphonie Espagnole” is not an arrangement, or adaptation, but the “real deal.”
“It’s very passionate, virtuoso,” Vietze said, noting the violin concerto will feature two movements, one fast and one slow. “I just love Spanish music, it’s a little different.”
The Chamber Orchestra of Kona was founded in 2003 as a means to create a musical outlet for the West Hawaii community and over the years has grown exponentially, from nine musicians in 2008 to as many as 55 in 2014. In 2010, the orchestra gained nonprofit status.
All of the musicians are Big Island residents who volunteer to share their talent with the community. They range from advanced students and professional to retirees and those who play simply for the love of music. Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings at Kealakehe Intermediate School.
Membership is open to all orchestral musicians who reside on the Big Island, whether full- or part-time. All musicians must have their own instruments and basic music skills, including but not limited to the ability to read music, play in tune, and follow the direction of a conductor.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit chamberorchestraofkona.com. Follow the orchestra on Facebook at Chamber Orchestra of Kona.