Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

I have been fortunate enough to hear orchestras in Boise, Chicago, Boston, London and Prague, and I can say without reservation that Vallejo has a gem with the superb Vallejo Symphony Orchestra directed by Maestro David Ramadanoff. As a member of Solano Choral Society, I had the distinct honor to sing with The Vallejo Symphony on Saturday night. It was wonderful to sing such exciting music. It is something I will long remember for the thrill and emotional connection I experienced while performing Bizet?s Carmen with the assembled musicians.

The first half of Saturday?s concert featured four soloists that sang selections from such operas as The Marriage of Figaro, Manon, Romeo and Juliet, and The Barber of Seville. Aimee Puentes (Soprano), and Brian Frutiger (Tenor) delighted the audience with their lovely and versatile voices. Layna Chianakas (Mezzo-Soprano) and Joseph Wright (Baritone) stole the show with their marvelous vocals and animated stage presence. Wright, especially, delighted the audience with Rossini?s ?Largo al factotum? from The Barber of Seville. He exudes personality and humor while performing this familiar and rapid-fire piece. This wonderful baritone had the audience crying ?Bravo!?

Under the direction of Maestro Ramadanoff, the second half of the program featured selections from Bizet?s Carmen. Choral numbers were supplied by the Solano Choral Society (Helen Intintoli, director) and St. Vincent?s Children?s Chorus (Debbie Barlow, director). Arias and duets were sung by Frutiger (Don Jose), Chianakas (Carmen), and Wright (Escamillo). I shifted from being seated in the audience to share the first half of the program to joining the Solano Choral Society for our portion of the concert. The experience of singing on stage with the orchestra is quite extraordinary.

Sometimes my mind tries to wrap around how a symphony and choir wind up on stage together, and how many hours of study and preparation are represented in that few minutes where the music is performed for an audience. How many hours learning to play the various instruments? Learning to read music so that it is as effortless as reading this page? Learning to sing? Gaining experience as either a performer or a director? How many times, in how many places, by how many musicians, have these masterpieces been performed since they were written? It boggles the mind, and it nourishes the spirit to participate as either a performer or listener.

Each choir rehearsed for weeks to learn the choral works presented. The symphony, likewise. I spoke to Joseph Wright following the concert, and he has been studying voice for eight years. I?m sure that the other soloists have a similar investment in their craft. To those sitting in the audience, the concert is a spontaneous thing. Only the performers have an idea of the number of hours spent rehearsing, and the challenges of getting those tricky passages just right. And, that is how it should be.

Maestro Ramadanoff is a presence. It is an up-lifting and slightly frightening experience to work with someone like him. He is both ferocious and personable. He commands respect, not just by virtue of his prodigious list of accomplishments and awards, but by his uncompromising insistence on perfection and attention to the tiniest detail. I can only tell you that when he is at the podium with his baton in hand, and he fixes you with that intense, over-the-glasses stare, that you pay attention. And that is why Vallejo Symphony is the terrific professional orchestra that it is.

Ramadanoff wields his baton like the sorcerer?s apprentice waves a wand and all of the instruments, voices, and musicians become, for that moment, one. That is true magic! He has an obvious passion for music and the history and stories that lie therein. Not only the conductor of this great symphony, Ramadanoff loves to educate the audience about the music too. He offers insight and explanations in the hour preceding the concert, and is not shy about taking a few moments during the concert to educate the audience about what they are about to hear.

Vallejo Symphony Orchestra is a genuine treasure and, as a new resident of the Bay Area, I am delighted to have discovered it. Next year will be their seventy-fifth year. It promises to be another extraordinary gift to the community. In a world where entertainment is readily available on television and radio, we sometimes lose touch with how personal and glorious a live performance can be. Transform your attitude. Seek out an opportunity to share in the profoundly moving experience that only a live performance can give. Learn more about the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra at www.vallejosymphony.org, and the Solano Choral Society at www.solanochoralsociety.org.

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